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Åbo Akademi University 2014/2015
ÅBO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY
be suitable, andwhowould be a potential supervisor for the thesis. The supervisor should be contacted
well in advance of applying. The approval of both home and host university supervisors is required.
Writing a Master's Thesis requires a very high level of English language skills, especially in academic
writing. The recommended level of English language skills is at least B2 on the CEFR scale.
If a student wishes towrite his/her thesis independentlywhile on exchange at Åbo Akademi University
and make use of the ÅAU library and other resources, but receive guidance and credits for the thesis
work at the home university, this is also possiblewith prior consent fromthe home and host universities.
Levels
The basic and intermediate level courses are typically taken during the first three years of study. The
advanced level courses are taken by fourth and fifth year students and are intended to support the
work of thesis writing.
Levels (indicative):
Basic= No previous knowledge required/undergraduate (Bachelor level)
Intermediate= 2nd -3rd year/undergraduate (Bachelor level)
Advanced=4th -5th year/Master level
Examination
Assessment of courses usually includes lectures, course participation, essay writing and/or a written
examination. Some courses are taught over the whole term for two hours per week, others are taught
for several hours per week over a shorter period of time. Generally speaking there are no final exami-
nations, as course examination takes place immediately after each course. If a student fails the exami-
nation there are usually two possibilities to re-sit the examination. Exchange students are in general
required to sit their examinations and finish their courses while they are still registered as present at
Åbo Akademi University.
If an exchange student needs to sit an examination for the home university while on exchange at ÅAU
this can usually be arranged. This must however be accepted by both Åbo Akademi University and the
home university and the arrangements must be made
at least two weeks prior to the examination
.
Transcripts
Only successfully completed courses are recorded in the student's transcript of records.
Please note
that
all coursework must be handed in before the student's departure
from Åbo Akademi University
in order to ensure that all courses will be recorded in the transcript.
Courses can only be recordedwhile
the student is registered at the university.
The registration for the autumn will be in force until 31
December, and the registration for the spring or the academic year will be in force until 31 July. An
official transcript will be sent to the student and a scanned copy is sent to the home university after
the exchange. Additional transcripts requested after the exchange period are subject to a fee of 35
euros per transcript.
Credits
All courses aremeasured in credits,
studiepoäng/sp
. Credits are a value allocated to course units and they
describe theworkload required to complete the course/module. One credit (
studiepoäng
) is equivalent
to one ECTS credit. A full-time study load for a semester is 30 credits, and 60 credits (maximum) for
one academic year. The courseload for one academic year, 60 credits, equals 1600 hours of work. (One
credits equals 25-28 hours of work).
Grading system
The grading system used at Åbo Akademi University corresponds to the European Credit Transfer
System (ECTS).
ECTS definitions
A (5)
EXCELLENT: outstanding performance with only minor errors
B (4)
VERY GOOD: above the average standard but with some errors
C (3)
GOOD: generally sound work with a number of notable errors
D (2)
SATISFACTORY: fair but with significant shortcomings
E (1)
SUFFICIENT: performance meets the minimum criteria
Some courses are graded on a pass/fail basis.
