Maturity test

According to the decree, the maturity test shall be taken by all students for both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The maturity test is an essay written by the student on the topic of his or her thesis to demonstrate his or her familiarity with the field, as well as Finnish or Swedish language skills. The University of Applied Sciences shall decide on the language of the maturity test in cases where the student’s language of school education is other than Finnish or Swedish (Government Decree 352 of 15 May 2003).

The maturity test is not part of the thesis.  The thesis shall be evaluated and marked in the transcript of records even if the maturity test has not been taken.

How is the maturity test to be written?

After the student has submitted his or her thesis for evaluation, he or she shall agree on the maturity test with the supervising teacher. The test shall be taken as any other exam, without any supplementary material. The supervisor provides three topics, of which the student chooses one. The maturity test is written in the form of an essay. Its indicative length is three to four A4 pages in ordinary handwriting.

For further details, see SAMK’s general instructions in the Quality Manual (Procedural Instructions ME71120). The supervising teacher shall give more detailed practical instructions.