MSC RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND THESIS WRITING
Course
201900054
Period
05 September 2022 - 07 July 2023
EC
45
Course coordinator
INTRODUCTION
The Faculty ITC Research Programme is formulated under the following interlinked research themes:
4D-Earth
Acquisition and quality of geo-spatial information (ACQUAL);
Forest Agriculture and Environment in the Spatial Sciences (FORAGES);
People, Land and Urban Systems (PLUS);
Spatio-temporal analytics, maps and processing (STAMP);
Water Cycle and Climate (WCC).
These research themes and activities form the subject framework and organizational structure in which
Master's students conduct their individual research. Students have to make a choice of the envisaged MSc
research topic during the fourth quartile of the first year. For more information about the content and
scope of the Faculty ITC Research Programme, please visit: http://www.itc.nl/research-themes
The purpose of the MSc research phase is; i) to deepen the knowledge and skills of the students within the
research themes; ii) to help students to define their own MSc Research Proposal, and iii) to facilitate
students to individually write a concise, logical and well-structured thesis.
The first stage of this course is spent on developing an MSc Research Proposal with support and feedback
from staff and peers. Through the MSc Research Proposal, the students should demonstrate the ability to
undertake independent research. The MSc Research Proposal will be assessed by a Proposal
Assessment Board based on a written proposal, a presentation and an oral defence. The Proposal
Assessment Board decides if the proposal is acceptable, as one of the conditions to continue with the MSc
Research phase*.
The second stage of the course is dedicated to the execution of an individual research project. Each
student works independently on the basis of an approved research proposal. Where relevant, students can
with their supervisors apply for Research Support Activity budget ** to conduct for instance fieldwork for
data collection.
In this final part of the course, the students further develop their research skills, interact with their fellow
students, PhD researchers and staff members and, finally, demonstrate that they have achieved the
learning outcomes of the Master's programme by research, on a satisfactory academic level.
*) If the nature of the research requires a different timeframe for proposal writing and/or data collection,
a tailored solution will be considered. Requests for a tailored solution should be addressed to the
Programme Director.
**) RSA budget is limited and only available upon motivated request, supported by the first supervisor
and the MSc Research coordinator of the concerned research theme. Covid-19 restrictions might limit
the possibilities to execute research support activities.
1
CONTENT
Guided Proposal Writing
Introductory lectures on:
MSc Research phase process
Research ethics
Tutorials and peer discussion on :
Formulating sub-objectives and research questions
Methodology
Ethical considerations in MSc research
Optional, theme-specific tutorials
Data collection methods
Data analysis methods
Proposal defence
Oral presentation and defence of the MSc research proposal before the Proposal Assessment Board
Thesis Writing
Based on the accepted research proposal the student will carry out the planned activities. Regular
individual progress meetings with the supervisors will be held to facilitate the progress on the research and
thesis writing, and records of the progress will be kept.
The activities include:
Deepen literature review, including assessment of the usability of literature and previous research;
Collection of relevant data. If appropriate, preparation and execution of fieldwork to collect primary
data required for the research;
Data processing and analysis
Active participation in seminars and activities of the research theme under which the MSc research
resorts;
Mid-term presentation; A formative assessment is made on the research progress approximately halfway the thesis development time-frame
Preparation of the final manuscript of the MSc thesis
A critical review of the quality, use, and usefulness of the data and results, as well as the learning
process;
Oral presentation and defence of the MSc thesis before the Thesis Assessment Board.
TEACHING AND LEARNING APPROACH
Academic skills training is offered to students in the first academic year. MSc research classes in the
second academic year build on this first-year course. Each research theme can also offer additional
research support activities (e.g. specific survey techniques). The research projects or research support
activities can be inter-disciplinary.
Students are assigned a supervisor or team of supervisors to guide them during their individual research.
Students will make individual arrangements with their supervisor(s) regarding the frequency of supervision
meetings and the extent of the guidance they can expect. An elaborate explanation about MSc proposal
and thesis writing supervision is available in Canvas.
2
TESTS
The research work will be assessed on two occasions:
Proposal Assessment (Fail/Complete). A Proposal Assessment Board will assess the detailed
research proposal and its presentation, leading to admission / non-admission to the actual thesis
writing.
The Thesis assessment (Marked). A Thesis Assessment Board will assess the Thesis document, the
presentation of the Thesis and its oral defence.
In addition to these summative assessments, students will receive feedback on the student’s performance
from the Supervisors throughout the MSc Research period. Approximately halfway through the research
period, there is a mid-term evaluation. Students are asked to make a mid-term presentation to update their
supervisors and the Research Theme Leader on their progress. The purpose of this formative assessment
(no mark is given) for the student is to receive feedback on their research. In case of weak performance,
students receive a written warning on behalf of the programme director.
For details see Education and Examination Regulations and Rules and Regulations of the Faculty ITC
Examination Board.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
To present an MSc research proposal:
At least 46 EC worth of courses of year 1 (including 4EC academic skills) must have been
successfully completed.
Students not meeting the above-mentioned entry requirements are allowed to attend the MSc research
classes in the second academic year. Supervised MSc thesis writing can only start after a successful MSc
proposal defence.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, the student is able to:
LO 1 Address a well-formulated relevant research problem of sufficient scope and depth related to the
application of geo-information and earth observation and linked to relevant literature (scientific
scope and depth)
LO 2 Undertake research with a clear and transparent methodology with proper use of concepts,
methods and techniques (scientific method)
LO 3 Write a well-structured and readable thesis report with a clear layout (reporting)
LO 4 Orally present and defend the research and use proper argumentation in the discussion about the
research (presentation and defence)
LO 5 Work in a structured and independent way, while making adequate use of the guidance of the
supervisor (process)
LO 6 Reflect and discuss in the thesis, the relevance of the research in different cultural and
international contexts, OR, present the research in an international setup, through reflecting on its
utility in overarching cultural and societal differences and fostering of stakeholder partnerships.
ALLOCATED TIME PER TEACHING AND LEARNING METHOD
Teaching / learning method
Hours
Lecture
4
Tutorial
12
Supervised practical
12
Written/oral test
4
Self-study
1220
3
TESTPLAN
LO 1
Proposal assessment
Learning outcomes (LO) of the course: The student will be able to...
Thesis writing and public defence
Learning Outcomes that are addressed in the test
Address a well-formulated relevant research problem of sufficient scope and depth related to
the application of geo-information and earth observation and linked to relevant literature
●
●
●
●
(scientific scope and depth)
LO 2
Undertake research with a clear and transparent methodology with proper use of concepts,
methods and techniques (scientific method)
LO 3
Write a well-structured and readable thesis report with a clear layout (reporting)
LO 4
Orally present and defend the research and use proper argumentation in the discussion about
●
●
the research (presentation and defence)
LO 5
Work in a structured and independent way, while making adequate use of the guidance of the
supervisor (process)
LO 6
●
●
Reflect and discuss in the thesis, the relevance of the research in different cultural and
international contexts, OR, present the research in an international setup, through reflecting on
●
its utility in overarching cultural and societal differences and fostering of stakeholder
partnerships.
Test type
Proposal
Thesis
assessment
defence
Weight of the test
100
Individual or group test
Individual
Individual
Type of marking
Pass/Fail
1-10
2
2
Required minimum mark per test
Number of test opportunities per academic year
4
RELATION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES (LO) OF THE COURSE WITH THE PROGRAMME LEARNING
OUTCOMES
Learning
outcomes
(LO) of the
course: The
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
13
12
11
10
9
7
8
6
5
4
3
2
be able to...
1
student will
LO Address a
1
wellformulated
relevant
research
problem of
sufficient
scope and
depth related
to the
application of
●
●
geoinformation
and earth
observation
and linked to
relevant
literature
(scientific
scope and
depth)
LO Undertake
2
research with
a clear and
transparent
methodology
with proper
use of
●
●
concepts,
methods and
techniques
(scientific
method)
5
Learning
outcomes
(LO) of the
course: The
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
be able to...
1
student will
LO Write a well3
structured
and readable
●
thesis report
with a clear
layout
(reporting)
LO Orally present
4
and defend
the research
and use
proper
argumentation
●
in the
●
discussion
about the
research
(presentation
and defence)
LO Work in a
5
structured
and
independent
way, while
making
●
●
●
adequate use
of the
guidance of
the supervisor
(process)
6
Learning
outcomes
(LO) of the
course: The
11
12
●
●
●
13
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
be able to...
1
student will
LO Reflect and
6
discuss in the
thesis, the
relevance of
the research
in different
cultural and
international
contexts, OR,
present the
research in an
international
setup,
through
reflecting on
its utility in
overarching
cultural and
societal
differences
and fostering
of stakeholder
partnerships.
7