Kajaani University of Applied Sciences publishes its thesis rules as a library LibGuide. This page draws on the maturity test and Theseus sections, plus the thesis course description.
KAMK's distinguishing feature is how plainly it states the limits of confidentiality — a question students working with companies ask constantly and usually get a hedged answer to.
The 15-credit structure
The thesis course splits into three parts:
| Part | Credits |
|---|---|
| Finding the thesis topic — aims, selecting and defining it, topic analysis and data retrieval | 3 cr |
| Planning the thesis — the thesis plan and its presentation | 5 cr |
| Carrying out the thesis, presentation and reporting | 7 cr |
The maturity test is taken at the end of the process.
The maturity test
The requirement comes from the UAS decree (1129/2014), section 8, which KAMK quotes:
Students shall write a maturity essay in the field of their thesis or thesis project to demonstrate conversance with the field and proficiency in either Finnish or Swedish.
Who assesses what
- Language — a Finnish language and communication teacher.
- Content — the thesis supervisor.
- A maturity test written in a language other than Finnish is assessed by a teacher of that language.
Language
Students educated in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, or educated abroad, write the maturity test in the language in which the degree was taught.
You may apply for something different: send an informal application via the Pakki Contract Bank to the Head of School, who decides. This is set out in the KAMK Degree Regulations 2022, §26.
Uploading to Theseus
You upload your own thesis, and the upload must be completed before graduation.
Practical points KAMK spells out:
- With multiple authors, one uploads on behalf of the others.
- You must hold full copyright for all parts of what you upload.
- The thesis is uploaded together with its appendices. A long appendix, or one with its own table of contents, can be a separate PDF — there is no limit on the number of separate PDFs.
- If part of the thesis cannot be uploaded as a PDF — a CD, for example — add a note in the "Remarks" section of the submission form.
- No paper copy is requested, because Theseus serves as the archive.
What happens after you upload
The thesis appears in Theseus once the collection administrator at your UAS has verified its information. If it is not approved you get an email, and after making corrections you upload again. So the upload is not a one-shot action here — unlike at some other Finnish UAS institutions.
Public or restricted — and why the distinction is narrower than it looks
Public collection: the full text is published and openly accessible. The thesis receives a permanent URN, which can be shared and cited — in a CV, for instance.
Restricted collection: the metadata (author, title, subject) and the abstract remain openly accessible. The full text does not.
But KAMK is careful to say what restricted does not mean:
The student always has the right to decide whether they want to publish their thesis in an open collection. However, the thesis is also a public document, so the university of applied sciences must provide it for reading upon request, even if it has been uploaded to a restricted collection. (Act on the Openness of Government Activities 21.5.1999/621)
A restricted thesis can be read at KAMK library workstations. Restriction limits convenience of access, not the public status of the document.
Confidentiality: the limit, stated plainly
A thesis prepared at a public educational institution is in principle a public document, under the Constitution of Finland §12.2 and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities §1.
KAMK draws the conclusion directly:
- It is not possible to create a thesis that is entirely confidential.
- If confidential material must be included for a compelling reason, it cannot be part of the thesis report used for assessment.
- Where the thesis contains confidential material, this must be indicated in the abstract.
The reason KAMK gives for the public nature of theses is worth repeating, because it reframes the rule as a protection rather than an imposition: it ensures the fair and equal assessment of theses.
What this means if you have a commissioner
Agree early what can be written about. A company expecting a confidential report will not get one, and material you cannot publish cannot be assessed — so anything you need credit for has to be publishable. That conversation is much easier before the data collection than after it.
What we could not confirm
KAMK's pages used here do not state a similarity percentage threshold, nor name the plagiarism detection system in the sections covering the maturity test and Theseus.
The maturity test's credit value is also not separately stated. The course description accounts for all 15 credits across the three parts above, with the maturity test appearing as a component of the course rather than as its own credit line. If you need a definitive figure, your programme's course implementation page is the place to look.
