MASTER’S THESIS
All students complete their master’s degree by writing a master’s thesis.
Through completing your master’s thesis, you will demonstrate your knowledge of general academic principles, your ability to define and analyse a problem as well as to critically and independently apply the theories and methods of your field of study. A master’s thesis compares to a project in many ways; however, the academic level and the stipulated number of pages separate the two. Thus, a master’s thesis may be regarded a “high level” project. As a student in one of the study programmes in Communication and Digital Media, writing a master’s thesis will probably not feel too intimidating, since you have already grown accustomed to completing large projects each semester.
DURATION
The master’s thesis is completed during the 10th semester of the master’s programme. Completing the master’s thesis comprises one full semester, but students may benefit from completing their master’s thesis in direct extension of their 9th semester.
The master’s thesis is completed between 1 January and 31 May which is the submission deadline.
WORKING ALONE OR IN A GROUP
You may choose to complete your master’s thesis independently or in a group of no more than three members. The Study Board strongly recommends you to complete your master’s thesis in groups. Working in groups is generally an advantage for students, also when completing a master’s thesis; you will be able to engage in insightful discussions, you can divide the tasks between you when it comes to reading and writing, and you will be receive more supervision. A master’s thesis completed by a group is assessed by group examination according to the rules in force.
LENGTH
The master’s thesis must be of at least 35 pages and must not exceed 70 pages per student; individually prepared theses must not exceed 80 pages.
SYNOPSIS
Prior to completing your master’s thesis, you must submit a synopsis. More information on the requirements of a synopsis.
SUPERVISOR
The process is similar to that of all other projects, and during the completion of your master’s thesis, you will also have a supervisor assigned to you. You thesis supervisor is there to guide you through the entire process and he or she will also be your examiner when you defend your master’s thesis. The supervisor is allowed to spend 40 hours on thesis supervision – this includes preparation and thesis examination.
NEED HELP ON YOUR THESIS?
Students at Aalborg University who have spent more than one semester trying to complete their master’s thesis are eligible to receive assistance from Learning Lab in completing their master’s thesis. This offer is available to all master’s thesis students who have come to a standstill in their writing process. This is no substitute for the academic supervision but merely a supplement which aims at addressing the issues preventing students from developing and formulating their academic and theoretical considerations and creating an easy-to-read report which makes sense to its readers. For more information on this offer, please contact AAU Learning Lab or your student counsellors.
MASTER’S THESIS STUDENTS AT AALBORG CAMPUS
In the beginning of your 9th semester, a ‘thesis topic catalogue’ will be published; this aims to inspire students in selecting a topic for their master’s thesis. The catalogue presents various examples of thesis topics selected by the lecturers of the study programmes in Communication and Digital Media. Students will then select their thesis topic and are not obliged to select from the topics presented in the catalogue. Prior to their 10th semester, students will prepare a thesis synopsis which is submitted to the knowledge resource group to which their thesis topic is affiliated.
For those studying communication, the synopsis prepared during the completion of “Theory and Research Design in Communication” during the 9th semester may be submitted as a thesis synopsis. Students who choose not to exercise this option, must submit a synopsis no later than by week 48 (the exact date will be announced on the Moodle page of that semester); this synopsis is used for the oral exam.
All other students must submit their thesis synopsis to the relevant knowledge resource group around week 42 (the exact date will be announced on the Moodle page of that semester). The knowledge resource groups are listed in the thesis catalogue.
RULES AND REGULATIONS APPLYING TO STUDENTS COMPLETING THEIR MASTER’S THESES IN COMMUNICATION AND DIGITAL MEDIA
RULES AND REGULATIONS APPLYING TO STUDENTS COMPLETING THEIR MASTER’S THESES AT THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
The regulations for master’s theses completed at the Faculty of Humanities, Aalborg University.
GRADUATION CEREMONY
Each year all graduate students are celebrated at festive ceremonies in Aalborg and Copenhagen. More information on the graduation ceremony in Aalborg.
