Rules for the Master's thesis

The text below contains the generic rules for the Master's thesis. These may be supplied with specific rules for the individual programme specifications (see My study programme)

Master's thesis

The master's thesis is the final assignment of the programme. The objective of the master's thesis is to give students the opportunity to independently apply the knowledge they have acquired to a larger project that concludes with a written report. The thesis must document skills in applying scientific theories and methodologies to a clearly defined academic topic.

It is also possible to do an entrepreneurial thesis with a supervisor or co-supervisor from the Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship. Read more about the content and how to apply on their website: https://www.entrepreneurship.dtu.dk/education

Prerequisites for starting a master’s thesis
The master’s thesis can only be commenced when the student lacks no more than 15 ECTS credits besides the thesis.

If the student wishes to start their master's thesis at an earlier stage, they must submit an application to DTU’s Board of Exemptions. The application must be accompanied by an academically justified statement from the main supervisor and a statement from the Head of Studies. Read more about submitting an application at DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Exemption'. If the student begins their master's thesis without all prerequisites being met and without an exemption being granted, the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs may choose to cancel the student's project report in the system.

The content and learning objectives of the thesis
The content of the thesis is to be agreed upon with a supervisor. Find more information on the supervisor below in the section ‘’The supervisor’.

The thesis may contain a combination of experimental work, fieldwork, theoretical studies, synthesis, modelling, and analysis. All theses must include elements of literature studies and criticism. In addition, the thesis contains the following overarching learning objectives:

A graduate of the MSc programme from DTU:

  • can identify and reflect on technical scientific issues and understand the interaction between the various components that make up an issue
  • can, based on a clear academic profile, apply elements of current research at an international level to develop ideas and solve problems
  • masters technical scientific methodologies, theories, and tools, and can take a holistic view of and delimit a complex, open issue, put it into a broader academic and societal perspective, and, on this basis, propose a variety of possible actions while considering sustainability
  • can develop relevant models, systems, technologies, and processes aimed at solving technological problems
  • can communicate and mediate research-based knowledge both orally and in writing
  • is familiar with and can seek out leading international research within their specialist area.
  • can work independently and reflect on own learning, academic development, and specialization
  • masters technical problem-solving at a high level through cross-disciplinary teamwork, and can work with and manage all phases of a project – including preparation of timetables, design, solution, and documentation

Further learning objectives exist for the entrepreneurial thesis: https://www.entrepreneurship.dtu.dk/education 

The supervisor
A master's thesis agreement must be concluded between the student and a supervisor, and it must be done well in advance of the starting day of the thesis. The main supervisor for a master's thesis must

  • be an employee at DTU as a VIP with research obligations and one of the following job categories: assistant professor, associate professor, researcher, senior researcher, senior adviser, or professor,
  • hold a permanent position (with the exception of assistant professors and researchers)
  • have completed DTU's course 'Supervision of larger projects at DTU' or similar pedagogical competence development at the university level e.g. a course in PhD supervision; for assistant professors, however, it is sufficient that one is in the process of UDTU, and
  • have in-depth knowledge of the study conditions at DTU.

For assistant professors and researchers, however, there is an additional requirement that an associate professor, senior researcher, senior adviser, or a professor (docent, ingeniørdocent or professor) must be connected to the project as co-supervisor, so that the assistant professor/researcher does not have sole responsibility for the project.

The head of department can approve that a VIP who for a number of years has gained extensive experience in supervising final projects can be the primary supervisor without having completed the course 'Supervision of major projects at DTU' or equivalent.

The supervisor must confirm that the student has the requisite academic qualifications for undertaking the master's thesis. The student must document their qualifications and level in the form of a list of courses they have completed.

The supervisor must regularly follow the progress of the thesis and ensure that the master's thesis falls within the academic focus area of the MSc programme.

Start time for the master’s thesis
In general, the thesis must be started following the previous study activity (a course). 

Alternate start dates may apply for academic reasons and if the supervisor approves. Students and thesis supervisors may always agree on earlier start dates. For a delayed start, the project registration must always contain a justification for the delayed start.

In determining the project's start date, the supervisor's 3-week summer vacation in June, July, or August must be taken into account so as not to come into conflict with the 10-day deadline of the oral defence, cf. below under ‘Assessment and examination’. The project plan should also reflect this.

Project agreement and volume
The master's thesis must have a scope equivalent to 30, 32½, or 35 ECTS credits. It is not possible to get an exemption for a thesis larger than 35 ECTS credits. 

The project period should be specified in connection with the formulation of a project agreement. 

A master's thesis must be undertaken as a full-time course of study, and the stipulated time is:

  • 30 ECTS credits = 5 months
  • 32½ ECTS credits = 5½ months
  • 35 ECTS credits = 6 months

Specific rules apply for the Industry MSc Eng Programmes. These programmes combine work with studies and are part-time studies.

Therefore their master's thesis may be undertaken as a part-time course of study and the stipulated time is

  • 30 ECTS credits = 10 months
  • 32½ ECTS credits =11 months
  • 35 ECTS credits =12 months

The master's thesis must be written in English and include an abstract. As an exemption, the supervisor of the master's thesis can decide that the thesis may be written in Danish. This decision can only be made due to professional, academic reasons. The Head of Studies for the study programme must accept this exemption.

The master's thesis may be prepared either individually or as a group project with a maximum of four students.

The master's thesis may be undertaken in collaboration with a company. Find more information regarding projects in cooperation with a company at DTU Inside under ‘Study rules’/’Teaching’/’Project courses’.

The master's thesis may be prepared abroad if the general requirements are met. The supervisor, also being the examiner of the project, still has to be an employee at DTU. The external examiner has to be appointed by the Corps of External Examiners for the engineering programmes (www.censornet.dk).

Formalities regarding report length, content, structure, and duration of the oral defence, etc., are agreed upon between the student and the main supervisor. In the event of disagreement, the board of studies at the department where the main supervisor is employed may be involved.

The student's agreement with the supervisor must be reported by the supervisor in the Project Reporting System well in advance of the start of the project. Upon registration, the Head of Studies is automatically informed of the thesis and can, within 14 days, reject the project if this does not fall within the programme’s technical and scientific field. The student will be contacted if the project cannot be approved. Notwithstanding the academic approval, however, the project work must not start until the student receives an e-mail with the approved project agreement from the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs. This also applies if the master's thesis is completed in whole or in part outside DTU.

Project period
Before the project period
The master's thesis agreement is binding and counts as an examination attempt from the time when the master's thesis, according to the agreement, begins. The master's thesis agreement may be cancelled until the start date of the master's thesis, in which case it will not count as an exam attempt.

As a general rule, no parallel activities should be conducted in this period. Nevertheless, the period can be extended with 3 weeks of study for every 5 additional ECTS credits from course activity, if the extended period is registered before the official start date of the project.

The project period can also be extended by up to 3 weeks due to documented impairment, if the extended period is registered before the official start date of the project. If the project is carried out as a group project, this extension will be given to all group members. Read more about this on DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Exam'/'Special Exam Conditions'. If the project is carried out as a group project, any extension of the project period will apply to all group members. The project supervisor allocates the extra time when the project is reported in the Project Reporting System.

When determining the project's start date, the supervisor's 3-week summer vacation in June, July, or August must be taken into account to avoid conflicting with the 10-day deadline for holding the oral defence, cf. below under ‘Assessment and examination’. The project plan should also reflect this.

After the start of the project
During the project period, the supervisor may extend the project by one week for every course the student plans to complete as a re-exam during the project period. The student must present documentation fore registration for the re-exam to the supervisor. The supervisor must register the new deadline of the project in the project registration system.

An extension of the submission deadline for the project must be noted in the final version of the project plan. That applies to all types of extensions of the submission deadline.

Project plan
During the first month, the student is to submit/upload a project plan to the thesis, outlining the objective of the thesis. In the project plan, the student is also to take into account the overarching learning objectives listed under "The content and the learning objectives of the thesis". 

The student receives an autogenerated email with information about the submission deadline for the project plan, just as there is a link to an overview of all the student's submissions at DTU Inside ('My assignments'). Upload takes place via the group created for the master’s thesis. In the project plan, the student is also to take into account the overarching learning objectives listed above.

When submitting the thesis, the student is to enclose a separate document presenting the original project plan and a revision of the same, where appropriate. In addition, the document is to include a brief auto-evaluation of the project process.

Extension of the project period via the Board of Studies - up to six weeks
If there are extraordinary, unforeseen circumstances in relation to the project (e.g. in relation to collaboration with a company, change of supervisor, extraordinary technical problems) or in relation to the student's situation (e.g. illness, death in close family, maternity leave), the Department Board of Studies has the opportunity to grant from one up to six weeks extension of the project period. Project extension must always be supported in writing by the main supervisor.

The student must submit an application to the Department Board of Studies where the main supervisor is employed. The application must be accompanied by documentation of the special circumstances (e.g. a medical certificate) and a revised project plan stating when the extraordinary circumstances occurred. An overview of the chairmen of the department board of studies can be found at DTU Inside under 'Academic offers and guidance'/'Board of Study, chairmen'.

The application should be submitted as early as possible. The application deadline is important in view of the Board of Studies' ability to process the application before the applicable submission deadline.  

If the student's application is approved, it is the responsibility of the Board of Studies/main supervisor to change the submission deadline for the project in the Project Reporting System. If the project extension extends beyond the student's maximum duration of the study programme, the project extension takes precedence. If the application is not accepted, the student has the opportunity to submit an application to the Board of Exemptions according to the procedure below.

Extension of the project period via the Board of Exemptions - beyond six weeks
An application for an extension of the project period beyond six weeks will, in principle, not be granted, and the student is referred to use a further exam attempt.

If the student can document that there are such unusual circumstances that the project period should be extended beyond six weeks, and this is supported in writing by the main supervisor, who believes that the project can withstand this postponement, the student can submit an exemption application to the Board of Exemptions (CMDU). 

Exemption is applied for at www.dispensation.dtu.dk. The application must be submitted no later than one month before the applicable submission deadline for the project unless the special circumstances are urgent and could not have been foreseen at an earlier time. The application deadline is important in view of the Board of Exemptions' ability to process the application before the applicable submission deadline. The rules for submitting an exemption application are described in more detail at DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Exemption'.

Illness during the project period
Students who become ill during the project period but before the submission deadline for the project can apply for an extension of the project period via the above options with the department board of studies or the Board of Exemptions.

The student can also apply for a leave of absence during the project period. Read more at DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Leave of absence'.

Commencement of a new project with a new project period
If the student wishes to abandon his/her thesis and start over within a different field of study with a new deadline (5, 5½, or 6 months), this must be approved by the (new) supervisor. The (new) supervisor must inform the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs and the Head of Studies whereafter a new project agreement must be made within the new field of study and with a new ordinary deadline (5, 5½ or 6 months). However, the student will have used one examination attempt on the abandoned project which will get the registration EM (not met). It is the student's responsibility to inform the former supervisor that he/she abandons the thesis.  

Deadline
Failure to meet the deadline means the student will have used an exam attempt. The student and the supervisor must then make a new project agreement for the thesis but with a modified thesis statement within the same field. The new thesis must be submitted within 3 months of approval of the project. This procedure also applies if the student fails his/her exam. 

If the student wishes to reuse already submitted elements or larger parts of the project, this must be clearly stated in the project, as otherwise there will be self-plagiarism and thus a violation of the rules for the exam. Read more at DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Examination'/'Cheating at exams and other forms of assessment'.

Submission of the master's thesis
The master's thesis must be submitted electronically. The student automatically receives an email with information about the submission deadline for the project, just as there is a link to an overview of all the student's submissions at DTU Inside ('My assignments'). Submission takes place via the group that has been created for the master's thesis.

Illness after the submission but before the oral defence
A student who becomes ill during the period from the submission of the project to the oral defence or on the day of the defence must inform the supervisor about this as soon as possible. If the student sends documentation of the illness to their main supervisor within 14 days from the original scheduled oral defence date, a new date for the oral defense can be agreed upon, without this counting as a new exam attempt.

Assessment and examination
Learning objectives are an integrated part of the supervision.

The master’s thesis is assessed according to the 7-point grading scale with an external examination based on the report and an oral defence with the participation of the supervisor, any co-supervisors, and an external examiner appointed by the Civil Engineering Corps of External Examiners. This also applies to projects fully or partially completed abroad.

The evaluation of the report and the oral defence are based on an overall assessment. A submitted report without an oral defence is assessed with 'Not met' (EM).

When assessing a master's thesis, the main focus is on the academic content. The student's formulation and spelling ability count for a small but nonetheless significant weight of the assessment. DTU can grant exemptions for students who document a relevant disability.

If more than one student writes the thesis, each student will be examined individually. However, the assessment of group projects may also include a group exam with the participation of the entire group. In this case, the individual oral exams are carried out after the completion of the group exam. In addition to the examinee themselves, only those group members who have already been examined themselves may be present. A student in a group project always has the right to deselect a group exam. In that case, the duration of the individual exam must be adjusted accordingly.

In consultation with the student, the supervisor will set a date for the oral presentation and defence.

The oral defence must be held no later than ten work days after the scheduled submission date of the thesis. In exceptional circumstances, the head of department can approve a later exam date. If the project period has been extended after the start of the project as a result of the Board of Studies’ or the exemption committee's decision, the 10-day deadline must, as far as possible, continue to be complied with. A later exam date due to the changed conditions, e.g. due to the supervisor's 3-week holiday in June, July or August, can be determined without approval from the head of department. Find more information on DTU Inside under 'Study rules/Exam/Deadlines for grading'. 

The oral defence of projects carried out in a company may, due to company secrets referred to in the project, be held behind closed doors by agreement with the supervisor. Read more at DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Exam'/'Forms of examination' under 'Oral exam'.

Exam certificate
When the student has completed the education at DTU, DTU issues a diploma/exam certificate. Information about how and when the diploma is received is available on DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Examination'/'Exam certificate'.