Degree project

You need to apply for the corresponding course, independently of which type of thesis you want to write. Entry requirements can be found in the course syllabi (note that they differ for degree projects D and E). Depending on which course and when you are going to take it the application procedure differs – see below.

• Degree project E – spring semester: Apply via universityadmissions.se
• Degree project E – fall semester: Apply by filling in the registration form (link below) and hand it in to the study counsellor after having agreed with your supervisor on a preliminary title and schedule for your thesis.
• Degree project D: Apply by filling in the registration form (link below) and hand it in to the study counsellor after having agreed with your supervisor on a preliminary title and schedule for your thesis.

Registration form Pdf, 170 kB.

Study counsellor

The study advisor for the Master´s Programme handles the registration for the course and answers questions about the course or refers you to the right person.

Programme coordinator

The Programme Coordinator for the Master's Programme provides the overall information about the course.

Supervisor

The main task of the supervisor is to provide support during the planning and realisation of the degree project. The supervisor helps to determine the topic and outline of the thesis. During the course of the work, the supervisor reads drafts and gives feedback.

The supervisor can be a teacher or researcher at the Department of Mathematics, which is called an internal supervisor. Alternatively, it can be someone from another department or company/authority, which is called an external supervisor.

Subject reviewer

If you have an external supervisor, you also need a subject reviewer from the Department of Mathematics who ensures that the work has the level and scope required for the course. The subject examiner also assesses when the work is ready for presentation. In the case of an internal degree project, the supervisor and the subject examiner are usually the same person.

Examiner

The examiner is the person who has the formal grading task for your thesis. He/she will authorise the start of the work, and will eventually review your thesis at the end, after the subject examiner's approval. The subject reviewer's approval does not necessarily mean that everything is ready. On the contrary, it is quite common for the examiner to request a supplement, but then usually not on subject-related grounds, but more likely due to shortcomings in structure, language, reference management, etc.

Choose a topic that suits you

Choosing a subject that suits you is a prerequisite for a successful degree project. Start thinking in good time so that you can also find a supervisor in good time. You also need to think about whether you want to do external or internal work. To get inspiration, you can, for example, look at already completed degree projects or talk to students who have already completed their degree projects. Usually in November we also organise a thesis meeting in which the research areas at the department are presented. Another good way is to attend other students' theses presentations. Degree project presentations are published in the department's calendar

External degree project

The first thing you need to think about is whether to write an external or internal thesis. To write an external thesis at a company or an authority is an excellent opportunity to see how mathematics is applied in the industry. It is also a way to establish contacts for the future.

FInd out more about external degree projects

Internal degree project

If you want to write an internal thesis you need to contact the potential supervisor at the department of mathematics. Think about which part of mathematics you want to write a thesis about. This can be a specific topic or a subject area you are interested in. In this case contact someone who is doing research in a similar area of mathematics. Take a look at the homepage of the department of mathematics or contact the programme coordinator. Don't hesitate to ask. If you are not completely correct in your judgement who works on similar mathematics, they can often suggest someone else.

Registration

To be registered, you must first agree with your supervisor on the provisional title and time period for your degree project. You must then complete the Registration form for Degree Project D or E (pdf) Download Registration form for Degree Project D or E (pdf) and submit it to our study advisor (if you have not already done so in connection with the application to the course). The study advisor will then register you on the course.

Set up a timeline

The thesis is written in a given time frame and part of the task is to plan your work. Consider writing a weekly schedule what you are planning to do. For Degree Project E you are expected to work full-time on the thesis, so if you have other obligations (e.g. re-exams) you have to take this into account and either start earlier or continue during the summer. For Degree Project D take into account if you are also taking courses at the same time. You can find a draft for the schedule on the course page in Studium once you are registered for the course.

Writing an essay - material from other universities

• How to write mathematics badly (Serre)
• Guide to writing MSc Dissertations (von Stengel)
• Guidelines for a thesis in mathematics at the University of Lethbridge
• Guidelines for writing a thesis (UNSW Sydney)

Read up on the subject

Discuss with your supervisor which literature you need to read and plan when you want to read what. Ensure that you don't start the actual writing too late since this often takes longer than expected.

Write an early draft

It is also important that the supervisor has time to review drafts and for you to adjust your thesis taking the feedback into account. It can be a good idea to have a draft of a first part of the thesis ready already quite early so that the supervisor can already give you some feedback.

Check your schedule regularly

Ensure that while writing the thesis you regularly check your schedule. It doesn't need to be a problem if you don't always follow the schedule but in such a case, adjust the schedule, so that it is more realistic.

Discuss the outline at an early stage

To learn how to write a longer mathematical text is one of the goals of the course. This usually needs practice and feedback from the supervisor. Discuss the outline of the thesis with your supervisor early on. What outline fits best depends on the subject area and topic, but usually a thesis consists of: an introduction, a description of the main problem, the background, an explanation of the underlying mathematical theory, the result(s) and a conclusion. You can also look at some of the earlier theses in the same subject area to get an idea how the outline usually is.

Before the presentation

If the supervisor/subject reviewer decides that the thesis is ready for submission, it should be presented orally, typically at one of the research seminars, between 45 and 90 minutes. Alternatively, a separate date can be scheduled. You should agree with your supervisor/subject reviewer on the date and time for your presentation. The time of the presentation is then published in the mathematical calendar by the subject reviewer in consultation with the programme coordinator.

The presentation

Participants at the seminar are you as the presenter, the supervisor, the subject reviewer as well as other interested students, professors, lecturers, and researchers. You get a good impression of how the presentations work if you participate in other student presentations (or in other presentations at the corresponding research seminar).

For the degree project E, it is required that you actively participate in at least one
other such presentation. In any case, it is strongly recommended that you participate in other presentations before you give your own presentation.

Examination

After the presentation and potential revision you should hand in the thesis in Studium to check for plagiarism. An examiner is assigned to each thesis who decides whether the thesis is passed. You and your supervisor/subject reviewer should agree beforehand that the thesis is completed. If the examiner decides that the thesis should be revised in some form, the examiner will contact both of you. After you have received notification that the essay has been approved, you must publish/archive it in DiVA (instructions can be found on the course page in Studium).

Your approved final grade on the degree project is reported by the examiner to Ladok, with the date you submitted the report as the exam date. The report title listed in the register is taken from the front page of the approved report, not from the form you originally filled out.

When you’ve finished your courses and the degree project, you need to apply for your degree (University's page). Keep in touch with us and former classmates by joining Uppsala University Alumni Network and the Mathematics Department's Alumni Group on LinkedIn.

Degrees and career