Master’s thesis group – a new cooperation model between a company and university

The master’s thesis group is a new cooperation model between a company and university. It brings a broad variety of new ideas and potential from students for the needs of companies. 

Arina’s master’s thesis group was established in the spring of 2021, at which time Arina offered master’s thesis subjects related to sustainability, circular economy and value creation to students in the final stages of their studies at the University of Oulu. Both the students and Arina’s representatives were very happy with the cooperation model. 

Four business school students took up the challenge. They got to familiarize themselves with Arina in the autumn of 2021, and over the rest of the year, they defined their research plans according to their own interests and scientific goals. Their research was conducted by methods such as interviewing Arina’s customers, personnel, and by utilizing customer data. Now, at the end of the spring of 2022, the master’s theses were ready to be presented. 

At the final seminar of the master’s theses, the students got to present their results and experiences. They received feedback on their work from the supervisors from Arina and the university, as well as the rest of the audience. The students felt that they benefited from the model in ways such as having a motivating subject for their thesis, learning from doing research, and learning from the special contexts of Arina and cooperative association operations.  

Arina’s participants said they got ideas for their own work for the development of cooperative operations, sustainability practices, and the diversity of value creation. They were also positively surprised by how independently the students worked! 

The University of Oulu Innovation Centre is happy to discuss possibilities such as the cooperation with master’s theses. Please contact us!