Supervising a Master's or licentiate thesis

The new thesis with a scope of 30 credits is more limited than the 40-credit master’s thesis (pro gradu) in old programmes. 

Find out how your faculty and degree programme have chosen to implement the change from the 40-credit master’s thesis to the 30-credit thesis.There may be new general instructions on the scope of the research data, the extent of a literature review or the number of pages required for the thesis.

It is likely that the students you are supervising include both those working on the old master’s thesis and those working on the new, more limited thesis. Your supervision of each student should be based on their respective degree programme requirements.

Students can write their theses independently, in a team, as a part of a wider research project, or as a commission. A collaborative thesis should nevertheless include a clearly defined independent part that can be assessed. In any case, the student must write the thesis independently, unless otherwise decided by the degree programme. 

Through thesis work, the students learn more about their discipline and subject matter and get to develop their scientific thinking, use of research methods and academic communication. As a thesis supervisor, you are supervising an extensive process that allows the student to demonstrate the competence they have gained through university studies. Supervising a master’s thesis is also about supervising and supporting the student’s project management. The workload of a thesis worth 30 credits corresponds approximately to full-time studies of one term. This covers both collecting and processing the data related to the thesis as well as writing the actual text.

The supervision of a master’s thesis often takes place at a master’s thesis seminar. In some degree programmes, the thesis supervisor cooperates with the teacher in charge of the master’s thesis seminar. At the seminar, the student gets support and guidance from the teacher, but also from discussions among the peer group. You should require attendance and active participation from your seminar students in accordance with the regulations of your faculty and degree programme.

As the teacher in a seminar group, you are in charge of guiding the discussion and peer feedback. Request the students to provide constructive, clear feedback that tangibly helps others make headway with their thesis. Encourage students to talk about their difficulties. Discussing solutions together can help the whole group with their thesis work. Often enough, some of the seminar classes can be replaced with individual supervision meetings.

Tell students to come to their supervision sessions prepared and having completed specific thesis work. Focus on what is most important for making progress, take the students’ questions seriously and thank them for their progress.

Focus on offering clear, practical advice on the key areas of thesis work.

Divide the thesis project into steps and create a schedule paced and supported by the seminar meetings. The thesis will be completed step by step as the seminar advances. Process writing instructions for you and the students will be published soon (link to be inserted here). The supervisor plays a dual role by supporting a goal-oriented general process while supporting each student’s individual activity. Starting from the choice of topic, a thesis is often a personal assignment for students. At best, the resulting motivation and sense of capability spread to all areas of study and life in general. 

As the thesis and seminar work advance, students learn many generic and expert skills (a link to the new table published by the Centre for University Teaching and Learning table). As a supervisor, you can help students identify the expertise they accumulate during their studies by pointing out the generic and expert skills honed in your class and under your guidance and by paying attention to the students’ evolving expertise. You can encourage the students to consider how it may be possible for them to utilise the expertise they have gained through their thesis project in working life and the society as a whole.

Sometimes students need a lot of support. Supervision situations can be challenging at times. If necessary, discuss your workload with your colleagues and supervisor. If you are concerned that any problems a student is clearly struggling with during the thesis process are related to reasons beyond your control, encourage the student to seek help.