General Principles
The supervision process involves both rights and responsibilities for the supervisor and the student, which are agreed upon at the beginning of the process. For Master's theses in particular, it is recommended to prepare a supervision plan. The Faculty provides a shared template for this purpose, which departments may adapt for their own use.
The Faculty has common learning outcomes and assessment criteria that guide the thesis work and help ensure alignment with academic expectations. A shared understanding of the assessment criteria helps prevent potential misunderstandings or disagreements during the evaluation phase.
Each student writing a thesis is assigned at least one supervisor.
Progression of the Supervision Process
The responsible supervisor (also called 1st supervisor or principal supervisor) approves the student's proposed topic as suitable for a thesis. The starting point of the supervision process may vary between academic subjects, and students are expected to familiarize themselves with the practices of their own subject.
At the beginning of the process, it must be ensured that the student is aware of the learning outcomes and assessment criteria. The student and supervisor jointly prepare a timeline for the thesis, which the student is expected to follow. The supervisor is responsible for providing sufficient feedback and guidance to support the timeline, as agreed upon in the supervision plan.
The student is expected to work independently, actively, and with perseverance, making appropriate use of the supervision provided.
If the topic or content of the thesis exceeds the current supervisor’s area of expertise, the matter should be discussed jointly by the student, the supervisor, and the subject coordinator or the department’s pedagogical director. If necessary, a second supervisor may be appointed. The student may also request a change of supervisor for a justified reason, in which case the matter is discussed with the supervisor and the subject coordinator or pedagogical director.
Before submitting the thesis for evaluation:
1. The supervisor provides feedback on the final version of the thesis, based on the assessment criteria. The supervisor is responsible for reviewing the assessment criteria with the student both at the beginning of the process and before submission for evaluation.
2. The final version of the thesis must be checked using the plagiarism detection tool. The student submits their thesis to the system, and the supervisor reviews the report to determine whether citations and references comply with good scientific practice (separate guidelines are available for plagiarism detection).
Content of Supervision
Although supervision practices vary between academic subjects, the core elements of thesis supervision are largely similar:
• Goal Orientation: At the beginning of the supervision process, the student and supervisor align their work by reviewing the learning outcomes and assessment criteria of the thesis. It is also important for the student to reflect on their personal goals. These goals and related discussions help guide the process and foster commitment to collaboration—both in the supervisory relationship and in peer groups (e.g., seminars). The student’s goals may evolve or become more specific during the process. Goal orientation also includes continuous mutual feedback throughout the process.
• Nature of Supervision and Clarification of Roles and Responsibilities: The supervision process is based on the student working independently, proactively, and actively. The supervisor supports and guides this work and provides assistance when needed. If students are working in pairs, the working methods and responsibilities of pair work must be discussed and agreed upon together.
• The supervisor has both a supportive and an evaluative/monitoring role. The evaluative role is reflected in the feedback and final assessment of the thesis, as well as in situations where the supervisor grants permission to proceed with, for example, data collection based on the research plan.
• The relationship between the student and supervisor must be based on mutual trust. The student must be able to rely on the supervisor’s expertise and the accuracy of their guidance. Conversely, the supervisor must be able to trust the student’s integrity in conducting research, gathering and presenting information, and adhering to the ethical principles of scientific research.
• Working Methods: At the start of the supervision process, the working methods and rhythm of individual and group supervision are clarified and agreed upon. This includes remote and in-person meetings, how and when students can seek supervision, how often the supervisor provides feedback on written work, and how delays are handled. The time allocated for supervision is defined in the curriculum and in the teacher’s workload plan.
• Facilitating Group Work: The supervisor guides the group through its various stages and supports its functioning so that students can contribute to each other’s progress through peer feedback and collaborative idea development. The supervisor also promotes good discussion practices and encourages students to take responsibility for their contributions to the group’s work.
• Resources: Support for thesis work is available through information retrieval courses, language and communication studies, and study psychologists.