[in Finnish]

SISU credit plan is one part of the doctoral personal study plan (DPSP) including also; 2) research plan; 3) supervision plan; 4) financing plan; and, 5) career plan. The other parts will be done in another system next autumn when that system is ready to be taken into use.

Why do I need SISU Credit Plan? 

SISU credit plan (in the system study plan) enables study planning, registration for courses and is the basis for degree certificate and graduation. You can register for teaching from 9.8.2021 in Sisu. Graduation will be applied for in Sisu as of 25.5.2021. If you are graduating after 25.5.2021 you need to create make SISU credit plan in Sisu first even if your study plan has been confirmed and courses completed earlier. 

The degree certificate is formed on the basis of SISU credit plan, so it is not possible to apply for graduation without Sisu credit plan.

How to create SISU Credit Plan? 

Step 1. Log in to Sisu at sisu.aalto.fi

Step 2. Open "Structure of studies" at the top of the page 

Step 3. Create a new SISU Credit Plan

Create anew study plan by clicking "New study plan" button 

and choose under "My educations" choose your doctoral programme. 

• you can choose from the existing educations you have study right to
• curriculum period: choose the academic year you have started or more recent one
  • notice that your research field may not be available in most current structure
• You can name your plan as you like 

Basis for your plan looks like this. 

I have both licentiate and doctoral study right in Sisu, how to find the correct one for SISU credit plan ?

Step 4. Choose study modules to your degree 

In doctoral programme there are only compulsory study modules. Sisu guides what you need to choose. 

In this example there are three study modules: Studies in Scientific Practices and Principles, Research field studies and Doctoral thesis. 

• The selection assistant shows the made selections (tapped to blue in this case)

Step 5. Choose courses to study modules

In doctoral degree most of the study modules requires approval for the module content. In study module there can be compulsory, optional and free choice courses. Sisu guides you to make the choices in the selection assistant window. 

When to use study draft

If you are in planning to do course outside Aalto, are planning some individual study attainments (book exams, summer schools, conference presentations...) you can include them in to the plan by making a study draft(s). Study drafts can then be conditionally accepted to your SISU credit plan. 

Credit transfer can be applied when the course/summer school/other learning has been attained. Instructions to this are still to defined. 

Individual study attainments completed

If the individual studies have been completed, you can see them in the register and add them to your plan. At this point do not use study drafts. 

You can add the courses as follows. If you can add a set of courses free of your choice to the study module, you will see Add to the plan button in the Selection assistant on the right. You can also use Add to the plan tab on the left side.

If the structure on the module is pre-set, you can chance it by using the Free edit mode (in the selection assistant, next to the module's name). This allows you to include any courses you want and request for approval. 

Individual study attainments and needed information

Individual study attainments should include certain information in order to be approved and later registered.

Step 6. Free edit mode

Free edit mode is a stage where you can suggest changes to your SISU credit plan (e.g. if you have received an exemption ). Changes always require approval.

If you wish to use Free edit mode, first open a study module by clicking on it in the selection assistant. In addition to the study modules, you will find the Free edit mode at every hierarchy level of the plan. Next, click the three dots in the selection assistant to open the Free edit mode.

Now you can add any courses, study modules or already completed studies or you can delete courses or study modules. In the Free edit mode, you cannot add a course if it is compulsory somewhere else in the structure.

Finally, apply for approval and include your justifying reasons for the changes.

Step 7. Approval for study module

When all the choices are made correctly, the button Approval for module content approval actives if the approval is required. 

You can send the study module for approval. The application requires some grounds for the application. Contents of the study modules should be discussed beforehand with the supervisor. 

After the approval application has been sent, it shows in the plan as approval requested. 

After the study module has been approved, it shows like this 

In the selection assistant (right side window) you can see the approved content

Step 8. If you need to change the module content after approval

Sometimes the plans change. If you change the content of approved module, Sisu gives you notifications of Selections against the rules and differs from the content of the approved application. It also notifies what is the content that does not correspond to approved content (marked yellow in the example). 

If the changes are necessary, first give up the previous approval of the study module before requesting new approval. 

All applications will be saved, so you can check previous ones later if needed. 

Step 9. Choose Doctoral thesis / licentiate thesis

Choose thesis according to your research field. Usually the thesis and research field codes are formed on same basis, in this case ELEC002Z refers to acoustics also in thesis. 

Extracurricular studies (NOT included in the degree)

Sometimes there are courses recommended to doctoral students to complete that are considered as extracurricular studies. In order to register for these courses they need to be in your SISU credit plan.

Since the doctoral degree does not contain any free choice studies, there will be a study module "Extracurricular studies/tutkintoon kuulumattomat opinnot" in the degree structure. 

1. Choose the module as part of your plan. 
2. Add course(s) to your plan (here added Basic Japanese)
3. Before graduation request remember to delete this module of your plan! 

This study module does not need approval nor is it evaluated. Completed courses will show on your study transcript but not in your degree certificate nor in its attachments. 

What if I already have licentiate degree and need only doctoral thesis to complete the doctoral degree? 

How to update Sisu credit plan if it is invalid?

Sisu is a developing system and some adjusting is done to degree structures from time to time. Unfortunately this might some times "break" plans made earlier and make them invalid. Sisu gives notifications when your plan does not match the current structure due changes (see the notifications below).

How to update the plan? 

When "Extracurricular studies" study module was added to the structure on 26.3.2021, plans created before that are in invalid state "Selections against the rules". 

Start by creating a new plan and choose first the degree studies.  

Choose then study modules. In this example the research field content in acoustics and signal processing had already been approved so choosing the same courses changes the status to valid again. You can find the approved content by clicking open the Show.

Study drafts cannot unfortunately be found again but you need to create them again and send for approval. 

In this plan the other module were already completed so they show up by choosing them in selection assistant.