Master's thesis
The Master’s thesis is a research project in which you will learn to conduct independent research. You will develop and/or apply new methods, or apply existing methods to a new problem. The research should be relevant from both a scientific perspective, expanding the body of scientific knowledge, and a societal one, producing knowledge that contributes to a better understanding of or the solution to a problem.
More information on the Master’s thesis procedures can be found in the thesis course manual of academic year in which you started the programme.
Proposal
Please use the Master’s thesis research proposal information as a cover page for your research proposal. Summit your proposal to the secretariat for approval by the Board of Examiners.
Track Coordinators keep a file of possible topics for research projects. Although students may propose their own topics, a proposal will only be accepted if an experienced supervisor for the topic is available.
Research work
Although the research work is not generally expected to be experimental in nature, the possibility of including some experimental work in your research project is not ruled out.
You may conduct your research project at a university in the Netherlands or abroad, as well as at a research institute, consultancy or the like (providing the work is confirmed to be of sufficient academic level).
Part of your research can be also done in the form of an internship at a consultancy or government agency, for instance.
Your supervisor will assess your Master’s thesis using the Master’s Thesis Rubrics & Assessment Form. It makes the items the supervisor assesses and the criteria he or she uses transparent. You will receive the form when you start the Master’s thesis process. Please use it to acquaint yourself with the assessment criteria and to assess yourself during the thesis process. Your supervisor is expected to tell you early on which items he or she considers most important and the order they should take in the thesis, so you will not get any surprises later on.
After your thesis has been approved, it has to be uploaded into the thesis archive. One week after the grade is registered in OSIRIS, the student will receive a request by email to upload the reviewed thesis (in PDF format) through OSIRIS Case for the purpose of the thesis archive. The thesis archive is only accessible to employees. If you did not receive an email, contact osiris.geo@uu.nl.
Attending Graduation Presentations will be very supportive to the work on your thesis. Every months students present the results of their research. You have to attend at least ten presentations. If you do the track Energy and Materials, you can also attend the presentations of Energy Science.
Research topics
You have to attend at least ten presentations. In this way you will be able to develop a broad view on all kind of recent research topics, and to keep in touch with your fellow students and teachers especially in the final, sometimes rather lonely, stage of your studies. Of course you’re also most welcome to start attending them if you’re not working on your thesis yourself yet. Attending and discussing the research of students in their graduation phase, is a useful way to prepare yourself for your own thesis and it might bring you some inspiring ideas on the topics you’ll want to research yourself. You will find the schedules of the presentations per month - if applicable - on Blackboard.
Registration
You have to sign an attendance list, that is kept at the secretariat. Keep track of the number of presentations you have attended.
Dates
The dates that are available for presenting your thesis or internship can be found on BlackBoard. Please contact the secretariat if you want to reserve a time slot (after consulting your supervisor).