Master's thesis

Course goals

Writing a master's thesis is the major objective of the second year of the SaSR programme. The (process leading up to the) thesis and the defense, should demonstrate that the student is independently capable of: (a) arriving at a research problem that is well embedded in the relevant research field; (b) theoretically elaborating on this problem and deriving testable hypotheses from underlying theory; (c) empirically testing these hypotheses and appropriately reporting the research process and findings; and (d) reflecting on the results and identifying promising avenues for future research. 
 

Content

The master’s thesis is written under individual supervision by at least one SaSR-teacher, but students are expected to show work independency and adequate time management. In addition there are two research seminars (SaSR10 and SaSR11) to guide students through the process of writing the thesis. The master’s thesis should include all elements of a journal article, be written in line with scientific quality standards and be concise, aligning with common journal word limits.

Part of the process is writing a thesis proposal, in which students arrive at a final research problem and explain their research plan. The thesis proposal has to be approved by the Board of Studies. This part of the course is not graded. Students obtain a “pass” or “fail” for the thesis proposal. Passing this evaluation by the Board of Studies is an entrance requirement for the Master's thesis.