Required in stage
Optional in stage
First term
Second term
Not organised
This year
Next year
Alternating years
External
Prerequisites
Identical coursesMaster's Thesis (B-KUL-G0K97A)
English
Both terms
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contractCannot be taken as part of a credit contract
Lapenta Giovanni (coordinator) | N. Aims
The competences of the student to contribute actively to scientific research are at the core of the master thesis. More specifically, the following goals are pursued:
- to formulate research problems and to plan a reseach project (under supervison of a senior researcher);
- to collect information autonomously and to evaluate its relevance with respect to the research problem;
- to follow up and to analyse new developments;
- to acquire the attitudes to work in a (research) team;
- to communicate in scientifically correct language while collaborating with fellow students and researchers;
- to be come into contact with contemporary research in some specific domain of mathematics;
- to use modern theoretical techniques and methods;
- to analyse critically the obtained results and their interpretation;
- to report and to present the obtained results coherently and to put open question in the proper perspective. Making the connection with techniques and results from the literature and with contemporary research constitutes an essential part of this aspect.
Previous knowledge
At the start of the master thesis the student is supposed to have a solid basic knowledge of the research domain. During the second year he/she will gain specialisation in that domain by following deepening and advanced courses and by studying the literature in the context of the thesis work. The supervisor of the thesis will advice the student which courses to take.
In addition the student possesses already from the start the basic skills to collect and process new information, to formulate research problems, to report and to communicate scientifically, etc. These skills will be further developed during the thesis work.
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 66 credits to obtain your degree.
Identical courses
This course is identical to the following courses:
G0B33A : Masterproef
Is included in these courses of study
- Master of Mathematics (Leuven) 120 ects.
Activities
30 ects. Master's Thesis (B-KUL-G0K97a)
EnglishFormat: Master's thesisBoth termsN. Content
The master thesis comprises the research work including the written report, the thesis, under the guidance of a supervisor from the Department of Mathematics and of his/her research group. In principle, theses are made in one of the domains belonging to the research expertise of the Department, but domains which are closely related to mathematics, are possible as well (e.g. theoretical physics, computer science).
Students are expected to become integrated during some months in the research group. They have to get involved in the current research by following seminars, participating in discussions, studying and, last but not least, by carrying out the specific activities (computations, simulations, exploration and/or construction of proofs, etc.) leading to the solution of the posed research problem. The results have to be reported in a scientific text and have to be presented and defended in front of the fellow students and the staff of 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)
Course material
Depends on the research subject.
Evaluation
Evaluation: Master's Thesis (B-KUL-G2K97a)
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 the two readers and one for the defense. 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 informtion on the evaluation of the master's thesis is to be found on the faculty website. Complementary regulations for a master's thesis in Mathematics are to be found on the webpages of the Department of Mathematics.
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.
There is no resit for the intermediate presentation (in January) and the seminar for the research group (in April/May), as outlined in the regulations for a master's thesis in Mathematics.
For passing this course students have to upload an information skills certificate in Toledo. This certificate can be obtained in the Toledo community “Scientific integrity at the Faculty of Science”. 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.
Information about retaking exams
see explanation