All programmes > Master's Thesis

Master's Thesis (B-KUL-G0K95A)

30 ECTSEnglishBoth termsCannot be taken as part of an examination contractCannot be taken as part of a credit contract
Mizuno Hideaki (coordinator) |  N.
POC Biologie

Aims

Via the master thesis, students will develop personal competences and technical skills needed for making an active contribution to biological research of international standard level.
 
During the master thesis the emphasis is put on the students’ ability to make a valuable contribution to the scientific research. The following aims are pursued:
- to formulate and elaborate a research plan;
- to retrieve information and to evaluate critically its relevance for the research in question;
- to follow and analyse autonomously the developments in the research area;
- to acquire the attitudes to work in a scientific research team;
- to learn how to communicate in a scientifically correct language, through cooperation with fellow students and researchers;
- to be able to participate in biophysical research in a specific domain, through an in-depth education and contact with the current status of research;
- to apply modern experimental or theoretical methods and techniques;
- to critically analyse the obtained results and their interpretation;
- to report and present the original results in a coherent way and to place in the right perspective the remaining open questions;
- to explain and discuss the relationship of the work with techniques and results from literature and with other contemporary research.

 

Previous knowledge

At the start of their master thesis, students have a profound basic knowledge in the research domain of their major choice. In addition, students have the technical skills and personal competences needed for making a master thesis, such as searching and integrating scientific information, making a research plan, writing reports and presenting oral communications, etc. These skills and competences will be further developed during the period of the master thesis. Students will select specialized courses in the second year of their master’s educational programme, in agreement with their scientific promotor.

The master’s thesis can only be taken in the academic year that a student can graduate, which means the student has sufficient credits in the isp to graduate.  An exception can be made for students wishing to take the professional internship at the end of the studies. 

Order of Enrolment

You can only take this course if you have to acquire no more than 72 credits to obtain your degree.

Identical courses

This course is identical to the following courses:
G0B96A : Masterproef

Is included in these courses of study

Activities

30 ects. Master's Thesis (B-KUL-G0K95a)

30 ECTSEnglishFormat: Master's thesisBoth terms
N.
POC Biologie

Content

The master thesis takes the form of research work with thesis, performed under the supervision of a scientific promotor in the departement of Biology, and under the guidance of his/her research group. Commonly, research topics correspond to the specialisms and expertises of the department; however, in agreement with the programme director, it is possible to choose a biological research topic and a scientific copromotor in another department, faculty, university, research institute or company. Students integrate for several months within this research group, so that this period plays the role of an internship in a modern research context. They participate in the current research, seminars, research progress, discussions, autonomous study, and last but not least, they contribute to the realization of specific experiments and/or calculations. They report on their research in a scientific text, and in an oral presentation, followed by a defence, for anyone interested in the department.

 

Master's thesis topic: validity period

If the supervisor, at the end of the 3rd examination period of the second stage, finds that insufficient progress is made, this will be discussed with the student. The chairman of the programme committee will be informed. It may be possible that in that case the choice of the topic lapses and that a new topic must be chosen. Reasons for the cancellation of the topic may be because:

  • during the academic year in which the master's thesis is included in the ISP the student has worked, without legitimate reasons, too limited on the master's thesis research, or practical arrangements or agreements have not been fulfilled, so that the master's thesis could not be completed
  • the supervisor can not offer the topic in a next academic year (eg the research topic is finished / stopped, guidance will no longer be possible in the research team when needed)

Evaluation

Evaluation: Master's Thesis (B-KUL-G2K95a)

Type : Partial or continuous assessment with (final) exam during the examination period

Explanation


The evaluation consists of the assessment of both process and product (form and content; manuscript and defense). Four quotes are given: one by the promotor, one of each of two readers and one for the defence. The relative weight of these four quotations is 10:3:3:4. Each quotation is determined by means of the facultary assessment roster and appreciation scale. Additional information on the evaluation of the master's thesis is to be found on the faculty website.

In order to succeed the master’s thesis, the student must obtain a credit for the supervisor apart, the average of the results of the readers taken together (taking into account the rounding rules) and the defence apart. If for one or more of these components this is not the case, the maximum score will be 9/20.

For passing this course students have to obtain the graduate-level certifcate of Indiana State University. Obtaining and submitting the information skills certificate is evaluated by ‘pass/fail’. A student with a ‘fail’ for the certificate, obtains a ‘fail’ for the course, that is converted to a non-tolerable fail. This means that students cannot pass the course and cannot use tolerance credits, if they have not obtained and submitted the certificate.”

This course can not be tolerated.