What we expect from a thesis; links to the theoretical courses; which particular events are included: information about thesis templates and so on.

This page includes criteria for assessment, relation to theoretical courses, seminars and other exercises during the time of writing. There is also a template for the thesis and other information.

The link between the theoretical course and the thesis

If you are writing your thesis or essay as a part of a bachelor level, the optional theory course and the thesis course are integrated. Your teacher (or one of your teachers if there are several) on the theoretical course will be your supervisor. It is a good idea to reflect on a topic for the thesis early on during the semester. It is possible to choose a topic, which is not related to the theme of the theoretical course, given that you and your supervisor are in agreement. There are some advantages to writing within the framework of the course; you can draw on literature you have already read and skills developed during the course.

Advanced level (One Year and Two Year)

Generally speaking, there is no direct link between the theoretical courses and the thesis course on this level. Students are expected to send in a thesis idea to the compulsory introductory meeting at the beginning of the semester, see letter of introduction for more details. The course then commences with a seminar, which is held by a thesis co-ordinator. The students’ topics are discussed and each student is assigned a supervisor with the theme of the thesis in mind.

For thesis courses with only one or two individual studentens there are no seminar activities, only individual supervision meetings.

There are four different thesis courses on the advanced level:
STVM20/STVM24 (15 credits) is for students who pursue a Masters (One Year) Degree (i.e. a Swedish filosofie magisterexamen).
STVM25 (30 credits) for Swedish students pursuing a Master's (Two Years) Degree (filosofie masterexamen).
STVM23 (30 credits) for students pursuing a Master's (Two Years) in European Affairs and
WPMM43 (30 credits) is for students pursuing a Master's (Two Year) in Welfare Policies and Management, major Political Science.

In order to pass you must participate in an opposition seminar. This is usually done in pairs. The opposition seminar is discussed in detail in section five.

Individual Thesis or Essay and Writing in Pairs

Second-semester theses on the intermediate level are written in pairs. At the Bachelor's level, students have the option of writing in pairs, but it is not required. Master's students are expected to author their thesis individually. Students at all levels are of course encouraged to discuss their ideas with fellow students, as well as teachers.

Formal Criteria

Level Maximum Word Count

Bachelor 10 000

Master (One Year) 10 000

Master (Two Years, 15 credits) 10 000

Master (Two Years, 30 credits) 20 000

The maximum word count must not be exceeded.

Thesis Template

The thesis should follow our typographical guidelines. Detailed information is available in “The Art of Writing and Speaking” that you can find under Files.

In order to simplify matters, we provide a thesis template in Word format, which follows these guidelines. We strongly recommend that you use this template: Downnload Thesis Template.doc.

Student Account

You must have a student account in order to submit your thesis or essay. If you are writing with a fellow students, both of you have to have a student account. If you have lost your password, you can order a new one through Servicedesk. Obtaining a new password may take up to a week.

Servicedesk -

servicedesk@lu.se

You can find more information on your student account on lu.se