Master's Degree Dissertation
Code: 43062 ECTS Credits: 15| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 4313784 Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability | OB | 0 |
Contact
- Name:
- Francesc Romagosa Casals
- Email:
- francesc.romagosa@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
None.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The objective of the Master Thesis is to prepare students for future research work, namely a doctoral thesis or an R + D project in a company or in the third sector. Assessment of students’ Master Thesis is not only based on the contents of the paper itself. It also takes into account other essential skills required by a researcher, such as the ability to synthesise information, the discussion of results, the preparation and giving of oral presentations and the appropriate use of language (written and spoken).
Competences
- Analyse how the Earth functions on a global scale in order to understand and interpret environmental changes on the global and local scales.
- Analyse, summarise, organise and plan projects related to the environmental improvement of product, processes and services.
- Apply knowledge of environmental and ecological economics to the analysis and interpretation of environmental problem areas.
- Apply knowledge of environmental engineering to purification and decontamination in different environments.
- Apply specific methodologies, techniques and resources to conduct research and produce innovative results in the area of Environmental Studies.
- Apply the acquired knowledge and methodologies of environmental, economic and social sustainability to the planning and control of environmental management policies and projects.
- Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Communicate orally and in writing in English.
- Continue the learning process, to a large extent autonomously.
- Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
- Seek out information in the scientific literature using appropriate channels, and use this information to formulate and contextualise research in environmental sciences.
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
- Work in an international, multidisciplinary context.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse environmental processes and problems by applying theoretical, methodological and instrumental knowledge.
- Apply specific methodologies, techniques and resources to conduct research and produce innovative results in the area of Environmental Studies.
- Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Communicate orally and in writing in English.
- Continue the learning process, to a large extent autonomously.
- Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
- Interpret the diversities and complexities of territories and the environment with others of an economic, social and cultural nature.
- Seek out information in the scientific literature using appropriate channels, and use this information to formulate and contextualise research in environmental sciences.
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
- Use knowledge of environmental engineering in the preparation of the master's dissertation.
- Use knowledge of environmental improvement projects when preparing the master's dissertation.
- Use knowledge of how the Earth functions on a global scale in the preparation of the master's dissertation.
- Use the concepts and methods learned in the courses on environmental and ecological economics in the preparation of the master's dissertation.
- Work in an international, multidisciplinary context.
Content
There are no theoretical contents for this course.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Informative sessions / technical seminars with the coordination | 3 | 0.12 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Regular meetings / tutorial sessions with the supervisor | 22 | 0.88 | 1, 3, 6, 7, 9 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Elaboration of a research paper | 350 | 14 | 3, 5, 6, 9, 13 |
Operation of the course
Between November and December 2024, the offer of potential topics to be chosen by students as final master's dissertations will be made public, with the names of the corresponding supervisors. Students will have to contact them and agree on the chosen topic. Once the students have the consent of the supervisor(s), they can start the work.
During January, the subject's coordination will send a specific form in which students must indicate the title of the work and the name of the supervisor(s) before January 31, 2025.
On April 25, 2025, a mandatory seminar will be held for each master's specialty, in which students will share their research and the state it is in at that time with their colleagues and the speciality's coordinator.
During May 2025, students will have to inform about the call in which they will present the work (June or September).
General guidelines for the delivery of the master's thesis
- The Master Thesis could include the following sections in addition to the main text:
- A cover page stating:
- Title of the Master Thesis
- Title of the master’s degree (e.g. Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability)
- Major within the master’s degree (e.g. Ecological Economics, Industrial and Urban Ecology, Environmental Technology, Science and Management of Global Change)
- Title of the scientific journal used as the basis for the paper format criteria
- Name of the supervisor/s and the Department or Institute where the research has been carried out.
- Date of the paper submission
- A page immediately following the coverpage which must include the following:
- A description of no more than 500 words of:a) how this project fits within the research of the research group the student has been working in, or b) how paper comesfrom your own particular interest.
- The link to the “guidelines for papers” webpage of the journal that has been chosen to follow.
- If the article is signed by more than one author, it needs to include a description of no more than 500 words of the work done by the student on the Master Thesis, specifying her/his contribution.
- Students are required to submit a PDF file with the thesis' final version to the submission folder available in the Campus Virtual by the submission date (see the end of this document). The file should be named "StudentSurname_StudentName_MastherThesisTitle.pdf". The committee reserves the right to not accept documents handed in past the deadline.
- The Master Thesis could have up to 3 supervisors. One of them has to be a UAB PhD full time professor or researcher.
- Supervisors mustsend a short report of the research work carried out by the student, including a proposed mark for the Master Thesis, to coordinacio.master.saes@uab.cat by the thesis submission deadline. Supervisors must take into account the following aspects: initiative, responsibility, ability to interpret results and any other deemed relevant criteria. At least one of the supervisors must be a professor linked to the UAB.
- The Master Thesis must follow the standard format requirements for articles published in a SCI or SSCI academic journal, to be specified by the student.
- “Appropriate use of language” and “Format” are fundamental qualifying requirements, which means that a Master Thesis can be failed if it does not meet minimum requirements in these two areas.
Students will be assessed based on the written paper as well as onan oral presentation. They are required to submit a research paper following the publication criteriastablished by the journal selected, and with the agreement of the supervisor. The paper may include the following sections:
- Abstract
- Introduction: antecedents and justification for the Master Thesis
- Objectives
- Research study plan and anticipated results
- Results
- Discussion of results and/or conclusions
- Bibliography
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 30% | 0 | 0 | 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14 |
| Submission of a research paper | 40% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 |
| Supervisor's report | 30% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 |
Students will be assessed based on the written paper as well as on an oral presentation.
The final grade for the paper will consist on the average mark of the supervisor's report (30%) and the mark given by the committee (70%) both to the paper itself and to the oral presentation. The committee assesses:
- For the written paper:
- Appropriate use of language. The paper can be written in English, Catalan or Spanish. Language choice is not a criterion for evaluation and the tribunal will only assess correct and appropriate use of the language chosen.
- Format: how well this follows the “guidelines for papers” established by the journal chosen by the student.
- Content and academic originality.
- Conciseness and meeting the required length (according to the guidelines of the selected journal)
- Ability to discuss and interpret the results of the research.
- Interdisciplinary scope of the research.
- For the oral defence:
- Students’ ability to articulate and express him/herself.
- Conciseness and meeting the established time limit (15 minutes).
- Quality of the presentation.
- Ability to answer the questions asked by the committee.
The committee should be composed of 3 members, all of them UAB professors or researchers, PhD academics. Exceptionally and if justified, one member may not be a PhD academic.
- The oral presentation is limited to 15 minutes (plus 15 minutes for questions and discussion). The time will be established by the president of the committee and it will be notified to the student before the oral presentation. After that time, the committee will be allowed to ask specific questions about the research project and more general ones about the knowledge earned by the student in their actual major.
- Oral presentations will be face-to-face. Students must consider this in order to guarantee their presence at the scheduled date and time. The schedule for this academic year is presented below.
- After the presentation the president will inform to the student the mark issued by the committee and the mark issued by the supervisor in the assessment report.
- It is essential that the supervisor’s report is handed in by the submission deadline, too.
Single assessment
This module does not offer Single Assessment, as agreed with the coordination of the degree and with the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Sciences.
Other considerations
Any other assessment considerations not included in these guidelines will be established by the coordinator of the Master Thesis and the coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability
Below are the established submission deadlines and dates for the oral presentation for each evaluation period:
- First assessment period (June/July)
Deadline for submission of the written document: June 25, 2025.
Dates of oral presentations: from July 1 to July 8, 2025.
- Second evaluation period (September):
Deadline for submission of the written document: July 29, 2025.
Dates of oral presentations: from 3 to 5 September 2025.
Note: the extraordinary call in February (dates to be determined) is only for students whose work was pending in the previous year or those who take additional courses to access the PhD programme.
Bibliography
To be defined.
Software
Not informed.
Language list
Information on the teaching languages can be checked on the CONTENTS section of the guide.