msc thesis online wur

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How does a master thesis in wageningen look like.

What does a master thesis in Wageningen look like?

Doing a master’s may seem like an “only two years” commitment with some courses and your own project. But in practice, what does this process look like? Is writing a thesis simple, fast and enjoyable? Is it easy to find a suitable topic and a helpful supervisor? In this post, I will try to make it clear and understandable as it is actually nothing to be afraid of!

Where to start?

First of all the topic, which is basically the most important and difficult part to decide. Obviously, you don’t want to get stuck for six months with a topic you don’t find interesting enough. Therefore you should choose the area you are passionate about and that makes you happy. Luckily, our university offers platforms and events that help you reduce the stress level caused by the thesis time.

Each master’s programme has several options, so the possibilities are pretty broad. Already during the courses, it is good to think about what you are interested in. What comes easy for you to learn about? Which teacher was your favourite? Thinking about these types of questions might give you some helpful answers, so, it will be simpler to find the right thesis direction.

Secondly, throughout the year, every department organizes so-called thesis markets. There you can see available projects and talk about them with potential supervisors. It can give you insights into what is currently possible and get you in touch with different chair groups.

Lastly, it is the traditional way of just asking around. Talking with teachers after lectures or practicals, emailing them, and searching on the WUR website of the chair groups. There is plenty of information, deadlines, and contacts available online.

Thesis from a graduated student perspective

In my case, I am in the stage of looking for a thesis project, so, unfortunately, I can not say much from my experience yet. But for this reason, I asked my friend Jens to tell me about his thesis project that he did a year ago. He was so kind to describe it to me, and therefore, I’d like to share his thoughts with you.

Jens studied the Master’s Forest and Nature Conservation in Wageningen. He found his thesis topic in the FEM chair group (Forest Ecology and Forest Management). The topic was poultry farmers who pioneered agroforestry in the Netherlands. The aim was to learn from their journeys so it could be easier for others to follow their steps.

Jens was doing the thesis during the “corona times”. Therefore, it was nice that for collecting data, he was able to do fieldwork by interviewing farmers. Although he was grateful for this opportunity, he admitted he started looking for the topic very late. As it was only 2 weeks in advance, it’s rather not recommended to imitate this part of his experience :P.

He said at that time he was really focused on the agroforestry topic and had a narrow mindset about it. Looking back on it Jens shared it would have been better to be more open for different areas.

Summing up!

Now, I hope the thesis matter is not so scary as Wageningen University really helps find a good one. I wish you all (and myself) lots of fun and success!

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There are 3 comments.

Great post! As a prospective masters student looking to get into the wildlife conservation group this was a great post.

Thank you for the article

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Supervising BSc & MSc thesis students

Course schedule.

This course is not scheduled yet.

Course description

Course Description

From Sept 2024 onwards this course will become an one-day course and a follow-up after 'Start to Supervise BSc & MSc thesis students'. New dates will be published in May. 

! the course is only open for   supervisors  having supervised at least two (WUR)students .

The thesis is the final subject of the BSc and MSc programme; and in most cases the most important individual project of a student. Due to the importance and size of the project, the meetings between supervisor and student are more intense and personal compared to those contacts in courses. The relationship between supervisor and student is therefore very important. Students expect certain behaviour of their supervisor, but the supervisor also has expectations of his/her student. Questions about responsibilities for supervisor and student arise.

As a supervisor it is important to be aware of the Wageningen requirements, your own vision about effective supervising, your expectations of your student and the different phases in a thesis project. On the other hand, you should be able to adapt your supervision to the needs of the student when asking questions and giving feedback.

In this course we will on the one hand exchange experiences, theory and models about effective supervising thesis students. On the other hand we will practice a lot and you will develop a vision on supervision that fits Wageningen University and an awareness of your own expectations and preferred supervision style. You will discuss or play different situations and you will practice several skills, like giving feedback, switching communication levels and asking open questions. All these elements come together when you apply everything you learned in a real life case simulation with an actor as your student.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, you are able to:

• formulate your own perspective about the thesis’ function and the supervisors role
• offer an effective and motivating supervision
• distinguish possible phases of a thesis
• explain different supervision styles and argue how you can use different styles to adapt your supervision to the needs of the student
• apply the basic communication skills like giving feedback, listening, summarizing, asking questions and switching between communication levels

Target group & Prerequisites

The course is meant for teachers and PhD‘s who are already supervising thesis-students in Wageningen University. So the course is only open for beginning (having supervised at least two students, preferably in a WUR-context) to experienced supervisors. 

At the lastest one week before the start of the course you will receive more information about the course, background material and some preparation assignments. It is a two day course.

This course can be chosen as elective course in the UTQ. It is also suitable as part of an Orientation on Teaching and Supervision (Pre-UTQ).  If you are not supervising yet sign up for the short workshop Start to supervise BSc & MSc thesis students.

On this page you will find some basic information in relation to supervising thesis student. You will receive course notes before the start of the course.  

Certificate

You will be awarded your certificate at the end of day 2.

18 hours – 0.64 ECTS

Participation is free for Wageningen University & Research staff involved in teaching WU courses.

Recommendation

Apply at least 3 months in advance since this course is fully booked rapidly.