Bachelor's thesis

Passing Thesis Lab is a prerequisite for entry to the BA Thesis. During Thesis Lab you will apply for supervision:

1. Write an email to your intended supervisor, describing the topic that you have in mind and asking them, whether they are interested in supervising your thesis.
2. The supervisor then decides to accept or reject the proposed project based on its merits or applicability to their research fields.

In some cases your supervisor may work outside the English Language and Culture BA programme. Examples are supervisors from Literary Studies, Linguistics and Celtic Studies, or the university department within which you study during your foreign exchange period. In these cases, you will have to seek a second reader from among the permanent staff within the English Language & Culture BA programme. The content of your thesis must at any event pertain to English Language & Culture.

• Your supervisor monitors the progress of your thesis and evaluates the final result. A second reader is always involved in the assessment.
• Preferably in week 1 of the study period, you must submit a research proposal. Note: this proposal must be approved by both assessors; only after approval by both assessors can you proceed with your plan. If your proposal is assessed as insufficient, you can revise it once, in consultation with the supervisors. If the revision is also assessed as unsatisfactory, your right to further supervision during the block expires. In your research proposal, you must at least cover the following points: (a) a motivated question or objective, (b) a plan of approach (operationalisation, methods), (c) intended final result, (d) time planning, (e) literature list.
• Unless you have been granted an extension by your supervisor, the final version of the thesis must be handed in to both assessors no later than the last working day of the study period in which you are registered for the thesis.
• The assessment of the thesis is done using assessment forms. These can be found under the heading ‘Assessment’.

When your supervisor has indicated that your thesis is ready for assessment, proceed as follows:

• You upload your thesis in Osiris > Cases
• Start a new case by using the plus icon in the bottom right corner. A new window will open. Make sure your pop-up blocker is turned off for the new window to open.
• Choose Thesis and graduation > HUM: Thesis evaluation

A Bachelor's thesis is assessed by two lecturers. If your supervisor is one of the lecturers teaching in the Bachelor's programme, then this person will also be the first assessor (or the 'examiner'). 

Your thesis is assessed using an assessment form (DOC). If there is a large difference of opinion between the first and second assessors, a third assessor will be engaged, who will always work with a separate assessment form (DOC).

Utrecht University takes all forms of academic deception very seriously. We expect all students to observe the ethical standards of proper academic conduct. So make sure you are familiar with the university's regulations regarding fraud and plagiarism. Lecturers or supervisors will report any suspected cases of fraud or plagiarism tot the Board of Examiners. 

Your thesis must be entirely your own work. You may not use Generative AI (such as ChatGPT) to write any part of your thesis. If you do, it will be considered fraud. Are you in doubt about what is and is not allowed? Discuss this with your supervisor or the thesis coordinator.

In case you are doing research that involves interviewing people, submitting questionnaires or involving people in any other way, you are probably doing human-subject related research. If so, please review the checklist and discuss it with your supervisor. The checklist contains information on privacy, ethics and data management.