| Learning objectives |
The students may choose:
- To write a (traditional) Master's thesis
or
- to write a business project and a (shorter) Master's thesis
Hereafter both formats are referred to simply as Master's
thesis.
The topic of the Master’s thesis must fall within the academic
profile of the MSc in Advanced Economics and Finance and must be
written in English.
The Master’s thesis can be written individually or by two students
together.
Students are required in their written thesis to:
- Describe, analyze, and work on a complex problem going beyond
the level of the compulsory and elective courses by either dealing
with new theoretical issues or by applying state-of-the-art methods
to new problems.
- Apply, present, and elaborate on specialized knowledge within
the area of the MSc in Advanced Economics and Finance.
- Reflect critically on the foundation, relevance, and validity
of methods, theories, and empirics used.
- Identify key issues and relevant solutions and to present these
with linguistic clearity.
- Balance the problems addressed with the methods applied, and in
the business project, balance scientific rigor and ease of
presentation.
- Be responsible for the planning, timing, and execution of the
thesis work and, as part of this, to develop a problem statement
that facilitates control and structure of the work on the thesis
and its content.
|
| Examination |
|
Master's
Thesis defence:
|
| Exam
ECTS |
30 |
| Examination form |
Oral exam based on written product
In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product
must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The
grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and
the individual oral performance. |
| Individual or group exam |
Oral group exam based on written group
product |
| Number of people in the group |
2 |
| Size of written product |
Max. 120 pages |
| Assignment type |
Master's thesis |
| Duration |
Written product to be submitted on specified date and
time.
75 min. per group, including examiners' discussion of grade,
and informing plus explaining the grade |
| Grading scale |
7-step scale
The student’s spelling and writing skills are taken into
consideration in the overall assessment of the examination
performance, but the academic content is given the highest
weight. |
| Regulations regarding the summary |
An abstract (max. one page) written in English must be part of
the Master’s thesis. The abstract is included in the overall
assessment of the thesis. |
| Examiner(s) |
Internal examiner and external examiner |
| Exam period |
Autumn and Spring |
| Make-up exam/re-exam |
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
In the event that a student does not
pass the regular examination, he or she should hand in a renewal of
the contract. He or she has the option, upon consultation with the
academic supervisor/examiner, to either submit a revised version of
the Master’s thesis or submit a new Master's thesis on another
topic.
If a student does not hand in the master's thesis within the
deadline, he or she also will have to hand in a renewal of the
contract. In both cases, the student will use an exam attempt.
In the case of a failed exam attempt additional supervision will be
granted. This is not the case, when a student fails to hand in the
thesis within the deadline.
|
Description of the exam
procedure
The grade given must express an overall assessment of the
written thesis (including the executive summary), the oral
examination, and the student’s spelling and style, although the
academic content will carry most weight.
The (traditional) Master’s thesis may not be more than 120
standard pages for a joint thesis submitted by two students.
The (shorter) Master's thesis must be no more than 45
pages for two students writing together.
The business project must be no more than 37 pages for two
students writing together.
|
|
| Course content and structure |
|
The traditional Master’s thesis serves as a test of the
student’s ability to engage in in-depth study and independently
describe, analyze and process a complex issue within economics and
finance at the Master’s level. The thesis is supervised by a
faculty member.
The business project is a consultancy report supervised both by a
corporate advisor and an academic supervisor and aims to solve a
concrete problem for a given firm (or organization or institution)
using state-of-the art methods from economics and finance. The
consultancy aspect will be part of the evaluation, including issues
like relevance of the problem for the firm, choice of methods, the
ability to apply relevant economics and finance, and the actual
solution proposed.
When writing a business project, the student is responsible for
entering into an agreement forming the basis of the cooperation
with the firm. This agreement between the student and the firm must
be approved by the academic supervisor.
The shorter Master’s thesis takes the form of an academic,
scientific article. The article should deal with an economic or
finance problem related to the business project in a short and
concise way. It may deal with the problem in a novel way or it may
provide a survey of existing literature. The shorter Master’s
thesis is supervised by the same academic supervisor as the
business project.
|
| Description of the teaching methods |
| Supervision |
| Feedback during the teaching period |
During supervision. Please note that the
supervisor is not allowed to read the thesis in its entirety before
you submit it.
After thesis defense. |
| Student workload |
| Thesis writing |
814 hours |
| Exam |
10 hours |
|
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