Master's thesis

For supervision and grading, choose a lecturer from the History Department. You can approach someone teaching your courses or check staff research profiles to find a good match in interests and specialisation. Note that some lecturers may be unavailable due to their workload, so start early and explore multiple options.

Choose a supervisor in time

If you’re going abroad in the first semester of your second year, start looking for a thesis supervisor before the summer — by the end of study period 4 in your first year. If you’re staying here, you have a bit more time, but it’s still better to find a supervisor early.

It’s a good idea to have some topic ideas ready when you first talk to a possible supervisor.

Assessment and grading

The thesis will be assessed and graded by your supervisor and by a second assessor who has not been involved in the supervision. The Programme Coordinator appoints the second assessor. 

You cannot enrol for the thesis via Osiris Student. You need to contact the Student Information Desk instead. 

It can be hard to choose between many topics. Sometimes a topic seems less suitable because you feel like you don't know enough about it. However, most topics become more interesting once you start exploring them. Try looking through sources to see what you can learn and how much information is available.

Look for a problem instead of a topic

It can help to focus on a problem rather than just a topic. Use your course readings, assignments, and seminars for ideas. You can also talk to your tutor or internship supervisor. An internship can provide a unique source base for your thesis.

You may find the following guides useful in setting up your research project:

• Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations and Wayne C. Booth et al., The Craft of Research (both have several editions).
• The UU History Department Research Guide 

In your final thesis, the central research question should be clearly formulated at the beginning and its relevance to scholarly discussions within the discipline set out. The body of the text should show how you went about trying to answer this question, why you proceeded the way you did, and what your findings were. In your conclusion you should analyse your findings in the light of your original question and explain the broader implications of your conclusions.

Upload your thesis proposal

Do your supervisor and second reviewer approve your thesis proposal? Then submit your proposal in Osiris > 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.

Upload your thesis

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

• You upload your thesis in Osiris > 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 Thesis and graduation > HUM: Thesis evaluation

A Master's thesis is assessed by two lecturers. If your supervisor is one of the lecturers teaching in the Master'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 a chatbot (ChatGPT or other generative AI) to write any part of your thesis. If you do, it will be considered fraud. If your supervisor suspects that you have committed academic fraud, they will report it to the Board of Examiners. 

This does not mean that you should avoid research on generative AI. You can discuss the generated text in your thesis, as long as the source is clearly explained and it is presented in your own words. If you are unsure about something, ask your supervisor or the thesis coordinator for more feedback on the proper use of generative AI.