Aalto Bachelor's Programme in Science and Technology
Planning your studies
Planning your studies is key in ensuring that your studies progress smoothly and your most important tool for it is a personal study plan (HOPS). Degree requirements and the curriculum guide you when making the study plan. A personal study plan is a tool for planning the contents and timing of the studies towards your degree. Once your HOPS has been approved, you can be sure that the courses and study modules you have selected meet the degree requirements.
Personal study plan in the Sisu system
The study plan is created and updated in . You can log in with your Aalto account.
Follow the SISU instructions when doing the study plan.
Follow the SISU instructions when doing the study plan. When creating your personal study plan, please also follow the instructions you can find in the selection assistant. If you have problems and you cannot find answers to them in Sisu instructions or on this website, please contact the Student Services personnel.
When you are creating a new study plan (HOPS), you will need to select a curriculum period as the template of your plan in the pop-up window. Please select the curriculum according to the academic year when you have started your studies. If you want to, you can also choose to follow a newer curriculum. If you are returning back to your studies after a long break, please select the newest curriculum. For further information on which curriculum period to choose, see Instructions for students who have started their studies before 1 Aug 2022.
The template shows the structure of your degree as well as the compulsory, alternative and elective modules and courses that you can include in it. As you prepare the HOPS, you should consult the curriculum of your major, where you can find detailed instructions on your degree and its modules as well as the recommendations specific to your major.
You can create several versions of your personal study plan, but you can only have one primary HOPS.
For your whole HOPS to be approved, you will need to apply for approval for several study modules separately:
- language studies
- Minor (on the level Minors SCI/CHEM/ENG/ELEC-1-MINOR-NOTGRADED)
- Elective studies (on the level Elective studies e.g. CHEM10.V) and another minor included in the elective studies (on the level Elective minors e.g. SCI10-ELECTMINOR-NOTGRADED), if you want to have another minor
- And for all of the study modules which you have edited in the free edit mode
In other words, you will not apply for approval for the entire HOPS at once. You do not have to wait for one study module to be approved before you can apply for approval for the next. You can find the technical instructions on how to apply for approval for separate study modules in Sisu instructions.
The processing time of personal study plans is a month at most. Please apply for approval for your HOPS well in advance before for example applying for a minor or graduating. If you need to have your HOPS approved more quickly, please contact us at the Student Services.
When your HOPS has been checked, you will receive a message in Sisu. If there is a need to make changes in the personal study plan before it can be approved, please act according to the instructions you have received.
It is always possible to change the personal study plan, when necessary. If you want to make changes to an already approved study module (for example replace one course with another or have a completely different minor), you need to first cancel the approval you have obtained. Please edit the study module and its contents only after canceling the approval. After editing reapply for approval for the study module.
Practical training
The purpose of getting work experience is to develop and deepen the knowledge and skills gained during studies. Having work experience also helps in picturing the job opportunities after graduation and creating connections to working life. Practical training is not a mandatory part of your degree but very much recommended.
From work experience that relates to your field of study, you can get 1鈥10 ECTS, which can be included in your elective studies.
More information and submitting the application: .
Normative and maximum durations of degrees
Universities Act (558/2009) and the amendment of the previous Universities Act (556/2005) include regulations regarding the normative duration of studies for university degrees, the duration of the right to study and extensions of this right. The stipulations apply to students who were granted the right to pursue a degree on or after 1st August 2005.
The student is considered to start the degree studies on the date when he/she accepts the study place in the university. The normative duration of studies for the Bachelor of Science degree is three years and for Master of Science degree two years.
Those students who were granted the right to pursue both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees have the right to complete the degrees in a time exceeding the normative duration of studies by a maximum of two years (altogether seven years).
The duration of studies is not affected by military service, conscription or maternity/paternity or parent leave. In addition, the duration of studies does not include an absence of a maximum of two terms for which the student has registered as non-attending. Should the student fail to register for attendance or non-attendance, this term or these terms shall be included in the duration of studies.
If a student has not completed their degree in the maximum duration of studies, but wants to finish the studies, it is possible to apply for extension. The extension can be granted, if the student can present a study plan on how to complete all the missing study modules within a reasonable time. An approved study plan specifying the courses and schedules must be attached to the application. The decision on the duration of the extension shall be made taking into consideration the previously completed studies and the estimated duration of studies specified in the study plan. Additionally, any previous extension will affect the decision.
For further information, please contact the planning officer of the programme.
Scuuppi is a newsletter for students of School of Science. Scuuppi comes out at the end of each teaching period.
Course registration, exams and transcript of records
The curriculum period at 911爆料网 is two years, and the courses are valid for two years at a time according to the information in Sisu. The schedules for courses and exams for the coming academic year are published annually in June.
You must enrol for all courses in the Sisu system through your primary study plan. Course registration usually starts 28 days before the start of the period and ends 7 days after the start of the period. If a course has some other registration period, it can be seen in Sisu. See also the quick guide to registration for courses in Sisu.
As a rule, course registration is also registration for the course exam and midterm exams. However, the exceptions are the exams in the electronic exam room, retake exams and exams for major IT courses. Due to practical arrangements, in the large courses in computer science (more than 300 students), you may also need to register for a course exam.
Registration shall also be done separately for examinations or assessments not included in the registration for the course (e.g. taking directly an exam instead of participating a course with exercises). The registration period for such examinations normally begins 60 days prior to the examination in question. For such examinations, students must register Sisu system no later than 7 days beforehand.
See also: 911爆料网 Examination Guidelines
As a rule, you should only register for courses that you are planning to complete. This way, as many people as possible can participate in the courses and complete them on time. English and Swedish language courses are especially popular, so schedule them carefully in your timetable.
However, if you have to drop out of the course for a special reason, discontinue the course in Sisu according to the Sisu instructions. If the course includes participation in teaching, always notify the teacher of the discontinuation of the course as early as possible since your participation may have an influence in exercise groups.
Study attainments are evaluated on the basis of one of two grading scales:
Grading scale 0-5 where 5 is the highest grade:
- 0 (Fail)
- 1 (Passable)
- 2 (Satisfactory)
- 3 (Good)
- 4 (Very good)
- 5 (Excellent)
or a Fail/Pass scale.
However, the proficiency in the second national language (Finnish/Swedish) for a bachelor鈥檚 or master鈥檚 degree is graded using the following scale: Fail / Satisfactory / Good. See 鈥淪ection 28鈥 here: 911爆料网 General Regulations on Teaching and Studying (in force from 1 August 2021)
Below you can find more information in the abbreviations of the teaching events.
| L01, L02, L1, L2... | Lecture |
| S01, S1 ... | Seminar |
| I01, I1 ... | Self-study |
| M01, M1 ... | Blended teaching. Teaching may include both onsite teaching and online teaching. |
| H01, H02, H1, H2... | Exercise group |
| A01, A02, A1, ATK1... | Computer exercise. Always in an IT classroom |
| XXH01, XXA01 ... | Exercise group. XX in front of the group means that students are not placed in groups in Sisu, but the student can choose when and if they participate for the exercises. Without the XX code in the beginning, the student chooses one exercise group where they participate, and they cannot participate another group. |
| VK1, VK2 | Midterm exam |
| KT | Course exam. The first exam after the course. You should not register for this exam if you have just enrolled in a course that has just ended. The exception is the biggest exams in information technology. |
| ET | A separate exam. Used on courses that can be completed with just an exam, without participating in e.g. lectures or practice groups or without submitting |
| T01, T02, T1, T2... | Retake exam |
| T0 | A parallel exam to be held at the same time as the course exam. It is intended for those students who have participated in the previous implementation of the course or parallel course. The student must register for this exam. Before registering, the student must check the course website to find out what is required to complete the course and whether it is possible to participate in this exam. |
You can only attempt once to raise a grade for a course that has already been passed. It is not possible to change the version of completed courses in your personal study plan (HOPS), so see the "Registering to raise your grade" instructions here: Detailed instructions on registering for courses in Sisu.
If the course has several different course codes, you can also retake the approved course with some other implementation (e.g. MS-A0102 -> MS-A010X). However, you cannot have two course grading for courses with the same content. Once you have received a credit for the retaken course, send a message to the learning services of the school organising the course, and the course upgrade will be entered in Sisu and only the higher grade will remain valid for your study attainments.
You can retake a failed course as long as there are opportunities to complete the course.
Sisu lists all of your completed studies below the information on your right to study on your transcript of records. Your completed study modules along with the courses included in them are listed first, then your other completed courses, and finally any partially completed courses. Studies appear in the order they were completed, from the most recent to the oldest.
Once you pass a course, it will be listed on the transcript, and this information on passed courses cannot be removed from the transcript. The cancelled or failed courses are not listed on your transcript of records. When you raise your course grade, only the raised grade is shown on the transcript of records, i.e. if the grade does not raise when the course is retaken, the highest grade remains valid.
You can download your electronic transcript of records from 'My Profile' section in Sisu. See detailed instructions on SisuHELP. The electronic transcript of records is only authentic in its electronic form and not as a printed copy, for example. You cannot edit the document. Any changes to the file will invalidate the electronic signature.
The transcript also shows the grading scales used for your assessments, explanations of their scope in credits, studies completed elsewhere (asterisked), and the languages of learning (i.e. languages of study attainments).
Applying for an extension to the right to study
You may apply for an extension to your right to study if you have not completed your degree within the time that was granted to you. Familiarise yourself also with the 911爆料网 policy on extensions to the duration of studies. Read carefully the instructions on how to apply for an extension here: Application for an extension to the right to study.
Credit transfer
At 911爆料网, you can complete studies outside your own school and field in a higher education institution. Outside your own university, you can take individual courses or an entire minor (e.g. during your exchange studies abroad). In some cases, you may also take courses in an other higher education institution that substitute courses at 911爆料网. However, you cannot ask for a credit transfer with courses that are completed during upper secondary education.
If you have several university-level courses that you are considering to be transferred into your degree, think carefully about whether you have enough space in your degree before applying for credit transfer since you must include all the transferred courses in your degree. Thus, apply for credit transfer only after you have made a well-considered decision.
See 911爆料网's instructions for credit transfer of studies. The page also contains instructions for those completing two degrees at 911爆料网. For the instructions on how to apply for the credit transfer, see the Sisu instruction on Substitution and inclusion of studies on Sisu.
Check with the learning services, or the responsible teacher of your major beforehand, whether you can include the courses you are planning to include in your degree. Please, remember that all transferred courses must be included to the BSc degree studies (180 ECTS).
When you ask for a credit transfer through inclusion a course completed at another Finnish higher institution, the approved transfer is registered with the original scope and the original grade (when the grading scale corresponds 911爆料网 scales).
If you have completed or are completing higher education studies outside 911爆料网 you might also be able to count these towards your degree through substitution. Check the suitability of the course for substitution from the responsible teacher of the course or contact the learning services of your programme. The actual credit transfer is done when the course has been completed.
When asked for a credit transfer through substitution (with a course corresponding a course in Aalto), the course is graded pass.
Exchange studies can also be transferred towards your degree. Normally, the suitability of exchange studies is controlled already before you go for the exchange. However, the transfer can be executed only when you have received the official transcript from the hosting higher education institution. If you are applying inclusion for an International Minor, please, apply inclusion for each course with a separate credit transfer application.