Master's thesis
You will write your Master's thesis (15 EC) in block 3. In this project you demonstrate that you are capable of independently applying the knowledge and skills you acquired in the programme, as well as presenting your findings in a societal context in a manner that demonstrates a professional approach.
In the language specific course of block 2 you will write the outline for the thesis you will be writing in block 3. Be sure to consult with the programme coördinator or tutor in an early stage, as by the end of block 2 the
- subject
- thesis statement
- theoretical framework
- approach
- first and second reader/supervisor
You will finish your thesis in block 3, and hand it in on the date you agreed upon with your first supervisor. Only in exceptional cases and with explicit permission of said supervisor will you be able to deviate from this planning.
The thesis outline will be assessed by the instructor of the language specific course in block 3. Your first and second supervisor or reader are assigned based on your thesis outline. They will also evaluate your plan before you start your research in block 3. As theses produced in this programme are often of an interdisciplinary nature, it is possible to consult the second reader in this stage as well.
Thesis group
You will write your thesis in a thesis group; a small group of 3 or 4 students who meet weekly or bi-weekly with their supervisor. You write your own thesis individually, but peer review plays an important role in this process. In these meetings you will share and discuss your drafts with each other, and although the various subjects may not overlap too closely, you will be able to learn about these other issues as well as use the knowledge gained in the first two blocks to provide your fellow students with advice.
Supervision from abroad
If one of your supervisors is based outside of The Netherlands, make sure their part in the supervision process is clearly agreed upon by all parties, your first supervisor included. In order to work with an international supervisor, you will be required to request approval of the Board of Examiners in advance.
Your Master's thesis contains about 10,000 words, excluding any appendices containing required texts documenting your research. You will determine the final structure of your thesis with your first supervisor.
Students of the multilingual track write their thesis in one of the languages of the programme, whereas students of the language specific tracks write in the language of the track they selected. In the language specific trackt, at least one of the thesis supervisors will have to be a qualified member of staff of the department in charge of instruction in the relevant language.
Submitting your thesis proposal
Do your supervisor and second reviewer approve your thesis proposal? Then submit your proposal in Osiris Student > Cases > My 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 HUM: Thesis proposal. Your supervisor and second assessor will then officially confirm that you can start your writing process. You will be notified of this by e-mail.
Handing in your thesis
Once you have completed your thesis, you must submit it in Osiris (and not via an email to your supervisor). Osiris provides you with an evaluation progress as well as your final grade.
If your supervisor has indicated that your final paper is ready for assessment, proceed as follows:
- You can upload your thesis in Osiris via Cases > My Cases.
- Consult with your supervisor how the plagiarism check is carried out (e.g. by uploading your thesis in Blackboard or otherwise)
Did you get a pass?
If you have received a satisfactory grade, you will need to upload your thesis' final version in Utrecht University's thesis archive. This is mandatory.
- Go to Osiris Student > Cases
- Choose Archive & publish thesis - Follow-up Case
- Archive your thesis and, if so desired, you can publish it
Forms and procedures master's thesis
Your Master's thesis will be assessed following specific evaluation procedures. You can prepare for this by reading the following documents and explanations prior to starting your thesis.
All theses will be evaluated by two separate evaluators. If your supervisor is a professor connected to your Master's programme, he/she will also be the first evaluator.
Your Master's thesis will be evaluated using a standardised assessment form (word). In some cases a third evaluator will be asked to assess your paper. This third evaluator will use another form (word) to evaluate your thesis.
Utrecht University considers any form of academic dishonesty to be a serious offense. Utrecht University expects each student to be familiar with and to observe the norms and values that ensure academic integrity.
Therefore, when you start writing your thesis you will have to hand in the Plagiarism rules awareness statement (pdf). With this, you declare to know about and abide by the norms and rules on fraud and plagiarism of Utrecht University. When your professor or supervisor suspects fraud or plagiarism, they will notify the Board of Examiners.
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.