master thesis supervision plan

Duties of a thesis supervisor and the supervision plan

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Supervision work is closely linked to the intended learning outcomes of the degree and thesis as well as the related grading criteria. In accordance with the Regulations on Degrees and the Protection of Students’ Rights at the University of Helsinki, the student must receive instruction both during their studies and while writing their thesis.  See here for instructions on ensuring that your supervision is aligned with the learning outcomes.

On this page

Supervision principles.

The Rector decides on the principles of supervision, including the rights and obligations of the student and the supervisor. The degree programme’s curriculum must contain instructions on how to prepare a personal study plan, along with the practices for approving and updating the plan. Please review the curriculum of your faculty and the thesis grading criteria in order to ensure that your supervision is aligned with the learning outcomes.

In the Rector’s decision, supervision refers to the support provided for the student’s or doctoral candidate’s learning process as they change, gain experience and grow as an expert. As a whole, supervision consists of communication, advice, instruction and special guidance. Supervision and counselling can be organised in a group led by the supervisor, at a seminar, in a peer group of students or doctoral candidates organised by the supervisor or in a personal meeting separately agreed between the supervisor and the student/doctoral candidate. Supervision and counselling can also be provided electronically through, for example, Moodle or other teaching tools available. 

Members of the teaching and research staff provide counselling that is related to teaching and research and requires knowledge of the content of different studies and disciplines. This counselling may concern, for example, personal study plans or thesis supervision. 

Guidance and counselling are provided in the Finnish and Swedish-language and multilingual degree programmes in Finnish or Swedish depending on the student’s native language or in English or another language as agreed with the student. If the student’s native language is a language other than Finnish or Swedish, guidance and counselling are provided in English or, if agreed with the student, in another language. In English-language master’s programmes and doctoral programmes, guidance can also be provided solely in English.

The degree programme steering group is responsible for ensuring that each student is appointed with a primary supervisor who is responsible for the supervision of their thesis. Additional supervisors may also be appointed. Your supervision plan can be used to agree on the responsibilities related to the supervision.

Supervision as interaction and the supervision plan

Supervision is about interaction with responsibilities that are divided between the different parties of the supervision relationship. Ambiguities related to supervision are often due to the parties’ different expectations regarding the content and responsibilities of the supervision and the fact that the parties are often unaware of the others’ expectations. Below, you can find a table that serves as a great tool for considering the different rights and obligations related to supervision

The policies and practices of supervision should be discussed in the early stages of the thesis process. The supervisor and the student may also prepare a written supervision plan that clarifies the schedule for the supervision and the thesis work as well as the content of the supervision. The plan can also be utilised if any problems arise or you fall behind schedule.

Topics the supervisor should incorporate in the supervision

When supervising a student’s thesis work, remember to pay attention to the following topics:

• the responsible conduct of research and avoiding cheating
• guiding the student in matters related to data protection  
• matters related to open access publications and the public availability of theses  
• inform the student of the general process of thesis examination and approval and the related schedule 

Different faculties may have their own decisions and instructions on thesis supervision. Please read the instructions provided by your faculty.

See also the Instructions for Students

You will find related content for students in the Studies Service.

Bachelor’s theses and maturity tests

Thesis and maturity test in master's and licentiate's programmes.

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Eight tips to effectively supervise students during their Master's thesis

Jul 30, 2021 PhD

I am a fan of knowledge transfer between peers, teaching what I know to others and learning back from them. At University I frequently helped my fellow course mates with the material, so I was very interested in formally mentoring students when I started my PhD. Luckily my supervisor, who is really talented at this, agreed to let me help him with supervising some Master’s theses. In this article, also published as a Nature Career Column , I present eight lessons that I learned by watching him at work and trying on my own.

I supervised three Master’s students in the past year. One of them was quite good and independent, did not need a lot of guidance and could take care of most things on his own, while the other two required a fair amount of help from us, one of them even coming close to not graduating successfully. Dealing with the difficult situations is when I learned the most important lessons, but regardless of the ability of the students a common thread soon appeared.

But first, here’s a brief digression on how that happened. While I was writing a draft for this blog, I noticed an interesting article on Nature’s newsletter. While I was reading it, I felt its style was quite similar to what I usually aim for in this blog: use headlines to highlight the important points, and elaborate on those with a few paragraphs. I then noticed the author of that column was a PhD student, and I thought: “how comes she has an article there? Why can she do that? Can I do that?”. I quickly found how to do it , finished the draft and sent it to them, and, after eight rounds of review in the course of two months, the article was finally up! The editor was very responsive and we could iterate quickly on the manuscript, and the quality of the writing is so much better than what I had originally sent in. On the other hand, I sometimes felt the message was being warped a bit too much. After the editing process was finished I had to agree to an Embargo Period of six months during which Nature had the exclusive right of publishing the final version on their website. As those six months are now over, I am finally allowed to publish the final version here, too. Enjoy!

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Nature Career Column . The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02028-1 .

The lessons I learnt supervising master’s students for the first time

PhD student Emilio Dorigatti supported three junior colleagues during their degrees.

I started my PhD wanting to improve not only my scientific abilities, but also ‘soft skills’ such as communication, mentoring and project management. To this end, I joined as many social academic activities as I could find, including journal clubs, seminars, teaching assistance, hackathons, presentations and collaborations.

I am a bioinformatics PhD student at the Munich School for Data Science in Germany, jointly supervised by Bernd Bischl at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich and Benjamin Schubert at the Helmholtz Centre Munich, the German Research Center for Environmental Health. When I went to them asking to gain some experience in communication and mentoring soft skills, they suggested that I co-supervise three of Benjamin’s master’s students.

At first, I felt out of my depth, so I simply sat in on their meetings and listened. After a few months, I began offering technical advice on programming. I then started proposing new analyses and contributions. Eventually I became comfortable enough to propose a new master’s project based on part of my PhD research; Benjamin and I are now interviewing candidates.

I gained a great deal from this experience and I am grateful to both of my supervisors for supporting me, as well as to the students for staying motivated, determined and friendly throughout. Here are some of the things I learnt about how to ensure smooth collaboration and a happy outcome for all of us.

Draft a project plan

With Benjamin and Bernd, I put together a project plan for each of the master’s students. Drafting a two-page plan that ended up resembling an extended abstract for a conference forced us to consider each project in detail and helped to ensure that it was feasible for a student to carry out in their last semester of study.

If you’re a PhD student supervising others, sit down with your own supervisor and agree on your respective responsibilities as part of the project plan. At first, you might want your supervisor to follow you closely to help keep the project on the right path, but as you gain more experience and trust, you might request more autonomy and independence.

Use the project plan to advertise the position and find a suitable student: share it online on the group’s website or on Twitter, as well as on the job board at your department. Advertise it to your students if you are teaching a related topic, and sit back and wait for applicants.

We structured the plans to include a general introduction to the research subject as well as a few key publications. We described the gap in the literature that the project aimed to close, with the proposed methodology and a breakdown of four or five tasks to be achieved during the project. My supervisors and I also agreed on and included specific qualifications that candidates should have, and formalities such as contact information, starting dates and whether a publication was expected at the end.

Benjamin and I decided to propose publishable projects, sometimes as part of a larger paper. We always list the student as one of the authors.

Meet your student regularly

I found that I met with most students for less than an hour per week, but some might require more attention. Most of the time, Benjamin joined the meeting, too. We started with the students summarizing what they had done the previous week and any issues they had encountered. We then had a discussion and brainstorming session, and agreed on possible next steps. I learnt that I do not need to solve all the student’s problems (it is their thesis, after all). Instead, Benjamin and I tried to focus on suggesting a couple of things they could try out. At the end of the meeting, we made sure it was clear what was expected for the next week.

We used the first few weeks to get the students up to speed with the topic, encouraging them to read publications listed in the plan, and a few others, to familiarize themselves with the specific methods that they would be working with. We also addressed administrative matters such as making sure that the students had accounts to access computational resources: networks, e-mail, Wi-Fi, private GitHub repositories and so on.

Encourage regular writing

Good writing takes time, especially for students who are not used to it, or who are writing in a foreign language. It is important to encourage them to write regularly, and to keep detailed notes of what should be included in the manuscript, to avoid missing key details later on. We tried to remind our students frequently how the manuscript should be structured, what chapters should be included, how long each should be, what writing style was expected, what template to use, and other specifics. We used our meetings to provide continuous feedback on the manuscript.

The first two to four weeks of the project are a good time to start writing the first chapters, including an introduction to the topic and the background knowledge. We suggested allocating the last three or four weeks to writing the remaining chapters — results and conclusions — ensuring that the manuscript forms a coherent whole, and preparing and rehearsing the presentation for the oral examination.

Probe for correct understanding

In our weekly meetings, or at other times when I was teaching, I quickly realized that asking ‘did you understand?’ or ‘is that OK?’ every five minutes is not enough. It can even be counterproductive, scaring away less-assertive students.

I learnt to relax a little and take a different approach: when I explained something, I encouraged the students to explain it back in their own words, providing detailed breakdowns of a certain task, anticipating possible problems, and so on.

Ultimately, this came down to probing for understanding of the science, rather than delivering a lecture or grilling an interviewee. Sometimes this approach helps when a student thinks they fully understand something but actually don’t. For example, one of our students was less experienced in programming than others, so for more difficult tasks, we broke the problem down and wrote a sketch of the computer code that they would fill in on their own during the week.

Adapt supervision to the student

Each student requires a different type of supervision, and we tried to adapt our styles to accommodate that. That could mean using Trello project-management boards or a shared Google Doc to record tasks; defining tasks in detail and walking through them carefully; or taking extra time to explain and to fill knowledge gaps. I tried to be supportive by reminding students that they could always send an e-mail if they were stuck on a problem for too long. One of the students found it very helpful to text brief updates outside of scheduled meetings, as a way to hold themselves accountable.

Sometimes, if we felt a student needed to be challenged, we proposed new tasks that were not in the original plan or encouraged them to follow their interest, be it diving into the literature or coming up with further experiments and research questions.

One student conducted a literature review and summarized the pros and cons of the state-of-the-art technology for a follow-up idea we had. That saved some time when we picked up the project after the student left; they learnt lots of interesting things; and the discussion section of the manuscript was much more interesting as a result.

When things go badly, make another plan

Not all projects can be successful, despite your (and your student’s) best efforts. So, as part of each project, my supervisors and I prepared a plan B (and C), working out which tasks were essential and which were just a nice addition. This included a simpler research question that required less work than the original. The initial plan for one of our projects was to compare a newly proposed method with the usual way of doing things, but the new method turned out to be much more difficult than anticipated, so we decided not to do the comparison, and just showed how the new method performed.

Halfway through the project is a good time to evaluate how likely it is that the thesis will be handed in on time and as originally planned. The top priority is to help the student graduate. That might entail either forgoing some of the tasks planned at the beginning, or obtaining an extension of a few months if possible.

Have a final feedback round

After the oral examinations, Benjamin and I met to decide the students’ final grades on the basis of the university’s rubric. We then met the students one last time to tell them our decision, going through each item in the rubric and explaining the motivation for the score we had given. We tried to recall relevant events from the past months to make each student feel the grading was fair.

We also remembered to ask the student for feedback on our supervision and to suggest things they thought we could do better.

Lastly, I encouraged those students to apply for open positions in our lab, and offered to write recommendation letters for them.

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Enrichment Programs

Individualized & Interdisciplinary Studies Program

Guide for thesis supervisors.

Thank you for supervising an individualized major senior thesis project. Your expertise is critical in guiding the student’s project and setting the criteria for its evaluation. The guidelines below outline some considerations particular to individualized major students. They are most appropriate for traditional research projects but may also be relevant to less traditional final projects.

All individualized majors complete a capstone, which provides them an opportunity to integrate knowledge they have acquired during the course of their majors. About 40-45 percent of individualized majors do so by completing a thesis. (The rest complete our capstone course or an approved alternative.)

Thesis projects usually take the form of a traditional research study, but other formats, such as a photo essay, film, website, or piece of creative writing are also possible. Thesis projects, whatever their form, should contribute to the development of knowledge or practice in new ways, involve significant background research, and require sustained attention in the implementation of the project. If the final product takes a less traditional form, it should include a piece of writing that describes the student’s learning process.

Thesis Courses

Some thesis projects will comprise six credits completed over the course of two semesters. This is mandatory for students completing Honors Scholar requirements in their individualized major. Non-honors students may complete a one-semester, three-credit thesis project. Students intending to complete a thesis project must submit a thesis proposal  which they have discussed with their thesis supervisor no later than the last day of classes of the semester before they begin their thesis.

In the social sciences and humanities : In the Fall semester of the senior year, students will typically begin their research by enrolling in a thesis-related research seminar, graduate course, or independent study in their thesis supervisor’s department. During the Spring semester, students will enroll in UNIV 4697W Senior Thesis (for which the thesis supervisor serves as instructor) in which they will complete the research and write the thesis. During this process, the student meets regularly with the thesis supervisor for feedback on data collection, evidence gathering, analysis, and writing.

In the sciences , students may follow a more extended sequence, perhaps two to three semesters of data collection and laboratory work (independent studies or research courses) followed by thesis writing (UNIV 4697W) in the final semester.

Learning Outcomes

Individual faculty will differ in expectations regarding research methodology, theoretical approaches, and presentation of findings. Nonetheless, there are some general criteria and intended learning outcomes for all individualized major thesis projects.

• The student’s research, analysis, and writing on the thesis project should be relevant to their individualized major and represent an opportunity for them to integrate and deepen at least several aspects of study in the major.
• A thesis should do more than summarize the existing literature on a particular topic. It should make an original contribution to the field of study, present new findings in the form of new data, or new, critical interpretations of existing material. It should reflect a good command of the research methodologies in the relevant discipline(s).

Upon completion of the thesis project the student should be able to:

• Define a research question and design a substantial research project.
• Select a methodological approach to address the research question.
• Identify appropriate sources and collect relevant and reliable data that addresses the research question.
• Analyze the strengths and limitations of different scholarly approaches to the question, and recognize the resulting interpretative conflicts.
• Develop an argument that is sustained by the available evidence
• Present that argument in a clear, well-organized manner.

Requirements for Honors Students

As noted above, all Honors students are expected to complete at least six credits of thesis-relevant coursework. In addition, all Honors students are expected to have a second reader and make a public presentation of their thesis project.

Second Reader

We ask Honors students to identify a second reader for their thesis from a relevant discipline, which may be the same as, or different from, the supervisor’s discipline. The second reader will provide the student with a different perspective and may provide additional insights on how to achieve the intended learning outcomes of the thesis. The thesis supervisor, in consultation with the student, determines when to bring the second reader on board. It is the supervisor’s prerogative to define how the grade for the thesis will be determined.

Public Presentation

Honors students are required to make a public presentation of their thesis research in a format negotiated with the thesis supervisor. Where possible, the audience should include the thesis supervisor, the second reader, and an IISP staff member. Other faculty members and the student’s peers may be invited to join the audience, as well.

Existing departmental exhibitions or “Frontiers in Undergraduate Research” make excellent venues for student presentations. If a student cannot find a venue for his or her presentation, please consult with IISP and we will coordinate one.

Note: Although non-Honors students who are completing a thesis are not required to have a second reader or make a public presentation, we would certainly welcome them to do so.

Honors Advising

An IISP staff member serves as Honors Advisor to each individualized major following an Honors Scholar plan of study. The staff member’s role as an Honors advisor is to coordinate and facilitate students’ plans for completing Honors Scholar requirements, including the thesis, and to monitor progress toward completion.

Thesis Course Registration

Specific instructions for registering for UNIV 4697W are available on the Capstone page .

We very much appreciate your willingness to supervise an individualized major’s senior thesis. If you have any questions about the Individualized Major Program or about supervising an individualized major thesis, please contact IISP staff .

Thesis supervision

Find a thesis supervisor.

Thesis supervisors must be authorized by their Faculty to supervise theses.

Finding a thesis supervisor arrow_drop_down

Before thinking about a supervisor, students should make sure they are committing to the area of study that most interests them. They should ask themselves whether they are enthusiastic enough about a topic area to sustain this enthusiasm over the period of time it will take to prepare the thesis. Speaking to students and professors who do research in the proposed area of study will help clarify the students’ thoughts. The students should make sure they are well-informed before they approach any potential supervisors.

A professor is not obligated to take on a student if he or she feels the match-up would not be a good one, or if the professor lacks lab space, time or funding.

A student may have more than one supervisor. When mention is made of the thesis supervisor, it is implicit that there may be a co-supervisor.

• Information to collect before contacting a potential supervisor
• Questions to ask after the meeting with the potential supervisor
• Professors, by research interest

Appointment of a thesis supervisor arrow_drop_down

From the uoZone Application tab, click Service Requests to create a service request and appoint a thesis supervisor.

Meetings between the supervisor and the student arrow_drop_down

Preliminary meetings.

Before a student begins researching and writing a thesis, the supervisor and the student should have a detailed discussion of expectations and requirements. Below are examples of general and specific issues to be discussed during the preliminary meetings.

As soon as possible, the student should obtain ethics approvals or any other required approvals to conduct research. The student should discuss with the thesis supervisor and visit the  Office of Research Ethics and Integrity  Website.

• General and specific topics to be discussed

Regular meetings

The student and the supervisor should plan to meet regularly whether or not the student has any finished work to show to the supervisor.

If it is a major meeting, the student should draw up and deliver to the supervisor an agenda beforehand. If the meeting is to discuss text that has already been written, the student must send the draft well in advance of the meeting. 

After the meeting, and based on this agenda, the student prepares a brief report on what was discussed and decided, and shares this report with the supervisor.

It is important to be productive at these major meetings, but it is also crucial to just keep in touch.

Components of a typical agenda

• a summary of the purpose of the meeting
• a review of what was discussed at the previous meeting and what has been accomplished to date
• a discussion and clarification of the current topics, ideas and issues
• next steps as a result of this discussion
• agree with a date for the next meeting

Feedback and revision arrow_drop_down

All along during the thesis preparation process, a student will receive feedback and should expect to do revisions. Revising a thesis based on feedback from the thesis supervisor, advisory committee (if applicable) and from the jury is an important part of the thesis preparation process.

Part of the advancement of knowledge that preparing a thesis fosters involves engaging in dialogue and learning from these discussions, learning how to communicate clearly, and responding appropriately to suggestions for improvement

Already a student?

Types of supervision, co-supervision arrow_drop_down.

A joint management with a professor in another discipline may be considered if the research project of a student is favoured.

Cotutelle arrow_drop_down

A doctoral student may prepare a thesis under a cotutelle agreement. You find below additional information to help familiarize yourself with the roles played by each of the stakeholders.  

Learn more about Cotutelle.

Thesis advisory committee arrow_drop_down

In many academic units, a thesis advisory committee, also referred to as thesis committee, is assembled as soon as a student finds a thesis supervisor. Please note that not all academic units have thesis committees, the students must check on the protocol in their own academic unit.

Constitution of the thesis committee

How the thesis committee is formed varies from academic unit to academic unit. The thesis supervisor plays the biggest role by approaching colleagues who have the expertise and inviting them to join the committee.

A thesis committee is made up of:

• the student
• the thesis supervisor, and
• usually at least two other professors.

The thesis supervisor is usually the chair of the thesis committee.

Role of the thesis committee

While the roles and responsibilities of thesis committees may vary from one academic unit to another, members of the committee should provide guidance to the student on thesis planning, research and writing; be available to discuss ideas or for consultation on any other matter related to the thesis; and, if this is the practice within the discipline, evaluate the thesis after submission.

Thesis committees meet according to a schedule set either by the academic unit or by the committee itself. The student is usually responsible for initiating the meetings. When concerns about the progress of the research arise, the supervisor and/or academic unit may require meetings at more frequent intervals.

Useful information

Contracts arrow_drop_down.

Some supervisors and students have contracts or agreements to formalize the expectations and delineate the responsibilities in the preparation of a thesis.

Although these agreements are not considered official documents with force of law, they set out the expectations of the student and supervisor in relation to many of the issues covered in this Website section and help avoid conflict and misunderstandings.

A student should not make assumptions about who will do what in the research and who gets credit for any new discoveries or inventions. A supervisor should not assume the supervised student is aware of any assumptions the supervisor has or any authorship or credit protocols that may exist in the area of research.

Professors who use contracts do so because they have found such agreements are a good tool for helping students achieve their goals and finish their theses. However, while a written agreement can be very useful, one of the keys to a successful supervisor–student relationship is good communication and mutual trust. Both sides need to foster and build on that. 

Absences arrow_drop_down

Sometimes a potential supervisor is approached by a student looking for a thesis supervisor and both the student and professor agree it would be a good match, but the professor is going on an academic leave partway through the period in which the student will be preparing this thesis. In the event of a scheduled absence from the University for more than one month, the thesis supervisor must make the necessary arrangements with his students and the academic unit concerned to ensure that students continue to be accompanied during the supervisor's absence.

A thesis supervisor who is going to be away should let the student know well in advance. The same goes for the student. The student should discuss this with the thesis supervisor well ahead of time. In case of illness, the student should let the supervisor know the expected timeline for recovery.

If the student is planning to suspend work on the thesis for a term or more, for whatever reason, the student needs to apply for and receive approval for a leave of absence. Please note that absence has an impact on eligibility for funding.

Professionalism arrow_drop_down

As a student, the development of professional skills—for example, communicating appropriately in writing and in person, responding promptly to e-mails, coming prepared to meetings, following up after meetings, respecting deadlines, tracking changes to the text so that it is easy for the supervisor to review each draft after revisions—is important in the preparation of the thesis. Some faculties offer courses in professional skills.

If the student feels aspects of the supervisor’s behavior are unprofessional, he or she should consult the graduate program director or the chair of the academic unit.

Changing supervisors arrow_drop_down

As for changing supervisors partway through a thesis, this is not recommended. Keep in mind that as long as the thesis is logical and the conclusions drawn from the data are valid, the student and the supervisor do not need to be in total agreement on methodology, analysis or interpretation.

The thesis committee may be able to fill in whatever gaps the student perceives in the relationship with the supervisor. If the research goes off in an unexpected direction, one that is not very familiar to the thesis supervisor, the student could see what opportunities are available and what guidelines the academic unit has for this situation. The student could consider joint supervision as an alternative to finding a new supervisor.

If the student has explored all other options and still wish to change supervisors, he or she should talk to the graduate program director. If the supervisor happens to be the graduate program director, the student should talk to the director of the academic unit. If the student remains uncertain or dissatisfied, he or she should talk to the vice-dean graduate studies of his/her home faculty. Beyond that, the student can talk to the university ombudsperson. The student can request that the exchanges with any or all of these individuals (directors, vice-dean, ombudsperson) remain confidential.

The student should be sure to explore options carefully before withdrawing from the supervisory arrangement—a student who terminates the relationship with a supervisor before finding another supervisor may have difficulty securing another supervisor and compromise the thesis project.

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How should I deal with challenging master thesis students as a supervisor?

I'm a PhD student in my first year, co-supervising master students with a postdoc, and listed as the first supervisor. This is my first experience supervising a thesis. My previous experiences with students were mainly tutoring or conducting lab experiments with students.

The issues:

The students are not honest; they have experience with some tools, and it is in their curriculum, but when I asked them about the tools, they stated to me clearly that they don't have experience with it. In another meeting with the co-supervisor, they admitted the opposite; however, minimum experience.

I have sent many tasks since the beginning stating clearly why these tasks should be done now because they will need it in the future to do so and so. The tasks were ignored.

The student neither thinks actively nor searches for the information, expecting everything to be spoon-fed. I stated many times that this is not how master theses work.

I thought maybe the topic was new to them, so I prepared a list of questions, including keywords with the required material to search within and learn. It was not taken seriously.

Also, they don't consider our time and that we have other responsibilities and expect an answer within a few minutes.

Since time is running out for them, they are playing some game (I don't know the proper term for that) like:

You are my mentor, and the time is running; if I didn't help them immediately, they would spend the time doing something wrong, which would be my fault.

Whenever I ask a question from the questions list I sent earlier; supposedly they did a literature review, and the answers are entirely wrong. Their excuse is the topic is new, and there is not enough literature, which is a lie.

They reached the stage where they complained to me that the server was down (where they should get the data), which is a national server and not my issue.

I don't know what to do anymore; I tried positive reinforcement, specific tasks, and specific tasks with deadlines, but all did not work. I don't want to be an "unsupportive supervisor"; I'm afraid I have already lost interest in the topic and am not interested in getting a good master thesis out of it.

The questions might be: How should I proceed, and how can I proceed objectively?

A good master thesis in my opinion is that the students understand the problem, review the relevant literature, approach the issue, develop a workflow to solve it, try that, and write all that in in their thesis.

The students received their topic/title, recommendation regarding literature, the tools that should be used in the thesis at the beginning. After, two or three consecutive meetings, it was clear that they need to be guided a little bit. That is why I or we started guiding them.

• supervision

• 16 Have you discussed this with your post-doc and professor? If so, what did they say? Also: who decides whether these students pass or fail? I assume a professor -- but if you are "first supervisor," maybe this is your decision? –  cag51 ♦ Commented Jun 9, 2022 at 18:56
• 2 Also: I don't understand your first bullet. What does "in their colloquium" mean? My read is that they are trying to avoid overstating their level of knowledge, which is minimal. Or? –  cag51 ♦ Commented Jun 9, 2022 at 19:08
• 3 If you were my supervisor, I would kindly ask you to let me be freer. You are supposed to only guide them, not to tell them what do you. Note that, there is a difference between giving them suggestions and giving tasks. "[...] getting a good master thesis out of it.". That is not job. That won't affect your career. That is not your thesis. If you are interested in the subject, work on it yourself or give the project to someone else. –  Our Commented Jun 9, 2022 at 19:11
• 2 Please be patient; we're really just trying to understand the situation so that we can offer helpful advice. If I understand correctly, it sounds like you discussed this situation with your professor and they told you to offer additional "handholding." Is that correct? What I'm really trying to understand is: if you tell the students "do X or you or will fail," and they don't do X, will they indeed fail? Or will your professor swoop in and offer some alternative? –  cag51 ♦ Commented Jun 9, 2022 at 20:59
• 1 How many such students? (Suggest the question be edited with that info.) –  Daniel R. Collins Commented Jun 9, 2022 at 21:16

You are trying to be helpful, but there is such a thing as too much handholding. The more helpful you are, the more likely students are to exploit this and to become a help vampire .

You do not owe your students any success. You owe them a fair chance at succeeding. But this chance is theirs to take. The thesis is solely their responsibility, especially since the purpose of a masters thesis also is to demonstrate the ability of doing independent academic work. By definition , success or failure of the thesis isn't your fault. Some students will throw their chance away, regardless of how much you help them.

Things that might help in the future include clearer boundaries, and focusing your assistance more on methodological aspects.

Your student currently expects responses within minutes. Matters are rarely so urgent that they need responses the same day.

When supervising a thesis, it might be best to minimize such informal messages except for truly urgent issues, and instead have regular meetings for which the student can prepare questions. Depending on the kind of work, a cadence like one meeting every two weeks might work well. Then, you can defer any small issues that come up: “let's discuss this at our next meeting”.

You mentioned that you “sent many tasks”, provided material, and tried to set deadlines.

This is fine when working with an intern or research assistant, but not for a student who is supposed to independently write a thesis. Firstly, because you're doing their work for them. Secondly, because it's their thesis and they should use whatever working style they believe works for them.

Instead, it might be best to focus your assistance on methodological aspects, so that the student knows how to write a good thesis. For example, many students need an explanation about how to find useful literature, how to structure a thesis, and maybe where to find techniques that weren't covered during lectures. A master thesis is often the longest independent project done by the student, so sharing experience with time management can also help.

But mostly, a Socratic approach is useful, where you ask the students about their plans for the thesis. What are their goals until the next meeting? Do they feel they are on schedule, if not how can they adapt their plans? Have they considered the connection with $related_topic? How to they intend to mitigate a certain risk you are concerned about? What challenges are they currently facing, and how do they intend to solve them? You can suggest things, but it will be the student's decision what they do with that suggestion.

Added benefit: if you set out a plan and they fail, they will blame you, and perhaps rightly so. If they set out a plan and they fail despite knowing your concerns, that's clearly on them.

Since the thesis in question is already close to its end, it will be difficult to switch to clearer boundaries and to more passive support. But if at least two weeks or so are left, not impossible, if you are willing to put your foot down. For example, consider an email along the following lines:

It is great that you have these questions, but this is your thesis and working through such challenges is part of it. I don't have the time to discuss your progress right now, but I can offer a meeting $in_4_business_days. Please continue work on your thesis in the meanwhile, and we can discuss remaining issues then.

Is this impolite? Maybe, but so is bombarding you with endless requests for help.

What I find rather odd in all of this is that it's the first thesis you supervise, and already as the main supervisor. Supervision is a skill that can be learnt, but ideally by shadowing another supervisor for one or two theses. I'm still in that “apprenticeship” phase. So I think it's completely unsurprising that you're running into these kinds of problems, and I also ran into similar problems with the first students that I mentored. The good news for you is that you can learn from this experience, and can be a much better supervisor for the next student. The learning experience goes both ways.

• 1 I appreciate your answer! And I will keep your advices always in my mind :-) –  Jupiter Commented Jun 9, 2022 at 20:33

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Master's thesis

Master's Thesis is a part of Master's degree in other fields than technology and Master's thesis in technology / architecture is a part of Master of Science in Technology /Architecture degree.

The aims and place of the thesis in degrees

During the studies, students gradually gain the skills they need to write the thesis. In order to graduate, you should master the learning outcomes set for your degree and thesis.  

The aim of the Master’s thesis is that 

• the student is well familiar with his/her field and especially the field of his/her thesis topic  
• the student possesses the skills necessary for applying scientific knowledge and methods or the knowledge and skills required for independent and demanding artistic work 
• the student has good communication and language skills that can be applied in his/her field and other applicable fields 

Students mainly complete the Master’s thesis during the second year of studying for the Master’s degree; it is part of the advanced studies in the degree programme. You must have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree or your Bachelor’s thesis must be approved before you can start working on the Master’s thesis and drawing up the supervisory plan with your supervisor.  

The goals of theses based on learning outcomes. As you work on your thesis, your research skills, knowledge of the subject matter in the field, academic language and communication skills as well as your scientific debating skills are enhanced through peer learning and supervision, and via the discussion you conduct with previous research. Working on the thesis means practising independent research in accordance with good scientific practice. Your faculty or degree programme defines the form of the thesis more closely (see the section on your faculty).

The stages of the Master’s thesis are outlined below

Academic guidance and counselling

Writing a Master’s thesis starts with participation in the thesis seminar and deciding on the topic. You will be assigned at least one supervisor – the responsible supervisor – who supports your work in matters related to the content and research process throughout the thesis process. The responsible supervisor is familiar with the assessment criteria of theses and discusses them with you. If the thesis has two supervisors – the responsible supervisor and the other supervisor – at least one must be well familiar with the topic of the thesis and both should hold degrees at least on the same level as the thesis in question. A person who is not a member of the University community may also act as a supervisor based on his/her expertise in the field.

The supervisor(s) and the student draw up a supervision plan that defines the rights, responsibilities and duties of the parties and the duration of the supervisory relationship. In the supervisory situation, a common understanding of the academic requirements of the thesis and of good scientific practice is also formed. The timing of supervision and the stages of the thesis process are also agreed upon. The supervisory plan also defines the target time of completing the thesis, which also gives an indication of the length of the supervisory relationship.

Your work process is the core of the supervision process. Supervision supports your learning process and your growth as an academic expert. You are in charge of your motivation and working and the way the thesis process advances. Faculties take care of the equal distribution of supervision work and including supervision in the teachers’ work plans.   

The faculty also defines the practices applied if any changes, conflicts or problems arise in the supervisory relationship.

Theses done in pairs or groups 

Doing the thesis with another student or in a group is agreed with the supervisor. If the thesis is undertaken by a pair or a group, each student must be able to demonstrate his/her share of the work because the thesis is fundamentally about practising independent scientific work. The thesis is assessed for each student individually. 

Language of the thesis

The language of the thesis is either Finnish or the main language of the student’s degree programme. The supervisor of the thesis decides on the use of other languages than the ones mentioned above. 

A student studying in an English-language degree programme may write his/her thesis in Finnish. However, if the student wants his/her academic record to show that he/she has earned the degree in English, it may be required that the thesis is also written in English. 

If the student has not demonstrated language and communication skills in his/her field in the Bachelor’s degree, they are demonstrated in the maturity test related to the Master’s thesis. The demonstration of language skills in relation to the thesis is described in more detail in the section on the maturity test.

The thesis seminar

To support working on the thesis, a thesis seminar or other teaching and activities that aid the thesis process are organised.   

In the thesis seminar, students especially gain peer supervision and peer learning skills as well as those on academic writing, information seeking and scientific debate. The seminar guides and supports working on an independent thesis and the parts it consists of, such as defining the research problem, outlining the topic, and structuring and reporting the research results. In the seminar, students also learn about the assessment criteria of the thesis. As far as possible, you should strive to complete your thesis in the seminar. 

If the curriculum of the degree programme does not include a seminar on the Master’s thesis in the fields of technology, other means of supervision must ensure that students receive sufficient support for writing the thesis and learning research skills. 

Adherence to good scientific practice

Learning outcomes related to good scientific practice are included in all theses. Review the guidelines on good scientific practice and consult your supervisor if you need further guidance. As part of the process of facilitating the writing process, the supervisor should ensure that you are familiar with good scientific practice and able to work accordingly. 

Also remember the accessibility of the thesis.

The originality checking of a thesis 

During the writing process, you may use the originality check tool found on your supervisor’s Turnitin section on Moodle. It will give you a comparative report on your text that will help you evaluate the appropriateness of your citation practices. You can always ask your thesis supervisor for advice on interpreting the comparison report.

The student and the thesis supervisor agree about the point when the thesis is ready for the official originality check and the subsequent actual assessment. You enter the text of your completed thesis in the originality checking software after which the supervisor reviews the originality report. After the supervisor has checked the originality report, you may submit the thesis for the actual assessment process. 

Finding a thesis placement - Commissioned theses  

You may do your Master’s thesis as a commissioned study for a principal that can be a company or another body. A thesis is a scientific study that is assessed on the basis of academic criteria and it must be completed within the target time. The supervisor and examiners at the University are responsible for the academic guidance and assessment of the thesis. The principal may appoint a contact person who may also participate in the supervision of the thesis. The principal must also be aware of the academic nature and publicity of the thesis. You, the reponsbile supervisor and the principal agree on the topic, schedule and objectives of the thesis.  Make a written agreement with the principal on any fee paid to you. 

The University has drawn up a checklist for the first meeting on a commissioned thesis on issues that should be covered in the meeting.

Copyright of the thesis 

Copyright issues are also related to the publicity of the thesis. The student is reponsible for the contents of the thesis and ascertaining his/her rights to it. The author of a thesis that is intended for publication must have full copyright to the thesis, including any pictorial material, tables or other material, or have the right to publish such material online. 

Further information on copyright is available on the Library’s Open Access guide and on the following websites:  https://libguides.tuni.fi/opinnaytteet/julkaisuluvat_tekijanoikeus

• ImagOA: Open science and use of images: a guide on the Aalto University website http://libguides.aalto.fi/imagoa_eng

Publicity of the thesis and processing confidential information

Under law, the thesis is a public document (1999/621). A thesis becomes public as soon as it has been approved. After a thesis has been approved, it cannot be modified in any way. Confidential information cannot be included in a thesis. Publishing the thesis or its parts elsewhere, eg as articles, does not change the publicity requirement.  

If confidential information is processed in relation to the thesis, its use should be agreed with the supervisor and the possible principal in advance. The actual thesis should be written in a manner that allows publishing all of its parts. The possible confidential information should be incorporated in the appendices or background data that are not published. The separate data is not archived at the University.   

Other help and support during the writing of a thesis

You are not alone with your thesis. Support is available, for example, on information searching and data management as well as writing and making progress . Support is offered by the University’s joint counselling services, Language Centre and Library and Data Service.

Maturity test

Purpose of the maturity test .

With the maturity test, the student demonstrates his/her familiarity with the field of the thesis and his/her Finnish or Swedish language skills. (Government Decree on University Degrees 794/2004). See below for information on other languages.  

If the student has already demonstrated his/her language skills in the Bachelor’s degree, he/she only demonstrates his/her familiarity in the field of the thesis in the maturity test.  

Language of the maturity test 

If Finnish or Swedish language skills are to be demonstrated in the Master’s degree studies, the language of the maturity test is defined as in the Bachelor’s degree. 

If a student is not required to demonstrate his/her language skills in the Master’s degree, he/she takes the maturity test in the language of the thesis.  

Form of the maturity test 

The abstract of the thesis serves as a maturity test if the Finnish or Swedish language is not checked. If the language needs to be checked, the supervisor prepares the student's maturity test for EXAM. NOTE! The thesis abstract serves as a maturity test until August 31, 2024.

Submitting the thesis for assessment

When the thesis is nearing completion, the student discusses the final stage with his/her supervisor. The student and the supervisor agree on the pre-examination of the thesis and any corrections that are still needed. After the pre-examination and the final corrections, the supervisor gives the student permission to submit the thesis for assessment. The student feeds the final version of the manuscript to the originality checking software in a manner provided by the supervisor who will check the originality report. The originality check of the thesis should be completed before the thesis is submitted for assessment.  

When you submit your Master’s thesis to assessment in the publication archive Trepo you also ensure that the originality check of the thesis has been done and that your supervisor has given you permission to submit the thesis for assessment. The student also decides what kind of a publication permission he/she gives to the thesis. Note that you must be registered as present in order to submit a thesis on Trepo.

The student should let the supervisor know when the thesis can be retrieved from Trepo. The student receives a message from the Library within a few days of submitting the thesis for assessment. The assessment deadline is calculated from the date of the email sent to the supervisor. 

Assessment and grade of the thesis

The responsible supervisor proposes examiners either at the start or the end of the thesis process. Use this form to make the proposal 

Thesis supervision plan (Master’s thesis) and proposal of examiners

Examiners of a Master’s thesis  

The supervisor(s) of the thesis may also act as the examiners of the thesis if they fulfil the requirements stipulated in the Tampere University Regulations on Degrees.  According to Section 28 “At least one of the examiners must be employed by Tampere University”. Both examiners must have completed at least a master’s-level degree."

The thesis examiners have 21 days to review the thesis after it has been submitted for evaluation.  The results on theses submitted for examination during the period from 1 June to 31 August may take longer to be published. For justified reasons, the dean may make an exception to the deadline. Such exceptions must be communicated to the students in advance.   

Master’s theses are assessed with a grading scale from 0 to 5.  The grades are 1 (sufficient), 2 (satisfactory), 3 (good), 4 (very good) and 5 (excellent). Assessment criteria given by the faculties can be found at the bottom of this page.

Students will receive the examiners’ statement and grade proposal by email to their tuni.fi email address. Students will then have seven (7) days to provide a written response to the examiners’ statement. The countdown begins when the email is sent to the student. A possible written response is addressed to the student’s faculty and will be reviewed by the dean. The dean will assess whether there is reason to reconsider the grade or whether he or she will confirm the final grade based on the examiners’ statement. The dean can also appoint an additional examiner to review the thesis or bring the matter before the Faculty Council.  

If a student does not provide a written response, the dean will confirm the final grade of the thesis based on the examiners’ statement. If a student is satisfied with the assessment outcome, he or she can expedite the process and the entry of the thesis on his or her academic record by immediately informing the faculty thereof by email. The procedure for providing a written response does not apply to theses counted towards the degree of Licentiate of Medicine.

A student cannot submit a new thesis to replace an already approved one.  

Appealing against thesis assessment

A student dissatisfied with the assessment outcome of a master’s thesis (or equivalent) can submit a written appeal (request for rectification) to the relevant Faculty Council within 14 days of receiving the results.

An appeal can be delivered in writing or by email.

Postal address: Tampere University, FI-33014 Tampere University, Finland

Street address: Kalevantie 4, campus information desk, 33100 Tampere, Finland

Email: tau [at] tuni.fi (tau[at]tuni[dot]fi)

Electronic archiving and publishing of the thesis 

According to a decision by the National Archives of Finland (AL/11085/07.01.01.03.02/2016) on the permanent electronic preservation of universities’ theses and Tampere University’s information control plan that is based on it, Tampere University’s Master’s theses are permanently archived. All theses are electronically archived. The Library is in charge of archiving theses and dissertations on the University’s publication database. 

All theses are public and saved in the University’s publication database. According to the University’s strategic alignment on open science, all theses and dissertations are openly published unless the publisher’s conditions prevent it. All theses may be read with the Library’s computers and online if the student has granted permission to publish the thesis on the internet.     

After approval, all theses are stored in the comparison database of the originality checking software.  

Open Faculty of Education and Culture (EDU)

Open faculty of information technology and communication sciences (itc), open faculty of management and business (mab), open faculty of medicine and health technology (met), open faculty of social sciences (soc).

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) constitute the Tampere Universities community. Our areas of priority in research and education are technology, health and society. Tampere University: +358 (0)294 5211 Tampere University of Applied Sciences : +358 (0)294 5222

First meeting with your dissertation supervisor: What to expect

The first meeting with your dissertation supervisor can be a little intimidating, as you do not know what to expect. While every situation is unique, first meetings with a dissertation supervisor often centre around getting to know each other, establishing expectations, and creating work routines.

Why a good relationship with a dissertation supervisor matters

What is important to know is that the relationship that you establish with your supervisor can be a crucial factor in completing a successful dissertation.

A better relationship often results in better and timely completion of a dissertation. This finding is backed up by science. This study , for instance, points out that student-supervisor relationships strongly influence the quality, success or failure of completing a PhD (on time).

Commonly experienced challenges in student-supervisor relationships, on the other hand, are “different expectations, needs and ways of thinking and working” (Gill and Burnard, 2008, p. 668).

Getting to know each other during the first meeting

Many first meetings with a dissertation supervisor include a considerable amount of ‘small talk’. Thus, you can expect to engage in a casual conversation to get acquainted.

Getting to know the work environment during the first meeting

PhD students who start their dissertation are often introduced to their lab, research group or department during the first meeting.

There may also be a discussion about accessing an institutional email address or online work environment as a dissertation student. And any questions that are important to answer to kick off the dissertation process.

Establishing a meeting and communication schedule

Establishing a meeting schedule, or at least discussing how often you are planning to meet, how regularly, and within what time intervals, can reduce a lot of stress and uncertainty.

Discussing your research idea with your dissertation supervisor

While you can expect a lot of Smalltalk, planning, and organisational issues to dominate the first meeting with your dissertation supervisor, it is common to also chat about your research idea.

Based on this information, the dissertation supervisor can already point you in the right direction, suggest relevant literature, or connect you with other students or colleagues who work on similar issues.

Discussing expectations with your dissertation supervisor

Expectations differ from supervisor to supervisor. Some may just expect you to simply get used to your work environment, read a lot and explore theories that are relevant to your dissertation. Others may want to see the first results in terms of a literature review or research proposal.

If you are writing a master thesis, your timeframe will be much shorter. Thus, it is even more important to define deadlines and milestones with your dissertation supervisor as soon as possible. The first meeting lends itself to making this plan.

Master Academia

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For more details, please choose the potentially supervising professor:

Prof. dörner, prof. ehmke, prof. fabel, prof. hartl, prof. rauner, ass.-prof. tilk, prof. vetschera, prof. windsperger, special focus: european dimension of international business.

• Guidelines of the School of Business and Economics

When considering a research question for your thesis topic

The research proposal.

Find more details on topics, application and supervision here.

For a fair and transparent allocation of thesis supervision spots Prof. Fabel has the following rules for deciding which theses to supervise: There are exactly 10 thesis supervision spots available at any point in time. These spots will be allocated on 1 fixed date (deadline for handing in the proposals: 04.11.2024 in the winter semester; allocation follows a couple of days after the deadlines).

It is strongly recommended that students discuss their topic project idea in an office hour before entering into the final registration procedure! You are asked, to register not last minute for the office hour! Please also indicate your taken courses and your grades.

To apply for a free spot students have to submit a 3-5 page thesis proposal. The number of available supervision slots determines the maximum number of students that can be accepted for supervision from within the submitted thesis proposals.

The thesis proposal needs to elaborate on the following points

•  the precise research question addressed by the thesis
•  methods
•  applicants prior knowledge regarding the research question
•  a preliminary list of references
•  (if applicable) information about possible access to data, business contacts, etc…
•  risks that could lead to the failure of the project, and how those will be dealt with
•  list of successfully completed courses in the Major/Minor
•  what draws you to writing your thesis in our area of research

Proposals (.pdf or doc files) should be submitted by the dates indicated above :

Apply for thesis supervision here

Accepted proposals will be registered at the SSC with an acceptance of supervision form (Anmeldung der Masterarbeit  - Thema und Betreuung).

In preparation for a successful proposal submission and thesis writing process we highly encourage candidates to take at least one of the following two courses before applying for thesis supervision:

• KU Data Analysis on Organization and Personnel (MA) (if thesis necessitates work with large data sets)
• KU Empirical Methods in Decision Sciences (MA) (if thesis is to include experimental methodology)

Please be aware that Prof. Fabel is already supervising a considerable number of theses and will thus only be able to take on very few new supervisions. Therefore we recommend sending your proposal to all possible supervisors interested in the research area of your proposal. For a list please visit the SSC homepage .

For information on how to apply for supervision with Prof. Rauner please visit the Public and Non-profit Management page here . Please be aware that for supervision of topics on Public & Non-profit Management students are expected to attend the corresponding lectures!

Due to his imminent retirement Prof. Vetschera is not taking on new supervisions.

Please note

That prof. vetschera will retire on sept. 30, 2024, and supervision of master theses cannot be guaranteed beyond that date., students starting their thesis work during the summer term 2024 should therefore plan to complete their work by end of 2024 at the latest..

GENERAL REQUIREMENT Before you apply for a topic, you have to complete at least one of the following courses:

• Theory of the international Firm
• Global Strategy
• International Market Entry

Rules for Scientific Writing Since you are in the process of submitting the final version of the master thesis, please remember to  submit a final version that consistently applies the formal rules of writing a research paper. Very often we receive a final study that has not consistently applied the rules of writing a research paper. Here are two references for preparing the thesis:

• Karmasin, M., R. Rainer, Die Gestaltung wissenschaftlicher Arbeiten, , 2015, UTB Facultas
• Skern, T., Writing Scientific English, 2015, UTB Facultas

FURTHER INFORMATION on Prof. Windsperger's personal homepage .

We offer 1-2 supervision spots each semester for the students who want to write a thesis within the framework of the Jean Monnet Project “ International Business – Strategies for Integrated Europe ”. To apply please state in your proposal that you want to write your thesis within the Jean Monnet Project and send it (.pdf or .doc file) to [email protected]. If your proposal is accepted, the main supervisor will be assigned depending on the capacity and specific focus within the Organization, Personnel and International Management group. Dr. Oksana Galak would act as a co-supervisor on the theses. Successful completion of the course “ European Dimension of International Business ” prior to application is strongly recommended.

 Guidelines of the School of Business and Economics

Study portal - Arts

Master's thesis at the faculty of arts, step-by-step guide to thesis writing, 0. registering for the master's thesis.

How and when should I register for the Master's thesis?

You will be registered for the Master’s thesis automatically on the last semester of your Master's degree programme.

If you are writing Master's thesis in a spring semester, the Master's thesis period begins on 1 February. If you are writing Master's thesis in a autumn semester, the Master's thesis period begins 1 September.

Registration for the Master’s thesis is compulsory and cannot be withdrawn. This applies even if you have not passed all prior elements of your degree programme.  

You will be registered, so that you can complete your degree programme within the stipulated time of study (22 months (+ 6 months for students with an extension)). 

Deadlines for submitting the Master’s thesis 

• 1 June for students enrolled on a two-year Master’s degree programme starting in the summer
• 2 January for students enrolled on a Master’s degree programme starting in the winter or with an extension

See the other deadlines in the thesis process here

1. Preparing for the thesis process well in advance

During the second semester of your Master’s degree programme, you should start defining the topic you are interested in writing about in your Master’s thesis.

You also need to start thinking about who you would like as your thesis supervisor, as most students at Arts need to apply for a supervisor by the end of the second semester. 

You can find the relevant deadlines for your thesis process here.

It is a good idea to start looking for material well in advance to ensure that you have it when you need it in the thesis process. At the AU libraries and the Royal Danish Library, you can get help when searching for information.

The Student Guidance and Information service also arranges courses and workshops which can help you to plan your thesis process.

2. Applying for a thesis supervisor

How do I find a supervisor?

The procedure for appointing supervisors varies from degree programme to degree programme. Read more about the degree programme-specific procedures for applying for thesis supervisors

When should I submit my application - and when will I receive an answer?

In the overview of deadlines you can see when you (if you have applied on time) can expect an answer to your application for a thesis supervisor.

Please note: Thesis supervisors must be members of department staff (a professor, associate professor or assistant professor).

Special information for group theses

If you write Master's thesis together with one or more other students, you must complete the application for a supervisor together. Please note that you can only write together if you have the same submission deadline.

Application forms

• For students at the School of Communication and Culture:  Application for thesis supervisor
• For students at the School of Culture and Society:  Application for thesis supervisor
• For students at the Danish School of Education:  Application for thesis supervisor

3. Starting the process of thesis supervision

Once a supervisor has been assigned to you, you can start the supervision process.

It is a good idea to discuss your topic and working title with your thesis supervisor as soon as you have submitted your application for this supervisor.

Your supervisor is a key figure during the production of your thesis because he/she can assess whether your topic has been delimited sufficiently, and whether it can be produced within the timeframe and academic framework stated in the academic regulations.

Balancing your expectations

It is also a good idea to discuss the supervision process and agree on how, where and when you will meet and the kind of supervision that will be provided.

You and you supervisor should also discuss your expectations and wishes in more general and personal terms. It is important to balance your expectations because the supervision process often varies a great deal.

Remember to use your supervision plan

You and your supervisor need to draw up a supervision plan. This is a general plan for producing your thesis – including the topic area and the plan for the supervision process.

It is a good idea to start with this plan at your first meeting because it can help you to remember the points mentioned above.

The plan does not have to be finalised and submitted until the end of the third semester.

For inspiration on points to discuss, see 'Good advice for the first meeting with your supervisor' .

4. Making the supervision plan

• Arrange a meeting with your supervisor The supervision plan must be completed in collaboration with your supervisor. Discuss your problem statement and prepare a plan for the supervision process, which must be described in the supervision plan. Your problem statement is preliminary and may be adjusted during the thesis process.  

Receipt of submitted supervision plan: You will receive a submission confirmation and a copy of your supervision plan at your @post.au email address. However, because your supervision plan is processed manually, it may take a few days before you receive the email. If you need a copy immediately, you have the option to save a PDF copy yourself once you have completed the supervision plan. Your supervisor will also receive a copy of the supervision plan.

• Approval of your supervision plan Your supervision plan must be approved by the administrative officer/thesis coordinator. The administration will collect the approval and you will be notified when your supervision plan has been approved.
• Submission of the thesis  Your Master's thesis can only be assessed if you have submitted a supervision plan. If you fail to submit the supervision plan by the deadline , you must submit it as soon as possible and no later than when you submit your thesis.

NOTE: Previously it has  been required that the supervision plan was attached as an appendix when handing in the thesis. This is no longer necessary.  

Especially for group theses

If you are a group writing a thesis together, one of you must complete a joint supervision plan with all your information. Please note that you can only write together if you have the same submission deadline. 

5. The thesis process

During this period you work on your thesis. You should keep in touch with your supervisor along the way. See Inspiration for your thesis if you need additional support and supervision during the process.

Specifically for students of Journalism ( cand.public. ) If you choose a thesis with a journalistic product (exam form 3), and if you want to produce something that is not a printed article, the design and scope must be discussed with the journalistic co-supervisor and is subject to the final approval of the academic supervisor.

6. Form for appointing an external co-examiner

In order for us to be able to find an external co-examiner for your thesis, it is important that you submit the form for appointing an external co-examiner 6 weeks before your submission deadline.

If we do not receive the form in time, we have a limited chance for finding an external co-examiner and ensuring that your thesis is assessed within the deadline.

When we have received the form, we will prepare your thesis for submission and make your thesis visible in WISEflow. You will be able to submit your thesis one week before your submission deadline.  

• Submission on your scheduled deadline You can find deadlines for the thesis process here.  
• Submission before your scheduled deadline If you plan to submit your thesis (significantly) earlier than your scheduled deadline, you must put your planned submission deadline in the form for appointing an external co-examiner and submit it 6 weeks before you plan to submit your thesis. Please note that on your 2nd or 3rd exam attempt, your earliest submission deadline can be the day on which your thesis period begins. This means that you cannot submit your thesis during the 14 days in which you must prepare and submit a revised supervision plan and topic formulation. You do not use an exam attempt before you have exceeded your official submission deadline.  
• If you do not wish to submit your thesis on the scheduled deadline If you do not wish to submit your thesis on the scheduled deadline, you should not submit the form for appointing an external co-examiner. Find more information here: If the thesis is not submitted on time  
• For students at the School of Communication and Culture: Form for appointing an external co-examiner - CC  (formerly: Thesis submission statement)
• For students at the School of Culture and Society:  Form for appointing an external co-examiner - CAS  (formerly: Thesis submission statement)
• For students at the School of Education: Form for appointing an external co-examiner - School of Education  (formerly: Thesis submission statement)  

You will get a receipt when you have submitted the form for appointing an external co-examiner. If you have written your e-mail address correctly and still do not get a receipt, contact Study Centre Arts .  

If you are a group writing your thesis together, only one of you must submit the form for appointing an external co-examiner and write the names, study numbers and AU e-mail addresses of the other students in the form. At the top of the form you must mark ”group thesis”. Only the student submitting the form will get a receipt. Please note that it is only possible to write your thesis together if you have the same submission deadline.

7. Submitting your thesis

Your thesis is to be submitted in WISEflow. We recommend that you read the guide to WISEflow for students, and that you start uploading your thesis well before the deadline. WISEflow: Submission procedure, guidelines and login .

The Master’s thesis must be submitted by the relevant deadline Please note that your Master's thesis must be uploaded and submitted by 14.00 on the submission date.  

• 2 January for students enrolled on a Master’s degree programme starting in the winter or with an extension.

See also: Information about deadlines in connection with the thesis

Please note: If the submission deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the deadline is automatically extended to the next working day.

The submitted thesis cannot be edited You should also be aware that the submission of your thesis is final. This means that the submitted thesis is locked when you have submitted it, and that you cannot edit the thesis after having submitted it. 

Formal requirements for the master's thesis

Your Master's thesis will be rejected and you will use a exam attempt if your Master's thesis does not comply with the  formalities and if you do not submit a supervision plan by the very latest when you submit your thesis. 

Submitting a product thesis

If your Master's thesis includes a physical product which cannot be submitted digitally, the physical product must be submitted to Study Centre Arts during opening hours. If you wish to submit outside opening hours, you must contact study Centre Arts, so that you can instead submit the physical product in the Arts Studies administration (Tåsingegade 3, building 1442). All other parts of your thesis must be submitted via WISEflow.

Submitting a group thesis

You will have to register in WISEflow is you are writing in a group. You can find instructions on how to do that here .

8. Assessment of your thesis

If you hand in your Master's thesis on June 3rd, you will receive your assessment no later than July 8th.

If you submit your Master's thesis between 15 June and 15 July, you will receive your assessment within six weeks due to the summer holiday.

If you hand in your Master's thesis at other times of the year, the assessment time is four weeks.

• Deadlines in the thesis process

Theses with an oral defence The oral defence will take place within the assessment period. The grade will be given after the defence.

Advance approval The university does not support the possibility of applying for advance approval for unemployment insurance.

Feedback You are entitled to receive feedback on your thesis once it has been assessed. Please arrange when and how to do this with your supervisor. This feedback may be in writing, but it no longer constitutes part of the assessment. You cannot complain about the feedback – only about the grade given.

Thesis with oral defence The defence takes place within the four week assessment period, which starts on the date where the thesis is submitted. You will be given your grade after the oral defence.

If the thesis is not submitted on time

• You have used an attempt If you fail to submit your Master’s thesis by the specified deadline, you will then have used one of your attempts to pass the exam. You have three attempts in total.
• Your next attempt starts 14 days after your original submission deadline You will be registered automatically for your second attempt to pass the exam. Your new submission deadline is 14 days + three months after your original submission deadline. Immediately after your original submission deadline, you will receive an email with information about the start date and submission deadline for your new attempt.
• Form for submitting the supervision plan
• Form for appointing an external co-examiner (student at CC)
• Form for appointing an external co-examiner (student at CAS)
• Form for appointing an external co-examiner (student at EDU)
• Attach your new supervision plan when you submit your thesis When you submit your thesis, you must also attach the new supervision plan as an appendix. If your supervision plan has not been uploaded via the Study Portal nor has it been attached when you submit, your thesis will not be assessed, and you have used an attempt to pass the exam.  

If you do not submit your thesis in your second attempt

If you fail to submit your thesis before the new submission deadline, this will count as another failed attempt to pass the exam. Your third and final attempt to pass the exam will start automatically according to the same rules that apply to your second attempt to pass the exam.

If your thesis does not pass

• You have used an attempt to pass the exam If you submit a thesis that fails, you have used an attempt to pass the exam. You have three attempts to pass the exam. After the assessment has been registered, it will appear in your study overview at mystudies.au.dk. You will receive an email with information about the start date and submission deadline for the new attempt.
• Your new attempt starts automatically Your next attempt will be registered to you automatically. Your new submission deadline is 14 days + three months after your assessment has been registered.
• Attach your new supervision plan when you submit the thesis When you submit your thesis you must also attach the new supervision plan as an appendix. If your supervision plan has not been uploaded via the Study Portal nor has it been attached when you submit, your thesis will not be assessed, and you will use an attempt to pass the exam.

Special information about July

If your thesis is assessed with a non-pass grade between 1 July – 31 July, the period before your next examination attempt (if you have one or more attempts left) starts will be extended. The extension gives you the opportunity to prepare a new supervision plan in collaboration with your supervisor, who will typically be on holiday in July. Your new examination attempt will start on 15 August, which gives you 14 days from 1 – 14 August to prepare and submit the supervision plan. Your submission deadline will be three months later. After 1 August you will receive an information email about your new examination attempt on your master's thesis.

Special circumstances

If you wish to submit your thesis before the deadline.

If you do not need the full thesis period, you are welcome to submit your thesis earlier. You must still submit the form "Acknowledgement of submission of the thesis" at least six weeks before you wish to submit your thesis. Please note that at your 2nd or 3rd examination attempt, you will not be able to submit your Master's thesis during the 14 days in which you must prepare and submit a revised supervision plan and thesis formulation.

Exemption from the submission deadline rule

If exceptional circumstances prevent you from working on your thesis (illness for instance), the board of studies may grant you exemption from the submission deadline rule.

It is important that you apply for exemption at the time an exceptional circumstances arise and before the deadline for the examination attempt, you are working on. The Board of Studies see each of the three exam attempts isolated, and can therefore only grant an exemption from the deadline for submission if exceptional circumstances have affected the specific examination attempt, you are working on.

To assess whether the exceptional circumstances have affected the specific attempt, you must apply for an exemption and attach a medical certificate confirming your illness.

• Read more about applying for exemption .  

Maternity/paternity leave and pregnancy

If you become a parent during your Master's thesis process, you have the opportunity to go on parental leave from your studies. You can read more about your options on the page on exemption and parental leave .

You cannot be in a Master's thesis group if you go on parental leave from your studies in the Master's thesis semester, because you will not have the same submission deadline as the other members of the Master's thesis group.

If you want to dissolve a Master's thesis group

If exceptional circumstances cause that you will not continue in your Master's thesis group, you must contact your supervisor and get a confirmation (by email) that you are breaking the group up.

You must also notify administrative officer/Master's thesis Coordinator:

• Students at the School of Communication and Culture and the School of Culture and Society, please contact the Head of Department
• Students at the Danish School of Education, please contact the Master's thesis Coordinator

And you must send an email to the Study centre Arts, where you attach the confirmation email from your supervisor.

Changing supervisor

You can only change your supervisor in exceptional circumstances, and you must submit an application to do this.

If your application is approved, you must send an email to Study Center Arts - with an approval email from the Head of Appartment/Master's thesis Coordinator attached - to Study Centre Arts

Your supervision plan will be adjusted. However, the original deadline for submission will remain unchanged.

If your supervisor becomes ill

If your supervisor becomes absent due to illness for a longer period of time, you have the opportunity to be assigned another supervisor.

• If you are a student at the School of Communication and Culture or the School of Culture and Society please contact the head of department: Find your head of department
• If you are a student at DPU, please contact the Master's thesis Coordinator (or your head of department)

Leave of absence during the thesis period

The general leave of absence rules apply during the thesis period, which means that students may apply for leave of absence with the result that the submission date is postponed by a period equivalent to the duration of the leave. During periods of leave, students cannot receive supervision or the government student grant.

Find information about the relevant deadlines in the thesis process

Formalities

Find information about formalities

Master’s thesis collaboration

Services and general info.

• Study space/student offices
• Courses, information meetings, presentation
• Good advice for the first meeting with supervisor
• Written assignment: examination rules and regulations
• Processing personal data in projects
• Confidentiality agreement
• Cooperation agreement
• Application for thesis supervisor
• Form for appointing an external co-examiner (previously "Thesis submission statement")

Forms - CAS

Forms - school of education, any questions.

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Master of Arts in History

Whether your goals are related to research, teaching, or public service, our program will prepare you well for a successful and rewarding career.

Pursue What Interests You Most

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's master of arts in history graduate program is intended for those who wish to increase their backgrounds in history and for those who intend to do further advanced work in history. The program is designed so graduate students can prepare themselves in an area of expertise that best meets their interests and needs. Areas of expertise may be defined by broad themes, topics, chronology, or geography. Courses are chosen by you, giving you the ability to personalize your degree and align it with your career goals.

Students are able to further customize their experience at UW-Eau Claire by choosing between two program options: 1) a 30-credit thesis option; or 2) a 33-credit non-thesis option. Those who choose the 30-credit thesis option will complete a traditional six-credit research paper and thesis. Those who pursue the 33-credit non-thesis option will take additional graduate coursework to complete degree requirements.

No matter your path, coursework throughout the program will broaden and deepen your knowledge and understanding of history and techniques of historical research. Through the study of current trends in history, you'll examine the emergence of history as a profession, major subfields in the discipline, methodologies, and models currently influencing the work of historians, and dominant issues historians are looking at today. The program is rooted in small reading and discussion seminars, allowing you to learn from experts in the field as well as students who, like you, are interested and passionate about the world of history.

Whether your professional goals are related to research, teaching, or public service, our supportive, expert faculty — combined with a rigorous, experiential curriculum — will prepare you well for the field you wish to enter.

Program Details

Both master of arts in history programs are intentionally structured so you can study the topics that most interest you. Choose from a variety of history courses, including those related to American history, American Indian history, public history, modern military history, comparative world cultures, and women’s history.

While pursuing your degree, you can expect close supervision and guidance from a faculty mentor. A counseling and advising system has also been devised with the intention of providing each student with a personalized program encompassing both breadth and depth. Your advisor will work with you directly to design a plan that will allow for the completion of program requirements in the most efficient way possible while still accomplishing your educational goals. 

UW-Eau Claire is known for its top-notch faculty. In fact, two of our history professors have been recipients of Wisconsin Professor of the Year awards. The history department also was a recent recipient of the University of Wisconsin Regents Teaching Excellence Award for Academic Departments and Programs.

Blugold Stories

Just the facts.

24 Programs To Choose From Whether you want to work in a museum, explore a particular area of history, or teach social studies — you have come to the right place.

Explore A New Campus Participate in the National Student Exchange Program and choose from 180 schools, including universities in Canada, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.

Where can the master of arts in history program lead me after graduation?

Graduates of the history master's degree leave UW-Eau Claire able to appreciate the historical method of searching for truth, make judgments about concrete issues and exercise careful analysis along the way. They are proficient at gathering, analyzing, and presenting material, and understand the complexity of human history and historical developments. These skills allow them to succeed in a variety of roles and organizations, including work in archives and historical museums across the nation. 

Our grads have also enjoyed success in securing teaching positions in secondary schools and many have found opportunities in government and business. Students have also found the program to be exceptional preparation for further graduate work at leading doctoral universities.

Those pursuing their master of arts in history at UWEC will choose between two program options: a 30-credit program including a thesis and a 33-credit, non-thesis program. Working closely with an advisor, you'll design a degree plan that will allow for the completion of program requirements in the most efficient way possible all while studying the topics that most interest you. 

Curriculum throughout the degree will help you to analyze and interpret historical developments through historical research, writing, and presentation. Coursework is intentionally designed so you can develop your professional identity as a historian and graduate with a strong knowledge of pertinent historical literature in the field you wish to enter.

Here are a few courses in Master of Arts in History at UW-Eau Claire.

Current Trends in History

Examines the emergence of history as a profession, major subfields today within the discipline of history, methodologies and models currently influencing the work of historians, and dominant issues presently engaging the attention of historians.

A description of acceptable topics and the precise nature of the thesis requirement is provided in the departmental program descriptions.

Readings in Area of Thesis

Independent study format. Reading in depth in area of concentration for thesis or research paper. Thesis/research paper adviser is instructor. Culminates in presentation of prospectus to thesis committee.

Related Programs

Thinking about studying master of arts in history? You might also be interested in exploring these related programs.

What's Next?

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

105 Garfield Avenue  P.O. Box 4004  Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004 

715-836-4636