master thesis ects

Department of Computer Science

Master thesis.

In the Master’s Programme 2021W a Master’s Thesis amounting to 25 ECTS must be written. The Master’s Thesis is a scientific piece of work that proves the ability to work on a scientific topic independently and in a justifiable way in terms of content and methodology.

If a specialisation (in-depth study) is selected, the Master’s Thesis must be allocable to the topical field of the specialisation.

Curriculum Master's Programme Computer Science 2021W

• The supervisor needs to be selected from this list (Examination Board) . If you would like a different supervisor, please contact Univ.-Prof. Dr. Aart Middeldorp, Associate Dean of Studies . Inform yourself thoroughly and conduct talks with all research groups , before deciding on the topic of your Master Thesis.
• Compulsory Module - Preparation of the Master's Thesis (2,5 ECTS): Agreement on the topic, scope and form of the Master's Thesis on the basis of a brief description of the content (synopsis) as well as agreement on the work processes and the course of study; planning a corresponding time frame for the implementation of the Master's Thesis. Learning Outcome: Having successfully passed this module, the students are able to write a brief description of the content of the planned Master’s Thesis (synopsis) and to outline a schedule.

 Form ' Assessment of the compulsory module: Preparation of the Master’s Thesis ' (in German) - Assessment: successfully completed / unsuccessfully completed Form ' Application for the Master's Thesis ' (in German) - The Examination Office will obtain the signature of the Director of Studies

Possible topics for a Master Thesis can be found on the respective website of the research groups:

• Computational Logic
• Databases and Information Systems
• Data Science
• Distributed and Parallel Systems
• Intelligent and Interactive Systems
• Interactive Graphics and Simulation
• Networked Embedded Systems
• Quality Engineering
• Security and Privacy Lab
• Semantic Technology Institute
• Theoretical Computer Science

Pay attention to the following points:

For completion of the Master Thesis approximately half a year (full time) has to be taken into account.

The Master Thesis has to be written in English.

In case the supervisor needs to be changed, two forms have to be completed:

• ‘‘Change of the Supervisor of the Master’s Thesis’ (available at the Examination Office Technik )
• New ‘Application for the Master’s Thesis’

Please note, that the person grading your Master Thesis (= supervisor) has two months upon submission of the Master Thesis to grade it. (see ‘ Deadlines ‘).

Information about the Defence of the Master's Thesis can be found on a separate website.

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Institute of Science, Technology and Policy

Master's thesis.

The Master’s thesis concludes the Master’s degree programme in Science, Technology and Policy. With the Master’s thesis, students demonstrate their ability to conduct scientific research based on the theoretical and methodological knowledge acquired during the MSc programme.

The thesis addresses a particular policy issue chosen by the student and does so in an interdisciplinary manner. Policy analysis plays a significant role in the research and the resulting thesis. Writing the Master’s thesis involves a full-time semester workload (six calendar months full-time, 30 ECTS). Because the thesis must be completed within six months, students are advised to refrain from taking additional courses and/or, as far as financially possible, from pursuing paid employment during this time.

Master's Thesis in short

On this page you can find a short overview of the features and requirements of the Master's thesis.

The complete regulation can be found in the documents below:

• Please check the Download Master's Thesis Guidelines (PDF, 228 KB) vertical_align_bottom .
• Please download the Master’s Thesis Download Assessment Form (PDF, 253 KB) vertical_align_bottom (fillable PDF document).

Students can commence work on the Master's thesis when both of the following conditions are met:

• They have completed their Bachelor's degree.
• They have acquired the number of ECTS points required for the Master's degree in all categories, with the except for credits for electives and the Master's thesis itself.  

The minimum number of credits required in each category is:

• Courses in social sciences: 27 credits
• Minor in natural sciences and engineering: 27 credits
• Case studies: 12 credits

The Master's thesis must be completed within 28 weeks. These 28 weeks include 26 weeks of work and 2 weeks for holidays, sick leave, and other brief absences.

Students are free to choose a start date in agreement with both supervisors. The start date is then registered in myStudies, subject to approval by the supervisor.

This binding deadline for each student is displayed on myStudies. If it is missed without notification, the Master's thesis will be graded as ' failed ' . The Director of Studies can extend the deadline under exceptional circumstances. The reasons must be stated in a written request by the student and the request must be approved by the Studies Director.

There is no required or maximum length. A rule of thumb is 40 - 50 pages, excluding appendices.

• Front-page layout

The front page must contain the following information:

• ETH and ISTP Logo.
• Thesis type (Master's thesis).
• Name of the student.
• Student ID number.
• Master’s degree programme in Science, Technology and Policy.
• Title of the Master's thesis.
• Supervisor and Co-Supervisor, with their academic title and institution.
• Date of submission (dd/mm/yyyy).
• Declaration of originality

Students must submit a signed declaration of originality when they submit their Master's thesis. Each copy needs to contain a Download declaration of originality (PDF, 183 KB) vertical_align_bottom .

If this student uses AI tools for language editing, this is acceptable but must be declared in the declaration of originality. Using AI tools for the substantive content of the thesis is not allowed.  

• Citation etiquette

All students are required to follow the guidelines Download 'Citation etiquette' (PDF, 67 KB) vertical_align_bottom .

Please also visit the webpage on plagiarism on the ETH student portal.

Please be aware that supervisors will normally run Master's theses through PlagScan or a similar platform to identify plagiarism problems before assessing the content of the thesis.

The Master's thesis should be supervised by two professors, who serve as supervisor and co-supervisor, respectively. One of these professors must be from the social sciences. The other professor should be from the natural or engineering sciences or the social sciences. The supervisor must be an ETH Zurich professor. She or he has the lead role in supervising and mentoring the student and grading the thesis. The co-supervisor can be from ETH or another academic institution. Subject to approval by the ISTP studies director, the co-supervisor (whether from within ETH Zurich or another academic institution) can also be a postdoctoral researcher or senior researcher/scientist with demonstrated experience in advising Master's and doctoral students. Such a co-advisor must be independent of the supervisor, i.e., she or he should not be a staff member of the supervisor.

Subject to approval by the supervisor and the ISTP studies director, the Master's thesis research can also be undertaken outside ETH Zurich under the co-supervision of a professor or postdoc/senior researcher at that institution (meeting the same conditions as for the co-supervisor within ETH Zurich, see above). In such cases, the supervisor (who must be an ETH Zurich professor) should assess the submitted Master's thesis independently of the ETH-external co-supervisor and provide a separate assessment and grading proposal. If both supervisor and co-supervisor are from within ETH Zurich, they may provide a jointly agreed assessment.

The supervisor and co-supervisor must, under any conditions, have full access to data and other material when assessing and grading the thesis, if necessary, under a non-disclosure agreement with the external institution. Research findings reported in a Master’s thesis must be replicable by third parties, normally by everyone in the respective scientific field and, in exceptional cases, at least by the supervisor and co-supervisor. Students are also responsible for determining where their research requires approval by the ETH Ethics Committee and, if applicable, secure approval with support from their supervisor.

According to a directive by the rector of ETH Zurich, research for the Master's thesis as such cannot be paid for. That is, paid work time (e.g., in the context of an internship or as a research assistant) cannot be used for work on the Master's thesis. Reimbursements (e.g., for travel costs, additional charges for food or accommodation) are permitted.

The supervisor and co-supervisor have the following duties:

• Define the theme of the Master's thesis in consultation with the student.
• Define the tasks in writing.
• Determine the date on which the student can begin the Master's thesis and the date on which the student can submit the thesis.
• Define the criteria for assessment of the Master's thesis.
• Assess and grade the thesis.
• Finding a topic, supervisors and preparation of the thesis proposal

Students are free to develop their own thesis topic or to select a topic suggested by a prospective supervisor and/or co-supervisor, and they are free to choose a supervisor and a co-supervisor whose interest aligns with a particular topic, subject to the above rules. The thesis must focus on a policy-relevant issue, and policy analysis should play a significant role in the research and resulting thesis. Once a topic is identified and agreed upon by both the student and the supervisor, the student will draft a thesis proposal of around 2 - 5 pages. This proposal must be approved by the supervisor before the research starts. The proposal should cover the following points:

• Supervisor and co-supervisor.
• Research question and its relevance.
• References and relevant scientific literature.
• Potential theoretical arguments addressing this question.
• Empirical research strategy and timeline.

On the following sites, you can find inspiration for potential thesis topics. 

• Student Theses Energy and Technology Policy Group  
• Abschlussarbeiten Institut für Raum- und Landschaftsentwicklung (D-BAUG) (German only)
• external page SiROP call_made
• Registration in myStudies

After the students and supervisors have agreed on a topic and a start date, students need to register for lecture number '860-0900-00 Master's Thesis' on myStudies .

The latest starting date can be 3 months after the end of the semester of registration.

To register the thesis in myStudies, students need to submit:

• Title of the thesis (the title can be changed later on).
• Start date.
• Names of the supervisors.
• Thesis proposal.

The duration of the Master's thesis is set to maximum 28 weeks (6 months plus 2 weeks), and the submission date will be displayed on myStudies .

• The main supervisor must confirm the thesis in myStudies.

The supervisor must confirm the thesis in myStudies for the student to be able to formally begin the Master's thesis. The student office approves the registration in myStudies. Students can start the Master's Thesis only when the status in myStudies is 'Definite'.

• Submission and evaluation

The supervisor will, subject to the consent of the co-supervisor, communicate the grade and the grading sheet(s) for a thesis to the Study Administration within eight weeks after submission, and preferably sooner. The supervisor and co-supervisor must send the grading sheet(s) to the student. They will commonly meet with the student in person or online to provide more detailed feedback.

• Awarding credit points

Students will be awarded 30 ECTS credit points upon successfully completing the thesis.

• Publication in the ETH Research Collection

Students have the opportunity to publish their Master's thesis in the ETH Research Collection. To publish Master's theses in the Research Collection, a letter of recommendation from the main supervisor is required.

• Degree request

Once the Master's thesis is successfully completed and all credits are obtained, students may request their diploma .

The Master's thesis will be graded, and this grade will serve as the student's performance assessment for the lecture unit. Theses are graded on a scale from 1 - 6. Students must earn a 4 or higher in order to pass.

Only the written Master's thesis is evaluated. Presentation of the Master's thesis is not compulsory; however, the ISTP encourages students to present their thesis in a seminar or a poster presentation.

The Master's thesis Download assessment form (PDF, 253 KB) vertical_align_bottom will state the criteria that will be used to evaluate the thesis.

The supervisor  and co-supervisor will evaluate a student's thesis separately. The scores for each criterion are averaged. The average of all of these scores will constitute the final grade. The main supervisor will be responsible for coordinating the grading process and for submitting the student's final grade to the Study Administration.

A Master's thesis that receives a grade lower than 4 may only be repeated once. If repeated, it must address a new theme. The repetition may proceed under a different supervisor and/or co-​supervisor. Repeating a Master's thesis that has received a grade of 4 or higher is not possible.

Master's Thesis Interviews

To gain deeper insight into how the Master's thesis process could look like, check out our interviews with previous Master's students:

• A thesis abroad: Bridging technology decision making and local engagement in Laos

Outstanding Master’s theses are honored with the Silver Medal of ETH Zurich and a financial sum. Please find the directives here. Past STP programme medal recipients include:

• Felix  Zaussinger,  MSc 2021 ( 2022 Medal Recipient)

Since the number of medals awarded is capped, the D-GESS is typically allocated with one medal over the three MA programs (MA CIS, MA GPW and MSc STP) each year. The directors of study will nominate the candidates and take a joint decision. The ETH Medal will be awarded at the Master's degree graduation ceremony.

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English Department

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, master thesis (30 ects).

Some information is available on the website of the Faculty of Arts . Below, you find the most important guidelines for Master Theses at the English Department. However, we strongly encourage you to read the Faculty guidelines as well.

Template Cover Master Thesis (English) (DOCX, 56 KB)

You may also wish to consult the section on extending deadlines (only possible in cases of force majeure) .

Whom Can You Choose as Your Supervisor?

• The Master Thesis is usually supervised by a professor .
• Other members of staff holding a PhD degree are also allowed to supervise Master Theses. Note, however, that they are not obliged to do so.
• To find out what types of topics individual instructors may be interested in supervising , you can consult their homepages. You can find links to all instructors' homepages on the UZH English Department's Staff List .

When to Contact Potential Supervisors?

Make sure to contact a potential supervisor prior to booking the Master Thesis online - ideally at the end of the preceding semester, but no later than:

• August 5 if wishing to book the two-semester module in the fall semester;
• January 5 if wishing to book the two-semester module in the spring semester.

When and How Do I Book the Master Thesis?

• The Master Thesis must be booked online , during the module booking period .

By When Do I Need to Submit?

• December 1 (for the fall semester);
• June 1 (for the spring semester).

Template Cover Master Thesis (German) (DOCX, 56 KB)

• Note that your supervisor may ask you to submit the Master Thesis earlier than this (e.g. mid-November for the fall semester).

How Long Should the Master Thesis Be?

Usually, the Master Thesis is between c. 20,000 and 30,000 words (not counting the bibliography). Note, however, that supervisors may accept theses that are shorter or longer. In other words, if in doubt, discuss the question of length with your supervisor.

Please also consult the following documents:

• Linguistics: Manual for Writers of Papers in English Linguistics
• Literature: Literature Guide

How Much Supervision? And What If I Don't Hear Back?

You are expected to conduct most of your research for the Master Thesis independently. However, supervisors will of course be happy to provide a certain level of guidance.

• At the start of the supervision process, you should discuss the mode of supervision with your supervisor (e.g. Will there be regular meetings? How often are you allowed/supposed to contact your supervisor?)
• Should you encounter any major problems, then please make sure to get in touch with your supervisor as early as possible!

Usually, supervisors at the UZH English Department will try to respond to your queries within 48 hours (working days, i.e. not counting weekends).

Should you not not hear back from your supervisor within three to four working days, then please send them a short reminder.

If you still do not hear back from your supervisor after your second message (within three to four working days), you should contact the advisor of studies at [email protected] .

Organizing the Master Thesis: Two Examples

The Master Thesis is, usually, a two-semester module. Accordingly, the following examples cover the two most common cases.

• ideally contact your supervisor at the end of the fall semester in the previous year, but no later than January 5, to find out whether they are willing to supervise your topic;
• book the Master Thesis during the module booking period of the spring semester (end of January/early February);
• submit the Master Thesis no later than on December 1 (or earlier, if your supervisor has given you an earlier submission date).
• ideally contact your supervisor at the end of the spring semester in the previous year, but no later than August 5, to find out whether they are willing to supervise your topic;
• book the Master Thesis during the module booking period of the fall semester (end of August/early September);
• submit the Master Thesis no later than on June 1 (or earlier, if your supervisor has given you an earlier submission date).

If you would like to submit your Master Thesis at the end of the first semester, then the corresponding deadlines would apply (i.e. June 1 for the spring and December 1 for the fall semester).

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Master's thesis

The Master’s thesis is a course resembling research project.  It is included in advanced specialisation studies and accounts for 30 ECTS credits. Master’s theses are public documents.

Note!  The university's schools may complement these instructions with field-specific guidelines that they publish in  the eLUT website or on the Moodle platform.

Students must submit the topic of the thesis as early as possible after starting the work and when the supervisor has been decided. The topic is not necessarily the final title of the thesis. Students send the topic approval form to Student Services (address is on the form) from where it will be forwarded.

Thesis cannot be uploaded to LUTPub if either the confirmation of the topic or the acceptance of the manuscript including layout and plagiarism checks are missing.

Commissioned thesis

If you do your thesis in cooperation with an external party, for example a company, please provide your commissioner with an information packet on the master's thesis. It opens up the specific features of the Master's Thesis:  Information to the commissioner of a Master's Thesis .

Forms related to the thesis (use only the forms on this page - for example, forms found through search engines may not be up to date)

• Application for Approval of Master's thesis topic: Form 1A
• Application for Assessment of Master's thesis: Form 1B
• Thesis template - Word
• Thesis template – LaTeX  (for LaTeX users)

Master's Thesis Electronic assessment and publication .

Check also graduation . 

Master’s thesis instructions

The Master's thesis is the final project in the university’s Master's degree in technology or business and  amounts to 30 ECTS credits. The thesis is part of compulsory advanced specialisation studies and requires  approximately six months of full-time work by the student in addition to advance preparations.

Students starting their thesis work are expected to be able to work independently and responsibly following a plan. Before completing the Master’s thesis, the student must have completed a Bachelor's degree or equivalent and a number of ECTS credits towards the Master's degree considered sufficient by the supervisor  of the thesis. After completing the Master's thesis, students will:

• know the principles, methods and analysis techniques related to scientific research in their field, and be able to apply them independently
• identify essential development targets related to the topic area, and be able to define and delimit a related research problem for the thesis
• be able to assess critically and utilise prior research
• be able to manage their own work: e.g. set targets and a schedule and implement them
• be able to analyse research results and report on the work coherently, credibly and in accordance with good scientific practices in the field in question.

Students prepare in advance by reading the thesis instructions, finding a possible thesis employer, and often also by planning the topic. The actual preparations involve asking a professor or other instructor in the student's degree programme to act as the thesis supervisor. The professor or other instructor accepts the  request to be the primary supervisor of the thesis or advises the student how to find one.

Two supervisors are assigned for each Master’s thesis. The primary supervisor is in charge of the supervision  at the university and specialises in a field closely related to the thesis. The primary supervisor may be a  professor with a doctorate, an associate professor on the tenure track, or a docent at LUT. Also an LUT  employee with a docentship at another university may be the primary supervisor. The secondary supervisor  must have at least a Master's degree and may be employed at LUT or elsewhere, e.g. by the company that commissioned the student’s thesis. The primary supervisor assigns the secondary supervisor.

Initially, the student and primary supervisor discuss at least the following:

• the prerequisites for starting the Master’s thesis (completed studies)
• the objectives and requirements of the thesis
• the thesis topic and its approval
• a plan and schedule for the thesis
• funding (possible grant, employment relationship, self-funding)
• the supervisors at the university, supervision practices and meetings, the division of work between the primary and secondary supervisor
• the commissioner of the thesis and issues that must be agreed on with the commissioner: supervision at work (who supervises, supervision practices, reporting during and after the project), employment relationship issues, professional rights and responsibilities (also in the case of an invention), workplace safety, insurance coverage.
• publicity of the thesis.

3.1 Approval of the Master’s thesis topic 

After the preparation stage, the thesis topic and supervisors are approved. Students submit a topic application ( form 1A ) from their lut.fi address to the university’s Student Services. The online form is available in the beginning of this page " Forms related to the thesis ". The primary supervisor approves the topic application, and Student Services informs the student of the approval. The approval of the topic remains in force for two years from the date of approval. 

The topic application does not need to include the final title of the thesis. The title may be specified as the work progresses. The thesis topic may be approved when the student:

• is enrolled at the university and is a degree student in the programme to which the topic application is addressed
• has completed the Bachelor’s degree (when the student has been admitted into the university for both Bachelor’s and Master’s studies)
• has completed possible supplementary studies (if the student has been admitted to complete only the Master's degree)
• has completed other possible studies required and announced by the school.

3.2 Language of the thesis

The thesis can be prepared in Finnish, Swedish or English. In degree programmes taught in English, also the thesis is prepared in English. The author of the thesis is responsible for the language revision of the thesis. The head of the degree programme decides on the use of languages other than the above.

3.3 Observing good scientific practice 

Students are expected to know and observe the ethical principles of academic studies. Therefore, they will be instructed how to follow good scientific practice. Plagiarism is strictly forbidden. Citations and references must be made in accordance with established scientific practice. If the degree programme or supervisor require nothing else, the thesis should employ Harvard referencing.

If despite guidance and supervision the submitted thesis contains plagiarised passages, the thesis will receive a failing grade. Moreover, the matter will be brought before the university rector. The Turnitin software is employed in checking the originality of the work, giving feedback, and guidance. The university’s final theses must be checked with Turnitin before assessment. Primary supervisors must make sure that all final theses they review are checked with Turnitin at least once. The student is responsible for submitting the thesis through Turnitin.

3.4 Publicity of the thesis

The thesis is a public document according to the Act on the Openness of Government Activities. The primary examiner sees to it that the commissioner of the thesis is aware of the publicity requirements from the very beginning of the discussions. As a rule, theses are published in the university's publication repository, LUTPub. 

Neither the thesis report nor its annexes can contain any confidential content. The student writing the thesis and the thesis commissioner are responsible for ensuring that there is no confidential material in the thesis. The background material of the thesis may contain confidential contents. The background material is not public.

3.5 Inventions related to the thesis

If the student makes an invention that can be patented or otherwise protected under industrial property rights  legislation during the course of the thesis work, all parties involved must discuss the matter together (the student, the supervisors at the university, and the commissioning organisation). If the invention made in  connection with the thesis is to be patented, the patent application must be left before the work is published. Otherwise, the thesis must be written so that the invention is not revealed.

If the invention has ensued under an employment relationship, the Act on the Right in Employee Inventions  (656/1967) applies to the company. If the employment relationship is between the student and a university or higher education institution, the act on the right in employee inventions at higher education institutions (369/2006) applies to the school. General patenting legislation applies to the patenting of an invention and  general copyright legislation to copyright issues unless otherwise agreed by the parties involved in the work (the commissioner, university and student).

Further information is available from the university’s research and innovation services.

3.6 Content and layout of the thesis 

The thesis typically includes the following parts in the following order: 

• Acknowledgements
• Table of contents
• List of symbols and abbreviations 
• Introduction
• Discussion / Processing
• Summary Conclusions

The title page contains the following information:

Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT Name of degree programme  Title of thesis (final title) Thesis supervisors

The Master's thesis contains an abstract of the work. The abstract is a public document, and therefore all confidential information must be excluded from it.

Students write the abstract in two languages: the language of their basic education (Finnish or Swedish) and English. Students who have not received their basic education in Finnish or Swedish write their abstract only in English.

The abstract should start with the following information:

• Type of document (Abstract)
• Title of thesis
• Number of pages, figures, tables and appendices
• Name of author
• Type of thesis (Master's thesis) and graduation year
• Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT
• Name of school: LUT School of Energy Systems, LUT School of Engineering Sciences or LUT Business School
• Name of degree programme
• Thesis supervisors

Thesis template

A thesis template produced for LUT students guides in Master’s thesis writing.  Template  is available in the beginning of this page.

The Master’s degree requires a maturity test, which demonstrates the student's knowledge of the thesis topic. The abstract of the Master’s thesis acts as the maturity test for the degree.

The primary supervisor of the thesis assesses the abstract on the scale pass/fail. If language of the maturity test in the Master's degree needs to be assessed, the primary supervisor of the thesis may decide to submit the maturity test to a language professional approved by the university. More detailed instructions are available in the eLUT Maturity test -page.

The university defines and announces the graduation schedule for each academic year. Instructions concerning the assessment of theses and on graduation schedules are available in the eLUT student website.

Before the publication and assessment of the thesis, the student submits a finished manuscript to the primary supervisor and applies for permission to publish it. The school assesses the thesis upon the student's application. To apply for the assessment of their thesis, students:

• upload their thesis and abstracts to the LUTPub repository maintained by the LUT Academic Library after receiving permission to publish it. After the library processes the thesis, it will receive a URN.
• submit the assessment application (form 1B) including appendices to Student Services.

Forms, schedules, and additional information related to the publishing and assessment of final theses are available in the beginning of this page.

The supervisors prepare a written statement on the thesis and propose a grade. Students of degree programmes in English will be provided a statement in English on their Master’s thesis. The title and grade of the thesis are shown in the degree certificate.

Schools define their own assessment criteria for Master’s theses. Frequently applied criteria include e.g. 

• the problem-setting, objectives, definitions and delimitations of the thesis
• the relationship to previous research
• the research approach, methods and material used in the work
• the schedule of the research and time management
• the results and their analysis
• the organisation and coherence of the work
• the profoundness of the work
• the reliability of the work
• the language and layout of the work
• an independent approach and application.

Master’s theses in technology are assessed on the scale 0 fail, 1 passable (lowest passing grade), 2 satisfactory, 3 good, 4 very good and 5 excellent. Master’s theses in business are assessed on the scale improbatur (fail), approbatur (lowest passing grade), lubenter approbatur, non sine laude approbatur, cum laude approbatur, magna cum laude approbatur, eximia cum laude approbatur and laudatur (highest grade). An approved thesis cannot be rewritten nor its grade raised.

If a student is not satisfied with the evaluation, he or she may lodge an appeal with the degree board within 14 days of the day the grade was made known. The written appeal must be addressed to the degree board and submitted to the university’s Records Services. Students also have the right to find out why they were  given the grade.

• pages for students writing a thesis
• LibGuides, a portal with instructions and information provided by the library

Ethical guidelines for students

Turnitin guides

• for students
• for supervisors

More information

Study Portal - Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering

Master's thesis.

The Master’s Thesis is part of the last year of your Master’s programme. In the following you can find information about the thesis process, guidelines, and what to do after completing your thesis.

Registration for your Master’s thesis

You are automatically registered for your master's thesis.

The Study Administration will administratively register you for your Master’s thesis. Both the ordinary exam and any re-exams, without possibility of withdrawal. Your registration will be adjusted, so it is possible for you to complete three examination attempts within the maximum completion time of your programme.

Dates for the administratively registration

• If you start your Master's thesis in the autumn, you will be registered for the thesis starting on 1 September.
• If you start your Master's thesis in the spring, you will be registered for the thesis starting on 1 February.

Before starting your Master's thesis, you have to...

• update your Master's programme contract in the contract generator
• prepare a Master's thesis contract (read more below)

What if I still have courses to pass after completing my Master's thesis?

The thesis does not have to be the final exam activity on your Master's programme. You can still complete any remaining courses within the maximum period of study, either concurrently or after your Master’s thesis. If you postpone courses to the Master's thesis period, the period for your Master's thesis will not be extended.

Thesis periods and important deadlines

Thesis periods and deadlines, if you follow the prescribed study plan, thesis periods and deadlines, if you do not follow the prescribed study plan.

If you do not follow the prescribed study plan, the period for your Master’s thesis will mirror the ones stated above.

• The period includes the time used for assessment (0.5 month), which means the thesis should be submitted no later than 4.5 months after commencement.
• Only applies for Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering
• The period includes the time used for assessment (0.5 months), which means the thesis should be submitted no later than 7 months after commencement.

Starting date

The start date may be before the above (latest) start dates.

Submission deadline

The submission deadline is 2-4 weeks before the assessment deadline. If necessary, please ask your programme coordinator for the specific deadline. (Find your programme coordinator under 'Contact and Study Service > Programme coordinators ' in the menu.

Assessment deadline

The deadline for assessment is fixed. It requires an exemption to change it. (Find more information under 'Student counselling > 'Exemptions ' in the menu. If the thesis period covers holiday periods, the thesis period is not prolonged.

Examination

Your thesis exam will take place at Aarhus University as an individual, oral exam. The exam follows the guidelines stated in the thesis’ course description in the Course Catalogue .

Master’s thesis contract

Who has to fill out and approve the thesis contract.

The thesis contract is made by you and your future supervisor. The thesis contract must be filled out by you and approved by your supervisor and your head of degree programme via the Contract Generator .

Guidelines for filling out a thesis contract

You can find guidelines in the Contract Generator .

After your contract has been approved

When your contract has been approved, the Study Administration will register the contract. If there are any questions to your programme or your need to update your Master’s programme contract, we will contact you.

Your Master's thesis contract must be completed and approved via the Contract Generator  before the above-mentioned deadlines.

Group assignments

You have the possibility of doing your Master's thesis as a group assignment together with maximum two of your fellow students.

What is a group Master's thesis?

A group may consist of a maximum of three people.

You can choose between two types of group assignments:

• You can do a joint report in which everyone is equally responsible for all parts of the report. The final grade for each of you will be an overall grade for your individual oral examination and the entire thesis report.
• You can do a report, where it is stated who of you has done the individual parts of the report and is responsible for them. Parts of the report may be produced together. It must be stated in the table of contents who is responsible for the individual parts of the report.

The bibliography of the report can be divided into a common part and a part for each group member. The final grade for each of you will be an overall grade for your individual oral examination, and the individual and common parts of the report.

Each member of the group must fill out a thesis contract in which the other members of the group are listed. If you do not do this, you will not be able to submit your thesis as a group in WISEflow.

Your Master's thesis exam will take place at Aarhus University and is an individual, oral exam. The exam follows the guidelines stated in the thesis’ course description in the Course Catalogue .

Non-disclosure agreement

Non-disclosure in relation to MA thesis or other projects in cooperation with a company 

Standard non-disclosure agreement

Students often cooperate with private companies and organisations in relation to theses and projects. In certain cases, the external collaborator/company may wish to enter into a non-disclosure agreement.

For this purpose, jurists at AU’s contract unit have produced a standard non-disclosure agreement , which you can use with advantage.

Among other things, the standard agreement takes into account:

• That as a student, you do not risk that the company demands that part of your thesis is removed by the company
• That as a student, you are not required to hand in your thesis to the company long before the submission deadline and thus have your time to finish the thesis reduced
• That as a student, you are not sanctioned harsher than what follows the rules of Danish law, if the company argues that you have violated the non-disclosure agreement.

Once you have printed the agreement, please do as follows:

• Sign the agreement and acquire the signature of the company and your supervisor
• Send the agreement to your department ( [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] or [email protected] ), who will acquire the Head of Department’s signature
• Hereafter, the agreement will be returned to you, and you can send it to the company and your supervisor.

Changes to the standard agreement

It can be necessary to make changes to the standard agreement, or the company may have their own agreement that they wish to use. In such cases, please contact your department ( [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] or [email protected] ). Hereafter, they will make sure that the revised agreement is processed at the contract unit.

Submission and defence of thesis with non-disclosure

If you have entered into a non-disclosure agreement with a company in relation to your thesis, submission and defence is conducted as follows:

• The thesis is submitted in the Digital Exam system like other theses, however, you need to tick off in the Digital Exam that the thesis is subject to a non-disclosure agreement
• Examiner and supervisor are under an obligation to maintain confidentiality in relation to the information they receive through your thesis and examination
• The exam will often take place behind closed doors - meaning that guests are not allowed at the defence

Please be aware of this if you enter into a non-disclosure agreement

It is important that you as a student know that the contract, regardless of whether it is a standard agreement or an individually negotiated contract, is only examined on behalf of AU. The contract unit at AU tries to take you as a student into consideration when developing the non-disclosure agreements. If you need supervision regarding the content and how the agreement positions you as a student, it is your own responsibility to seek out guidance.

Moreover, it is important that you as a student know that AU cannot necessarily approve the non-disclosure agreement of a company. Therefore, it is a good idea to begin the process well in advance.

Please make sure not to talk about the things you obtain knowledge about at the company. This includes small talk with fellow students, as informal conversation can be perceived as a breach of the agreement, if you talk about things subject to non-disclosure. Have a talk with the company about what they consider to be sensitive information to make sure what you are and are not allowed to share with others.

If you have any questions, please contact ( [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] or [email protected] )

The thesis must be submitted via WISEflow . You can read more about WISEflow under 'Exam > WISEflow' .

When can I access the exam in WISEflow?

Your exam will be available no later than one week before the submission deadline. You can find relevant information about Master's thesis submission under the exam information in WISEflow.

The thesis must be submitted before 13.00 on the submission date on your thesis contract.

It is your responsibility to submit your thesis in due time. Therefore, we recommend that you upload and submit your thesis in good time before the submission deadline. If you submit your thesis too late, it will not be assessed.

Submission format

Generally, your Master's thesis should be submitted as a single PDF file. However, if you need to hand in any appendices in other formats than PDF, you can do so.

Confidentiality

If your thesis includes confidential information or material, it should still be submitted in WISEflow. When submitting you have to state that it is confidential.

Both supervisors and external examiners have a duty of confidentiality in relation to the information they receive during your report and examination.

What happens if I do not submit my thesis?

If you do not submit your thesis by the deadline, it will count as using an examination attempt.

2nd examination attempt

You have to fill out a new thesis contract with a revised problem statement, which must be approved and thereafter, you will get a three-month supplementary deadline.

3rd examination attempt

If the thesis is still not completed after these three months, one additional examination attempt is registered as used, and the deadline is extended again by three months – to the third and last attempt. Once again, you have to fill out a new thesis contract with a revised problem statement, which must be approved.

Registration

In connection with your thesis, you will be administratively registered for both the ordinary exam, the 2nd, and 3rd examination attempt.

Good advice for your thesis process

When should i start planning my master's thesis.

We recommend that you start early on your reflections on your thesis, perhaps already at the beginning of your Master’s degree programme.

• consider possible directions for your thesis
• find potential main and co-supervisors

Who can I choose as a supervisor?

Your main supervisor must be a permanent employee at either Natural Sciences or Technical Sciences.

What direction should I choose?

You can seek inspiration in the courses you find exciting, talk to your lecturers or the head of programme.

You can find more inspiration for your choice of topic at Studypedia.au.dk .

Decide if you wish to do your thesis in collaboration with a company, or perhaps as a group assignment.

Are there any special guidelines for the Master’s thesis at my department?

Find out whether there are any special guidelines at your department – for example regarding scope, structure, possibility for a study seat and/or laboratory space. Your future supervisor will be able to tell you whether there are any specific guidelines at your department. You may want to check with your programme coordinator, where and when the thesis is to be submitted. (Find your programme coordinator under 'Contact and Study Service > Programme Coordinators' in the menu)

Main Supervisor – what to expect and be aware of?

The purpose of your main supervisor is to assist you in your thesis in relation to the academic content and process. Therefore, it is important that you are open and honest with your supervisor in relation to any challenges, questions, and problems during the thesis period. Your principal supervisor will also take part in your Master's thesis examination.

Alignment of expectations with your supervisors

• What type of supervision do you need and what does the supervisor offer?
• Clarify the goals for the thesis – what do you want to achieve both regarding process and assesment?
• Discuss a draft schedule, frequency of meetings, and table of contents, so you know whether you agree on the direction and disposition of time.
• What and how much of your report will your supervisor read before submission?

Find out whether there are periods during the thesis, where the supervisor is absent and thus not available for thesis supervision.

Meetings with your supervisor

• How many meetings can you expect to have during the Master's thesis period? (Please note that there are no rules for the number of meetings etc.)
• What kind of preparation does each meeting require of you? (For example agenda, draft text, specific questions, etc.)
• Are there any special phases in the thesis process where you want to meet often/less often?

Partners for discussion

Clarify whether there are other relevant partners of discussion for you, in addition to your main and co-supervisors. Please check to see if others are working within the same area, for example, fellow students, PhD students, etc.

Find more good advice about collaborating with your supervisor at  Studypedia.au.dk.

If you experience any problems

Is the collaboration with your supervisor not working.

First and foremost, talk to your supervisor yourself. Find out whether your expectations of the supervision process are aligned. Many problems arise if the expectations have not been clearly aligned from the beginning.

You are welcome to contact your student counsellor and find inspiration on how you can approach the challenges, or you can contact your head of programme.

Are you delayed in the process?

It is important that you react immediately if you discover that your thesis process is not proceeding as expected. If you discover the challenges early in the process, you and your supervisor can still make sure that you are able to reach your goal in due time.

You can contact both your supervisor and a student counsellor if you need to discuss your options.

Illness or other exceptional circumstances

If illness or other exceptional circumstances occur during the thesis period, you can apply for an exemption to prolong your thesis period. Applications should be submitted to Nat-Tech Study Administration via MyStudies.au.dk under " Exemptions ". However, this requires that you are able to document the exceptional circumstances with a medical certificate or other official documentation. Contact your supervisor or student counsellor and, in consultation with her/him, check your options.

Are you dissatisfied with the end/result of your Master's thesis?

Like other courses, you can submit a complaint over your thesis examination. First, contact your supervisor and clarify the reasons for the result. After this, you can find more information about exam complaints under 'Exam > Examination appeals' if you still wish to submit a complaint.

Resource persons – who can help you?

• Your supervisor or the head of programme
• The faculty’s student counsellors (Find more information in the menu under ' Student Counselling' )
• The Student Counselling Service offers free psychological help to students in higher education
• The Student Council 's seminars on writing your Master’s thesis
• The Student Chaplains

Please send any questions from your AU-mail to  [email protected]

AU STUDYPEDIA

You can find good advice, inspiration, and exercies for writing assignments, searching for literature, and much more at au studypedia..

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Bioinformatics Research Centre

Master's thesis in bioinformatics.

In the Master’s program in bioinformatics, you must do a 30 ECTS Master’s thesis. You must start your 30 ECTS thesis no later than February 1 (or September 1 ) a year and a half after commencement of your studies (i.e. February 2021 for students admitted in summer 2019, or September 2021 for students admitted in winter 2020). You must complete your thesis (including the exam) no later than June 30 the same year, if you started on February 1 (or January 31 the following year, if you started on September 1).

You can read the course description for the MSc thesis project at:

kursuskatalog.au.dk/en/course/114372/Thesis-30-ECTS-Bioinformatics

You can read some general information and advice about Master’s thesis work at:

https://studerende.au.dk/en/studies/subject-portals/bioinformatics/masters-thesis/masters-thesis/

You can see abstracts of (some) Master's theses from BiRC at:

https://www.birc.au.dk/~cstorm/birc-msc/birc-msc.html

Thesis contract

Before you start your thesis, you must make a thesis contract. The thesis contract must be completed and approved by January 15  (or August 15 ). You can read about how to submit the contract on the above www page. As part of the thesis contract, you must attach a pdf file containing project description, project goals, activity plan, and supervision plan. This is very much like what you have to describe for a Project in Bioinformatics. At BiRC, you should use the following template for this description.

Problem statement, activity plan, and supervision plan (in docx format)

When formulating the thesis project, you should keep in mind that it should cover 30 ECTS of work, i.e. full-time work for the entire semester and the following exam period. Group projects should of course cover this for every group member.

Choosing a topic

Before you can make a thesis contract, and commence your thesis work, you must (of course) chose a topic and a supervisor. The supervisor must be a tenured researcher associated to BiRC, but you can also have one or more co-supervisors.

When choosing a thesis topic, it is a good idea to think about the classes and projects that you have done during your Master’s studies, and what kind of work do you like? Contact potential supervisors as early as possible to discuss your wishes and ideas. Remember that you are always welcome to come by our offices and discuss. You can also ask potential supervisors for examples of thesis’s that they have supervised in order to get a better idea of how a thesis can look.

Also, we plan an information meeting for students that focus on thesis and project work every Fall. Below are the slides from the last such information meeting.

Slides from MSc info meeting (November 2023)

Ten simple rules for writing a great MSc thesis at BiRC (November 2022)

The slides also contain good advice about how to organize your thesis work. The above www page also contains some advice.

Group projects: It is possible to do the thesis project as a group project. Each group member must fill out individual contracts stating the other groups members. A group hand in a single thesis, but each group member is examined individually. In general, we very much encourage group assignments as it for many students is motivating to work together in a group, and to have group member to discuss and solve the many the details of a thesis project together with.

Projects involving external collaborators: It is possible to do a project that involves external collaboration, e.g. with people from industry, or from other university departments. Such collaborators will be associated to your thesis as co-supervisors. In the thesis contract, it is possible to indicate that the thesis project is done in collaboration with an industrial partner, if an NDA has been signed, and if the final thesis report must be made public available.

The thesis report presents the completed work and can be written in Danish or English. The report must contain an English summary/abstract. The summary/abstract is included in the assessment, and the assessment places emphasis on the academic content, as well as the student’s spelling and writing skills. The extent of the thesis report is agreed with the supervisor, but is typically about 50-60 pages excluding frontpage, table of content and appendices. If the MSc thesis is done as a group project provided, the report must be done in such a way that the group members can be assessed individually. This means that you can either (1) do a joint report in which everyone is equally responsible for all parts of the report, or (2) do a joint report, where it is stated (fx in the table of content) who of you has done the individual parts of the report and is responsible for them. See https://studerende.au.dk/en/studies/subject-portals/bioinformatics/masters-thesis/masters-thesis/ under "Group assignment" for details.

In your thesis contract, you state the hand in date. This can between June 1 and 15 (or January 1 and 15 ), earlier dates are also possible. The exact date is (of course) decided in collaboration with your supervisor. You hand in your thesis via Digital Exam (like you are used to for Projects in Bioinformatics).

The thesis exam is 60 min oral exam. It starts with a 30 min presentation from you about your thesis work followed by a 30 min discussion between you, the examiner (your supervisor), and an external examiner. Your presentation is based upon a question that you get from your supervisor one week before the exam. The exam must be held before June 30 (or January 31 ). In principle, the exam can be held from the day after you hand in your thesis. The exact date is decided upon by your supervisor, and often depends on the availability of external examiners. The final grade reflects an overall assessment of your report, your presentation, and your discussion.

If you have any questions about thesis work, then you are always welcome to ask!

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• Master's Thesis (30 ECTS)

Master's Thesis (30 ECTS)

For the successful completion of the Master's in Public Economics, students must write an independent Master’s thesis. The thesis can be completed within a 23 week period.

Prerequisites

Usually, the Master’s thesis is at the end of your studies. However, you may also start your Master’s thesis before your final semester under certain circumstances. For this, you are obligated to complete at least 60 ECTS and one economic seminar (12 ECTS elective).

Assignment of thesis topics

Once the requirements for the enrolment of a Master’s thesis are fulfilled, students must then find an appropriate research topic. The topic assignment is carried out independently by a professor of your choosing.

In an ideal scenario, you may already have an idea for an exciting topic, which you would like to develop with a potential advisor. If your advisor agrees to the topic, you may enroll your Master’s thesis at the Prüfungsbüro .

Many professors also publish lists with topics of interest, to which you can apply. Professors often have additional requirements for students wishing to write their Master’s thesis with them. Students should therefore inform themselves in advance.

Should you not be able to find an advisor, you may enroll your Master’s thesis at the Prüfungsbüro by giving your preferred advisors. You will then be assigned an advisor.

Regardless of which way you choose, the enrollment of your Master’s thesis is guaranteed.

Further information on Master's Theses

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Master´s Thesis

Important information required to successfully complete Master´s Thesis

The Master´s Thesis is normally carried out in the fourth semester and is equivalent to 30 ECTS-credits.  It must be completed within  6 months  of registration. 

Requirements: The topic of the Master Thesis can be started after 72 ECTS have completed.

The Master´s Thesis can not only be completed at one of the institutes of the University of Stuttgart.  Due to the innovative and economically strong location of Stuttgart students have the best opportunities to write the Master's thesis under the supervision of the university as well in a company or a research center. Another possibility is to do it abroad at a University, a company or a research center.

Examiner:          

Depending on the topic, The first examiner must be a full professor of the University of Stuttgart or a member of the senior academic staff who is an authorized examiner according to the legal statutes.

To register for the Master´s Thesis, follow the link in the CAMPUS PORTAL

MASTER´s THESIS

• Master's Thesis Report-Coverpage
• Master's Thesis Report-Author's Statement
• Master's Thesis Report-Publication Agreement
• Master's Thesis Poster Template (size A3)
• Master's Thesis Abstract Template