5.1 Writing the Maturity Test
Bachelor’s degree
The bachelor’s degree maturity test is always written in a supervised exam setting in EXAM without supplementary material. You can write the test in Jamk’s Examstudio or at another higher education institution’s EXAM location.
The time allowed for writing the maturity test is 2 hours 15 minutes.
Master’s degree
Agree with your principal thesis tutor on writing the maturity test as well as its timing and submission.
You can return the master’s maturity test either to Wihi or to the place assigned to you by the principal thesis tutor. The master’s maturity test may also be written in EXAM. You can write the test in Jamk’s Examstudio or at another higher education institution’s EXAM location.
The maturity test of the master’s degree is not checked for language unless the student has not previously written a statutory maturity test at the bachelor’s level.
Maturity test writing instructions
Prepare a press release about your thesis, intended to serve as a general and interesting news piece about your work. For a bachelor’s thesis, an internal release is prepared for Jamk, while for a master’s thesis, a media release is made. Title and draft the release in a news-like manner, considering the target audience of the release.
In the first paragraph, write who did what, where, and the most interesting results of the work. You can start with the most interesting point (= lead) or by introducing, for example, ‘Oili Opiskelija, a logistics student at Jamk University of Applied Sciences, found in her thesis that…’ (who did what, where). According to the research,… (main result and significance). Do not write in the first person; write as an external observer. Do not refer to yourself as a student or researcher except when mentioning who wrote the thesis, but use your full name initially and then just your surname in any subsequent mentions. The main focus should be on the subject, not the person. Remember to mention Jamk University of Applied Sciences, and to spell and capitalise the full name of the school correctly.
Create the title based on the content of the first paragraph. Condense the usefulness of the thesis into the title in news style. For example, SME’s Also Benefit From New Technology. The headline of the release is not the title of the thesis.
Then, give a little detail about the execution of the thesis. Next, give any background information and conclude with how the results can be utilised or taken advantage of. Remember to divide the text into paragraphs. Do not detail each step of the progress; focus on the results. Do not use research method terminology.
A paragraph break is indicated by an empty line. The ideal length of the release is one page, which equates to approximately 300-400 words (3,000-3,500 characters). Mark the contact information at the end. Contact information is not included in the length of the text. Remember, the release is not a summary or a ready-made article about the thesis but rather source text for news. Do not use lists in the text; explain with good, complete sentences. The beginning of the release should cover the most important news-worthy items, with background details explained later. So, choose the important and interesting things.
The maturity test for a bachelor’s thesis is subjected to the assessment of both the content (by the thesis supervisor) and the language (by a Language Centre lecturer). For the master’s thesis, only the content is assessed, and this is done by the thesis supervisor. The maturity test is graded as Pass or Fail. A maturity test receiving a grade of Pass must be of the length prescribed.
- Content: The general comprehensibility of the release, key results and benefits of the thesis to the field, and expertise in the subject
- Language: The independence of the text (the content of the release is understandable even if the reader has not seen the thesis), logical handling (structure of the release), good factual style and descriptive approach, as well as error-free language and spelling. The maturity exam is assessed as Fail if
- the text is too short,
- the title of the news bulletin is missing,
- Jamk University of Applied Sciences is not mentioned, or
- the text is written in the first person.
Contact information (replace with your own):
Maija Meikäläinen, field of study, degree programme, Jamk University of Applied Sciences. Jyväskylä. email.address@xxx.com
Meikäläinen, M. (2023). Title of the Thesis. [Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis, Jamk University of Applied Sciences].
Thesis supervisors:
Agree on a suitable date for writing
At the phase 3 in Wihi, before returning the thesis for processing and assessment, your maturity test must have been approved. Agree with the principal thesis tutor when to write the maturity test.
If the thesis is a joint work by more than one student, they must each complete a separate maturity test.
Confidential information in the maturity test
A bachelor’s thesis may contain confidential information, even though all theses are, in principle, intended for the public. The student is obliged to comply with the principles of confidentiality in writing his/her maturity test.
A maturity test internal bulletin does not usually disclose the name of or any other details concerning the commissioner. The contents are focused on a newsworthy item, which can be something other than the primary results of the thesis. A newsworthy item can be about a process, methods, the background of a situation, etc. The perspective can broaden and further generalise the subject of the thesis. The internal bulletin can and should, therefore, be written without disclosing any confidential information.