According to the guidelines for thesis inspectors provided by the Academic Council, the structure of a thesis should be as follows:
A PhD-level demonstration of proficiency in the Doctoral Arts Study Programme consists of five concert performances (or a similar thematic entity) and a thesis – equal to at least one sixth of the doctoral degree (or at least 25–30 credits).
The thesis must be logical in content and structure, neatly worded, and in line with the pedagogical, artistic, and research goals of the degree. The thesis may involve performance demonstrations of artistic proficiency, in which case the connection to them must be made clear. The thesis should include a short description of the performances and their programmes along with their dates.
A thesis for the doctoral arts degree does not necessarily have to follow the traditional structure of a thesis if publishing it in another form better serves the goals of the doctoral arts degree. A thesis to be inspected as part of a demonstration of proficiency must, however, contain sufficient text to be able to explain its relevance to an academic audience and other actors in the field. The suggested length for a thesis text is 40–100 pages or 25,000 words (±9000) – this does not include appendices, pictures, or other multimedia attachments.
The thesis can thus take many diverse forms, as mentioned earlier, and can include a range of different media. But it is important that certain research principles are upheld and made clear throughout the work. One example of a different way of presenting a thesis is an ‘exposition’ (ekspositio), as explained below by Teemu Mäki:
In an exposition, the relationship between the other ingredients and text is richer, whereas in a traditional (text-based) article, the other ingredients are only there to illustrate points made in the text.
Teemu Mäki’s full text can be found here (in Finnish): http://ruukku-journal.fi/viewpoints/-/blogs/mika-ihmeen-ekspositio-
Part of planning a thesis also involves choosing the right language and style in which to write it. No specific directions are given about this in the Sibelius Academy guidelines. Such choices should be made at the research plan stage, and depend on a number of factors being considered regarding the possible extra meanings that using a particular language will bring. For example, you should think about the ways of communicating that have already been established in your field; the terminology usually used; whether it is the best language to communicate naturally with your tutor or advisory group; about how comfortable you actually feel expressing yourself in that language; not to mention the potential readership.
A good rule of thumb when it comes to planning a thesis is to remember that it is less about the researcher or artist’s personality, and more about the research task itself. In practice, this means establishing the key goal of the thesis (and the doctoral degree), and spelling this out in writing – comparable to defining and answering the research question in scientific research. The research task can be approached by asking what it is you actually want to learn during the course of your artistic doctoral degree. This should lead to an answer that shows how it will benefit the wider community and not only your own artistic and/or academic career. With this in mind, you should not simply be thinking about how it will “enrich my means of artistic expression”. Indeed, keeping the wider perspective in mind is also vital when it comes to finding funding and employment, and it’s worth remembering that the thesis is often the only physical trace that remains after completing the degree.