TST-41006

Introduction to Graduate Studies, 1 cr

Course description
The course is compulsory for new masters students in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
Masters Degree Programmes. After completing the course the students will be able to describe the
structure and aims of the degree; know the Finnish way of academic studies and learning techniques; will
be prepared for cultural differences; know TUTs study tools such as student intranet POP and the Personal
Study Plan PSP; will receive tools for finding information for research.
The course includes common lectures for new Masters degree student at TUT and specific guidance
sessions for Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Degree students.
Course implementation: Period 1, autumn 2016
Course requirements: attending lectures and workshops, approved PSP, final report
Grading: The course will be graded as pass/fail.
Person responsible: Ms. Anna-Mari Viitala, Academic Officer, anna-mari.viitala@tut.fi
How to complete the course:
1) Attending the lectures and workshops is compulsory. If you miss a lecture, you must write one
additional page about the subject of the lecture to your final report.
2) Prepare your own Personal Study Plan (PSP) using the PSP tool. You will receive help for this during
the PSP workshop. Send your PSP for approval to the Academic Officer Anna-Mari Viitala.
3) Write your own final report and deliver it to Anna-Mari Viitala on Sunday 23.10.2016 at the latest.

Final Report
Deadline: October 23th, 2016
Delivery: via e-mail as a PDF file to Academic Officer Anna-Mari Viitala, anna-mari.viitala@tut.fi
Page layout of the final report must be the following: margins: top & bottom 2.5 cm, left & right 2.0 cm;
font: Times New Roman, font size: 12; line spacing: multiple at 1.15, spacing after: 10.
The suitable length of the paper is 2-3 pages.
Note that if you miss one lecture of the course, you are required to compensate it by finding out what
the lecture was about, and by writing one extra page about it in the final report.

Content of the final report: Write a letter to yourself: what objectives you have set to yourself in studies,
how fast you want to complete the studies and graduate, what kind of knowledge and skills you want to
acquire during the studies concerning your future plans.
You will receive the report back at the end of the academic year in May 2017. Then you can evaluate how
well you have followed your plans and aims in your studies.
The final report should cover the following parts: your plans and objectives for the Masters degree studies,
your future career plans, thoughts about living in Finland. Please write your text in free form, but here are
some questions that will help you. DO NOT WRITE THESE QUESTIONS IN THE FINAL REPORT!
1. Me Study Plans
- What are your main interests and objectives in the field of your Masters Degree Programme?
- What kind of knowledge and skills you want to acquire during the studies?
- Why you wanted to continue your studies after completing the BSc degree in MSc programme?
- Why have chosen the major subject and possible minor subject?
- When you are planning to graduate?
2. My Career Plans
- What kind of career plans do you have?
- What is your dream job like? In what kind of corporation / industry would you rather work?
- Do you have any working experience? What kind? What kind of responsibilities did you have?
- What have you learned through your working experience?
- What kind of skills do you think you will need at work / in your future career? In the first job?
Later in your career?
3. Living in Finland
- Why did you choose to come to Finland?
- Would you like to stay in Finland after the graduation?
- Do you have any plans how to meet with the Finns?
- How is living in Finland? What differences have you noticed between Finland and your home
country?