Are you about to write your master's thesis ? Are you unsure about how to approach the thesis? Or are you lacking inspiration for what your thesis should be about? Read on and get your master's thesis off to a good start.
You can read about the rules for the master's thesis in the programme specification for your study programme. Here you will find, e.g. the rules on starting the thesis and guidelines for what you must do if you abandon the thesis or need to apply for an extension of the thesis period.
You must plan your thesis well in advance, preferably at least one semester in advance.
Here are three steps to help you get started:
You must find your thesis topic and a thesis supervisor yourself. Take, e.g. as your starting point the courses and lecturers who have inspired you during your education at DTU. Identify your wishes and possibilities by talking with your fellow students, talk to potential supervisors and possibly test a subject and a supervisor by creating a project course before making your final decision.
If you are in doubt as to who can guide you in a specific academic subject, you can use DTU's course database to search for subject words and thus find course supervisors who have insight into your subject.
For inspiration, you can look at previous student projects via DTU's digital library DTU Findit.
You can also contact your head of studies to discuss your academic ideas. It is not certain that your head of studies can point to a specific supervisor. Still, perhaps your head of studies can point you in the right direction or give you some sparring so you can proceed from there yourself.
Once you have found a supervisor, you must prepare a project proposal together, describing the thesis's most important aspects (subject, title, timetable, etc.).
Your supervisor registers your thesis in DTU's project reporting system. Therefore, make sure you talk the project outline through with your supervisor before it is reported to completely agree with what is in the outline.
You will receive a confirmation email once you have been registered for the thesis. Therefore, check your student email before starting the thesis to be sure that the registration - and thus all the formalities surrounding the thesis - are in place.
Read about registration for final projects
Suppose you are doing your thesis in collaboration with a company. In that case, you may be able to find a suitable thesis topic in DTU Career Hub.
In addition to your supervisor at DTU, you must also have a contact person or supervisor in the company.
DTU's legal department, Law and Contracts, has created a series of guidelines and contract templates that you can use when entering into an agreement on cooperation with a company.
You should also be aware that the collective accident insurance that Polyteknisk Forening has taken out does not cover stays in a company at home or abroad in connection with a project.
Read more about 'Insurance for students'
Read more about cooperation with a company 'Projetc courses'
If you are an SPS student and have been granted extra time for the exam, you can be granted a three-week extension of the project before the project.
You have received a decision letter from the SPS office regarding extra time (special conditions). It must be presented as documentation to the project supervisor. The reason for this is that your DTU supervisor on the project must register the extension when the project is reported in the Project Reporting System before the project's start date.
For any questions about special conditions, the SPS unit can be contacted at specialexamconditions@adm.dtu.dk.
Read about your options for extra time for the exam and how to apply under 'Special conditions for the exam'
Go to 'My Programme Specification' to see which study rules apply to your study programme.
