Research project - master thesis

The research project consists of two components:

• Research project: proposal (15 EC, WISM105)
• Research project: thesis (30 EC, WISM109)

In the case you are partaking in a profile the components are as follows: Research project: proposal (10 EC, WISM107) and Research project: thesis (20 EC, WISM108).

1. ​​Supervisors
   • you need two supervisors for the thesis project: a first supervisor and a second supervisor;
   • you are required to find the first supervisor by yourself (you can ask your tutor for advice);
   • some potential supervisors advertise their available projects through the platform KonJoin https://uu.konjoin.nl/;
   • the first supervisor should be member of the Mathemtical Institute (MI) of the UU;
   • if you select a supervisor outside the MI (for example if you combine the thesis with an internship) then this supervisor can be your daily supervisor, but you still need to ask a supervisor within the MI to be your first supervisor (in that case you will have three supervisor: a daily, first and second supervisor);
   • the first supervisor selects a second supervisor within the UU;
   • students following the double master honours programmes will be co-supervised by two first supervisors, one of each institute.
2. At the start of the thesis:
   • student and supervisor fill in the application form for the research project (go to Procedures and forms for research project), including the number of EC's and the deadlines for the "go/no go" evaluation and the thesis deadline;
   • be aware that this is a hard deadline; 
   • the number of EC’s depends on your programme, for an overview go to curriculum;
   • the deadline should be in line with the number of EC's;
3. "Go/no go" assessment of thesis proposal:
   • the student should hand in a written proposal to the first supervisor (of approx. two pages);
   • the proposal will be assessed with a pass / fail;
   • an assessment form (go to Procedures and forms for research project) will be filled in by your supervisor;
4. Completion of the thesis:
   • if the student fails to meet the deadline of the thesis, the rules of the protocol of the GSNS (go to Procedures and forms for research project) shall apply and the new deadline should be send to the student desk, science.gsns@uu.nl;
   • the student should give a presentation of 60 minutes. The student should arrange a date for the presentation with the supervisors and contact Campus & Facilities via cf.topdesk@uu.nl to arrange a room. When you have arranged a room, send an abstract of the talk including the supervisors to the student desk via science.gsns@uu.nl. The student desk will send an invitation of the talk to the staff members of the Mathematical Institute and the bachelor and master students of mathematics. Alternatively, the student can give the presentation during the Master's thesis presentation days (next edition: 25, 26 and 27 June 2025). More information about the Master's thesis presentation days will be communicated through the Wisper newsletter.
   • the supervisors base their assessment on the guidelines for thesis evaluation of the Mathematical Sciences Master: Guidelines for Evaluation of Master Project;
   • the student is responsible for uploading the thesis in OSIRIS to the thesis database of the university;
   • the student desk registers the grades only after the student has uploaded the thesis.
   • Attention! If the student wants to graduate before September 1, the deadline for the student desk to register your grade is August 15.

Students are required to find a supervisor by themselves, or they can ask their tutor for advice. Some potential supervisors advertise their available projects through the platform KonJoin https://uu.konjoin.nl/

Students following the double master honours programmes will be co-supervised by staff of both institutes. The student may start the research project when 45 EC of the mandatory courses or primary electives is completed or with approval by the programme director.

A research plan is composed in cooperation with the supervisor. Student and supervisor are required to fill in the application form for the research project (go to 'Forms for research project'). The supervisor then selects a second supervisor within the university. 

The research plan should contain a deadline for the first part of the research project - the proposal - and a deadline for the second part of the research project - the thesis. Please note that the protocol (go to 'Forms for research project') of the GSNS applies when a project is delayed. The deadline should be in line with the number of EC's. For example, if you start with the thesis in September and take two courses in the first semester at the same time, the deadline for the proposal should be at the end of the first semester and the deadline for the thesis at the end of the academic year. Be aware that if you want to graduate before September 1, the deadline for the student desk to register your grade is August 15.

For the first part of the research project the student studies the literature and makes a detailed plan for the research and the thesis. For completion of this part, the student should hand in the (written) research proposal to the supervisor, together with a plan for the written thesis. An assessment form will be filled in by your supervisor with important points of improvement. The proposal is evaluated by the supervisor and will be assessed with a “go” or “no go” (no numerical mark).

A positive evaluation of this part (“go”) should imply that, if the student continues working at the same pace, this will lead to a completed thesis of sufficient quality; a negative evaluation (“no go”) implies that the deadline of the thesis project is postponed, according to the thesis protocol of the Graduate School of Natural Sciences.

To complete the thesis project, the student should give a presentation of 60 minutes. The student should arrange a date for the presentation with the supervisors and contact Campus and Facilities via cf.topdesk@uu.nl to arrange a room. When you have arranged a room, send an abstract of the talk including the supervisors to the student desk via science.gsns@uu.nl. The student desk will send an invitation of the talk to the staff members of the Mathematical Institute and the bachelor and master students of mathematics. Alternatively, the student can give the presentation during the Master's thesis presentation days (next edition: 25, 26 and 27 June 2025). More information about the Master's thesis presentation days will be communicated through the Wisper newsletter.

Be aware that there is a hard deadline: if the student fails to meet the deadline of the thesis, the rules of the protocol of the Graduate School of Natural Sciences (go to 'Forms for research project' at the bottom of this page to find the protocol) shall apply. Every thesis will be evaluated and graded on the basis of a standard assessment form (go to Procedures and forms for research project), based on the guidelines for thesis evaluation of the Mathematical Sciences Master: Guidelines for Evaluation of Master Project. 

The project supervisor is responsible for administration of the completed form. The student is responsible for uploading the thesis in OSIRIS to the thesis database of the university. The student desk registers the grades only after the student has uploaded the thesis.

Honours students following the double master Theoretical Physics and Mathematical Sciences have the same starting dates, hand-in deadlines, and other conditions as Theoretical Physics students.

You may combine your research project with an internship. In this case, you have to find a project supervisor from the mathematics institute and a daily supervisor at the place of internship. The project supervisor is responsible for the thesis project and has to approve the internship. The internship may take less than the required study load; the total thesis project, however, should take the required study load. Make sure you have filled out the 'daily supervisor' section and also the Work Placement Agreement form.