Follow these steps to prepare your Bachelor Thesis Research application
Learn about the Bachelor Thesis Research program before you start
Learn about the structure and purpose of the BTR
Explore your options: MSP, UM faculties, or abroad
Meet the BTR team and key contacts
Understand the roles and responsibilities
The thesis is a mirror of the 'real world'.
Deadlines are strict, the responsibility is yours and it mimics the next stages for you after MSP, such as writing research or grant proposals!
September Cohort (Fall Semester):
Period 1, September 2nd → January 31st
February Cohort (Spring Semester):
Period 4, February 3rd → June 30th
Completing all BTR assessments successfully will result in obtaining 30 ECTS
You can do your BTR at MSP, in a different faculty within UM, or externally in the Netherlands or abroad!
BTR Coordinator
Oversees the BTR program and approves all thesis applications
BTR Administrator
Handles day-to-day BTR administration and student support
BTR Administrator
Handles day-to-day BTR administration and student support
Contact when: Doing BTR abroad with a partner university or non-educational research institute
Specifically for: Grants, Erasmus+ applications, going abroad logistics
Contact IROContact when: You need special circumstances approval or have questions about additional modules
Handles: Exceptions, special permissions, additional module requests
Contact BoEDuring your BTR, you will have an Academic Advisor, Research Supervisor, Internal Advisor, and Second Assessor (solely for the video submission)
Provides support, feedback, and assessment for students
The Research Supervisor takes part in the grading of the Research Proposal, Practicals, and the final Written Thesis
Research supervisors typically have a number of years of research experience and are generally expected to have a PhD. The RS always has the final responsibility for the BTR assessments
The Internal Advisor is assigned by the BTR Office. You cannot choose your IA.
The Internal Advisor is responsible for maintaining quality and smooth running of your BTR
The Internal Advisor grades the Proposal and the Written Thesis with your Research Supervisor, and the Video with your Second Assessor
I have completed 150 or more credits
I have between 145 and 149 credits
I have fewer than 145 credits
A student needs at least 145 ECTS, of which maximally 12.5 ECTS and a Project Period may be under grading.
Important: Make sure to discuss your BTR plans during your academic advising sessions.
Here are some ways to find potential projects and supervisors:
Outside UM partner institutions
MSP or UM partner institutions
Once you have your supervisor and topic confirmed, it's time to officially request to start your BTR.
Email from your Research Supervisor that must include:
Subject: Proof of correspondence BTR request application
Dear BTR Office,
I hereby confirm that [Student Name] was accepted for the following BTR project under my supervision:
Title: "Studying molecular processes to understand the differences in disease severity of COVID-19 patients"
Duration: September 1, 2026 – January 29, 2027
Best regards,
[Supervisor Name]
Your description should include:
Thesis Description
Cellular senescence is a state of irreversible proliferative arrest that can be triggered by various DNA-damaging stimuli (e.g., irradiation or oncogene induced). Cellular senescence is important because these cells accumulate with age, and they are associated with many age-related diseases. The cells that are in this state are metabolically active and can influence the environment around them through the senescence associated secretory phenotype. There are several morphological and biochemical hallmarks of senescence, however there is no consensus regarding the metabolic hallmarks and characteristics, because this is hard to obtain.
In silico computational models of cellular metabolism can be used to investigate cellular senescence, using the COnstraint Based Reconstruction and Analysis (COBRA) Toolbox in MATLAB. Several models have been developed and theses, but they are not perfect.
For my thesis I will be working with several methods to validate cellular senescence metabolic models, so that we would know if a tissue/condition-specific model shows biologically reasonable and correct behavior, based on what we know should happen from literature. I will be supervised by [Supervisor Name]. This thesis will be a continuation of the research done in my MSP Research Honors Program.
After you submit your Request to Start:
Your application will be reviewed by the BTR Coordinator (Dr. Panos Christakoglou)
You'll receive approval or denial via email
If approved, the BTR Office will assign you an Internal Advisor (you cannot choose your IA)
CRITICAL: You must remove yourself from your backup course, or it will appear as a FAIL on your transcript
You're all set! Go to your cohort page for timeline, deadlines, and guidelines
Generally, you are only allowed to take an additional module alongside the BTR if you require it to fulfill the final graduation requirements (i.e., you have between 145-149 ECTS).
However, if you would like to do an additional module for other reasons (for example, master's program applications or personal interest), you can still request to do an additional module by submitting the form through the Intranet.
Important: Approval is at the Board of Examiners' discretion. You will need to provide strong motivation for why the additional module is necessary, and there is no guarantee it will be approved if you already have 150+ ECTS.
Submit Additional Module RequestThe Research Supervisor (the person with final responsibility for your BTR) must have a PhD or be able to prove their expertise in the field to the BTR Office.
However, you may have a day-to-day supervisor who does not have a PhD or is a PhD student. This person can guide your daily work in the lab, but they cannot be your official Research Supervisor.
If you have questions about your specific supervision arrangement, please contact the BTR Office: msp-btr@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Minor adjustments to your research topic during the BTR are normal and expected as your project develops. However, if you need to make a major change to your topic or switch supervisors, you must:
Major changes may affect your timeline and graduation date.
No more than ONE module (maximum 5 ECTS) may be taken during the BTR.
The BTR is designed as a full-time commitment (30 ECTS). The only exception is if you have between 145-149 ECTS and need an additional module to reach 180 ECTS for graduation.
Taking an additional module requires approval via the Intranet form (which includes approval from your Research Supervisor and the Board of Examiners), and your BTR must be done in Maastricht.
You can submit your Request to Start with courses still under grading, as long as:
Your BTR approval will be provisional until those grades are confirmed. If you do not reach 145 ECTS, your BTR approval will be revoked.
You need a nominal GPA of 7.5 to do your BTR abroad.
If you have slightly less than 7.5, please contact the BTR Office to discuss your situation: msp-btr@maastrichtuniversity.nl
If the institution provides an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), forward it to the BTR Office and we will have it reviewed by the legal team and signed.
Send the NDA to: msp-btr@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Overall questions, extension requests, general issues
msp-btr@maastrichtuniversity.nlChoose your next step:
