Msc thesis proposal
Learning outcomesin general, wu learning outcomes are categorized in four groups: research competence, thesis report, colloquium, and specifically, learning outcomes as formulated by aew are:research skillsexplore the problem by means of studying relevant literature critically reading literature formulate a theoretical framework delineate the research problem design a research strategy realistically plan all research activities collect empirical research data through experiments, measurements, observations, interviews or literature efficiently analyze (large) data sets also with models and statistics evaluate quantitative results with error propagation relate observations to your own theoretical framework draw conclusions formulate your own opinion on your research evaluate the research from a broader perspectivecommunication skillsdiscuss data and results during the course of a thesis discuss problems faced during the thesis be open for suggestions from supervisor(s) and/or other students accept and deal with criticismwriting skillswrite a research report or a draft scientific paper structure the report or paper (does the title cover the content, are the different chapters in accordance with their importance, presence of readable summary) meet criteria for correct language use (choices of words, grammar, spelling) take care for scientific verification present tables, figures, maps and/or illustrations in the right way take care of a proper final lay-out of the report or paperpresenting skillsgive a structured oral presentation schedule the content of an oral presentation give a presentation within a limited timeframe present readable graphs & tablesgeneral set-up of a thesisthe total period spent on a thesis can be divided into 3 phases: proposal writing, performing the research and thesis writing. 2: different phases in the msc with activities and ation, problem analysis, literature search, work plan, n research proposal, start ming the ment, field work, modeling, data gathering & data analysis, data , preliminary g the pieces together, writing report, preparation of report, final al writingusually you start with a general idea about the thesis and you may have had some discussion with your supervisor. Week to week planning, related to the research activities and research ming the researchafter writing the proposal, the practical work starts (field work, modelling, experiment). If thesis work is done abroad students have to adapt to working conditions such as institutional hierarchy, ethics, dress code etcetera that are often different from dutch writingusually 4 to 6 weeks are needed to write the final report or paper. When you have a first complete draft of your thesis ready (with all chapters and annexes but some smaller elements may still be missing) ask your supervisor for comments on structure and contents. You have to ask the secretariat from the chair group for a thesis number, that appears on the cover of your thesis. A pdf version of the final report or paper is also task of writing a thesis sometimes lures students into using other’s work, ideas, facts, texts etcetera and presenting it as their own. Thesis report has the following contents:cover pagepreface (optional)abstract (max 1 page)introduction: problem definition, state-of-the-art, theory/concepts, objectives, research questionsmaterial & methods: description of how the problem was studied, which materials were used, type of statistical analysesresults: what where the findings? Discuss your findings with those from literature, what are good/weaker points in your studyconclusions & recommendations: answer your research questions and formulate recommendationsreferences & annexesclick here (example thesis ) for an example presentationafter the draft thesis is finished, the student has to give a colloquium. It is strongly advised to have a test colloquium a few days meetingin a final meeting, your supervisor will question and discuss your thesis, its relevance, and your opinion about your own work.
During this meeting the mark will be mentthe standard form thesis evaluation wageningen university & research (click here for downloading) will be used. Msc thesis ure of the to write the are working through your course requirements and the actual thesis work is looming. The essential requirements for a thesis (formal departmental policy) are:A scholarly work where scholarly refers to:A precise statement of objectives;. Conclusion that follows logically from the needs to incorporate a scientific method or approach to finding answers to questions, or incorporate scientific facts or data into the analysis and expectation is that the thesis research should be of potentially publishable basic steps involved in this process are:An issue is people's work on the topic is collected and necessary to solve the problem are either collected by the student, or obtained are analyzed using techniques appropriate to the data s of the analysis are reported and are interpreted in light of the initial endations are proposed that would lead to a deeper first step toward a great thesis is a great thesis proposal. You should meet with your thesis supervisor to identify a research topic, and formulate the details of the project. The thesis proposal will help you to gain an understanding of the background of your project, develop or adapt appropriate methods, and summarize the state of your project. The more you can accomplish in the proposal, the further you can drive the project in the end, and hopefully the easier life will be when you are in "thesis mode" (for both you and us! Purpose of writing a thesis proposal is to demonstrate that:The thesis topic addresses a significant problem;. Of data analysis have been identified and are appropriate to the data proposal exists as a contract between you and your supervisor. It sets out what needs to be done, defines the limit of the project, and gives you a clear route to achieve the goal of finishing it on you can outline these points clearly in a proposal, then you will be able to focus on a research topic and finish it in a timely fashion.
A secondary purpose of the proposal is to give you experience in the art of proposal writing. Any future career in earth or environmental science, whether it be in industry or academia will require these skills in some are well aware that the best laid out research plans may go awry, and that the best completed theses sometimes bear only little resemblance to the thesis planned during the proposal. Therefore, when evaluating a thesis proposal, we are not trying to assure ourselves that you have clearly described a sure-fire research project with 0% risk of failure. If you can present a clear and reasonable thesis idea, if you can clearly relate it to other relevant literature, if you can justify its significance, if you can describe a method for investigating it, and if you can decompose it into a sequence of steps that lead toward a reasonable conclusion, then the thesis proposal is a success regardless of whether you modify or even scrap the actual idea down the line and start off in a different direction. What a successful thesis proposal demonstrates is that, regardless of the eventual idea you pursue, you know the steps involved in turning it into a ure of a thesis thesis proposal should have the following elements in this ce of serious consideration of the inary results and plan including time ations of structure is very similar to that of a thesis or a scientific paper. You will be able to use a large fraction of the material of the thesis proposal in your final thesis. Institution, department, supervisor(s), and date of abstract is a brief summary of your thesis length should not exceed ~200 should present a brief introduction to the the key statement of your a summary of how you want to address the to the principal techniques used to address the e a possible implication of your work, if successfully all headings and subheadings with page section sets the context for your proposed project and must capture the reader's n the background of your study starting from a broad picture narrowing in on your research introduction should be at a level that makes it easy to understand for readers with a general science background, for example your a couple of sentences, state your statement can take the form of a hypothesis, research question, project statement, or goal thesis statement should capture the essence of your intended project and also help to put boundaries around what is known about your research topic as far as it is relevant to your relevant theses will require a substantial review of the literature, which may extend to several pages. Calculations, techniques, procedures, equipment, and calibration limitations, assumptions, and range of ons should be limited to data sources and more complete descriptions of not include results and discussion of results inary results and t any results you already have s how they fit in the framework of your plan including be in detail what you plan to do until completion of your thesis the stages of your project (e. All ideas, concepts, text, data that are not your you make a statement, back it up with your own data or a references cited in the text must be listed, using either canadian journals of science or apa all references cited in the text in alphabetical order using the canadian journals of science or apa de your proposal with signatures from both the student and the supervisor(s), recognising that you agree on the work to be undertaken. This does not mean that adjustments cannot be made as work proceeds, but is a benchmark you can go back to as you consider what still needs to be to write the d in the following order:Meet with your supervisor(s) to discuss what you will be the library and read about an outline of your thesis proposal before you start e figures and sion of your nces from your order may seem backwards.
Well chosen and well labeled figure can reduce text length, improve proposal clarity, and aid the reader in developing an image of the work proposed. Flow chart showing the steps in a process and the possible causes and orate graphs in the text or on separated sheets inserted in the thesis grammar and spelling distract from the content of the proposal. Listen to your writing program when the grammar and spelling checkers identify your proposal aloud - then have a friend read it aloud. Most people speak more clearly than they should have read your proposal over at least 5 times before handing it wording is generally you get comments from others that seem completely irrelevant to you, your paper is not written clearly use a complex word if a simpler word will long should it be? Is no set length for your proposal - this is up to you and your supervisor. If your topic has extensive background literature, this section may well run to 10 or more pages - and will be used verbatim in your thesis. It is not essential to critique every paper ever written that is related to your project, but you must demonstrate you have consulted previous work g aside the background literature, we recommend the remainder of your proposal be no more than 10 pages in thesis proposal should be reviewed by your supervisor and submitted to the graduate co-ordinator. Masters thesis proposals are then distributed to all faculty to review - this usually takes two weeks or so, and you should expect them to read it through in detail. Don't submit a proposal in june saying you will collect the samples in may, when we all know you didn't! Your proposal will be returned to your supervisor, who will discuss the comments received with you.
If necessary you will be asked to rewrite the proposal in light of these comments, and once completed you should re-submit it to your supervisor, who then will inform the graduate coordinator that the proposal is complete. A copy of your revised proposal, signed by you and your supervisor will be lodged in your file. Then you get on with the thesis msc thesis ure of the to write the are working through your course requirements and the actual thesis work is looming. Then you get on with the thesis >academics>research degree concentrations>health services research>handbook & course information>development of the msc thesis pment of the msc thesis proposal. Msc thesis consultation with the supervisor, the student selects a minimum of one additional member for his/her msc thesis committee. The supervisor, who functions as chair of the thesis committee, must have his/her primary school of graduate studies (sgs) appointment through ihpme and must be a full or associate member of the school of graduate studies. Most msc thesis committees will consist of two working members; the supervisor must be a full or associate member of the school of graduate studies. When all committee members have been selected and have agreed to serve, the supervisor is responsible for notifying the msc/phd program director of the membership of the thesis committee. This information will be placed in the student’s thesis is an original piece of scholarly research on a topic that has been selected by the student and approved by the supervisor and the student’s thesis committee. The thesis is a major undertaking that reflects the highest standards of scholarship and makes a significant contribution to knowledge and practice in the field of health services on the thesis is conducted under the supervision of the supervisor in consultation with the thesis committee.
An msc thesis is approved by the msc thesis committee, and no formal defense of the proposal is required (unlike the phd dissertation research proposal). The following criteria are to be considered by the supervisor and the msc thesis committee member(s) in assessing the merits of the student’s thesis what extent is the research question focused and researchable? Approval on the part of the msc thesis committee of the msc thesis proposal, the student prepares and submits an ethics protocol. The student can proceed to collection of data and preparation of the thesis only after approval of the thesis proposal has been obtained from their msc thesis committee, and only after ethical approval has been approval of the ethics protocol, the student proceeds with the research and arranges meetings with the supervisor and the thesis committee at regular intervals. It is important that the student keep both the supervisor and the thesis committee informed of her/his the thesis is completed and has met with the approval of the thesis committee, the student proceeds to the oral examination. 2 the msc thesis proposal development & msc thesis proposal is developed by the student in consultation with, and under the guidance of, the thesis supervisor and the supervisory committee in a series of iterative steps. Normally the committee first meets to discuss the thesis project generally, after which, drafts of the proposal are submitted to the supervisor and committee for feedback and msc thesis proposal is usually 20-30 pages in length, double spaced, excluding references and the work plan. The proposal should contain the following elements:Title: the thesis title should give a clear indication of the topic being problem: the proposal should contain a description of the study problem which includes specification of the study question(s), justification for their selection in relation to previous research and to the literature, and the potential relevance of the thesis tical framework and background information: following a concise and critical review of the theoretical and research literatures, the proposal should discuss the major theoretical premises and the salient concepts which underlie the problem or question(s). The proposal should then outline a framework, based on literature, for analyzing the problem and question(s). The questions and/or hypotheses for the thesis are formulated clearly and in such a way that all the study variables and their anticipated relationships are specified.
Sample size, or details of any data base, should be collection methods should be described in detail as should their relationship to the theoretical and conceptual issues associated with the thesis project. The proposal should be clear about any conceptual or theoretical issues relating to the analysis of the plan: the proposal should include a detailed work plan, with estimates of time needed to complete each phase of the proposed research.
