Frequently Asked Questions

You need at least 145 ECTS before starting, of which at most 12.5 ECTS and one project may still be under grading. Ideally all your other graduation requirements are also complete. The BTR is 30 ECTS, completed in your final semester. Always meet your Academic Advisor first, they confirm your credits.

• 150+ ECTS: free to start, no additional module needed.
• 145 ECTS: free to start, but you'll need an additional module to graduate on time.
• Below 145, with courses/a project under grading: provisionally accepted.
• Below 145, nothing under grading: send a motivated request to the BTR Office; if supported, you then need final approval from the Board of Examiners.

No, there are now only two start moments: September (Period 1) and February (Period 4). The November and April cohorts were dropped following the shortened academic year.

Submit a Request to Start (RTS) form on Collent before the deadline for your cohort:

• September 2026 cohort: 17 July 2026
• February 2027 cohort: 11 December 2026

The BTR Coordinator reviews your request and you receive a confirmation email once it is approved (allow roughly three weeks, longer in busy periods).

Open the Collent dashboard

An email from your Research Supervisor clearly stating that they agree to supervise you for the duration of the thesis, including the thesis topic and the start and end dates. It must come from an institutional email address.

A brief (about half an A4 page) personal description of your topic, background, aims, possible methods and expected outcomes. It is not graded; it simply confirms your BTR is genuine independent research. Don't copy-paste your supervisor's project page or papers.

The BTR Coordinator reviews all requests; once approved you receive an automatic confirmation email. If your situation is straightforward we can often tell you informally that you are provisionally accepted before the formal confirmation, just ask.

This is your responsibility, but use the tools available to you: the project catalogue on msp-btr.nl, the advertisement board (1st floor, PHS1), and direct emails to MSP/UM staff or external institutes whose work interests you.

Your official Research Supervisor must have a PhD. If your day-to-day supervisor is a PhD student, their group leader acts as the official supervisor. Co-supervisors or secondary supervisors are fine, just list them on your RTS.

Contact the BTR Office as early as possible. Minor evolution of your topic is normal and just needs your supervisor's agreement; a change of supervisor is handled case-by-case, email us and we'll advise.

Yes, if in doubt, report it. Any outside relationship (relative, friend, work colleague) must be declared on the Request to Start form so that any potential conflict of interest is on record.

One module, maximum 5 non-BTR credits, and only if you are working in or near Maastricht (not abroad). It needs approval from both your Research Supervisor and the Board of Examiners. Note that failing the module (and needing a resit) can delay your graduation.

Submit the Additional Module form on the Intranet (select "During thesis") by the course-registration deadline, and note it on your RTS.

Register a backup course before the deadline and withdraw from it once your BTR is approved, otherwise it appears as a fail on your transcript.

Submit the Additional Module form

Tell the BTR Office even if the university doesn't need to sign it. If a UM signature is required it must go via Legal first, forward it to us at least three weeks before your host needs it back. Students with an NDA also get a separate confidential submission point, so that their work isn't stored in the plagiarism database.

Under 2,000 words (excluding references; no appendices), due roughly four weeks after your start date, see your September or February timeline for the exact date. Cover: literature/background, research question & aims, methodology, time planning, expected outcomes & impact, and a short ethics section.

It is worth 15% of your grade and is marked by your Research Supervisor and your Internal Advisor.

No. Writing within a fixed limit is part of the exercise. Going over 2,000 words carries a 0.5 penalty, with further penalties depending on how far over the limit you go.

A minimum of 15 peer-reviewed articles that you have actually read, cited with numbered citations. References don't count toward the word limit.

Your supervisor gives feedback on one draft of the proposal (and one draft of the thesis). Internal Advisors do not review drafts.

Collent only (10 MB limit). Anything submitted by email or Canvas isn't counted.

Open the Collent dashboard

Your Research Supervisor grades it twice: a midterm assessment (15%) and a final assessment (35%), together 50% of your grade. The midterm is a feedback moment to help you improve before the final.

Near submission you give a presentation or defence to your supervisor's research group. Your supervisor sets the format, and it feeds into your final practical grade.

These are set by your Research Supervisor and communicated by day 1, there is no central attendance rule for the BTR itself.

Typically 8,000–15,000 words (excluding references and appendices): abstract (≤200 words), introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, a personal critical reflection, and references. It is worth 25% of your grade.

Only with your supervisor's written approval, communicated to the BTR Office (with a specific word figure) at least 48 hours before submission. Without that, going over 15,000 words carries a 0.5 penalty, with further penalties depending on how far over the limit you go.

That's fine, just let the BTR Office know, and cross-check your word count with more than one tool, since LaTeX can count differently from Word. Word and LaTeX/Overleaf templates are on Canvas. (Equations within sensible use are generally not counted; a multi-page derivation may be.)

Collent only. Name files Name_IDnumber_Submissiontype (for example Lastname_i123456_BTRThesis). The thesis upload limit is 25 MB, keep images ≤300 dpi, or add a download link in the appendix and tell your supervisor and Internal Advisor.

Late: −0.5, plus another −0.5 after one hour; more than 12 hours late is not accepted. Each additional version you submit also costs −0.5 (even before the deadline), so only upload your final version.

Yes. About a week before the thesis deadline you submit your final thesis title as a text entry on Collent, so it can be checked before grading. Your cohort timeline has the exact date.

All submissions go through the official plagiarism checker (Turnitin) as well as the graders' own review. Reusing parts of your own proposal in your introduction is allowed and is not plagiarism. Generative AI may not be used to produce assessed content unless explicitly permitted, and must be disclosed where it is allowed, see the MSLAS Rules & Regulations. Suspected cases are referred to the Board of Examiners and assessed individually.

A 5–7 minute video explaining your research to non-scientists, covering its scientific importance, societal importance and ethical considerations (all three are required). It is worth 10% of your grade, is judged on content rather than production values, and is assessed by your Internal Advisor and a Second Assessor. Full guidance is on the Video page.

It's a two-step submission (max 2 GB):

1. Upload to the SURFdrive folder, this is your permanent backup / safety net: SURFdrive upload link. Name the file with your ID + full name (e.g. i123456_Lastname_BTR_Video.mp4).
2. Submit a WeTransfer link via Collent, upload the same video to WeTransfer, generate the link, and submit that link in Collent. WeTransfer links expiring is not a problem: peer review happens on the same day, and SURFdrive is your backup.

The consent section is built directly into the Collent submission, there is no separate form to download or upload. You state whether your video may be shared beyond the graders/handlers, and you have the right to say "No." You must complete it either way, including if you say no, to finish your submission.

You must peer-review one other student's video. Your own video grade isn't released until you do it, and skipping it costs 1.0 point. You're paired with someone on the same deadline/extension timeline, and it's handled automatically: once your peer submits, you receive an email with a link to their video and to the grading sheet.

It is a weighted average:

• Proposal: 15%
• Midterm practical: 15%
• Final practical: 35%
• Thesis: 25%
• Video: 10%

You pass and earn the 30 ECTS with a weighted average ≥ 5.5, a low component can be compensated by the others. Detailed criteria are in the rubrics.

Grades and feedback appear on Canvas after each deadline; final grades are published on a set date (see your cohort timeline). Rubrics become visible when the grades are released.

Usually an assessor (often the Internal Advisor) hasn't uploaded yet. Email the BTR Office and we'll check who is outstanding and chase them.

Assessors may differ by up to 1.5; a larger gap is discussed between your Supervisor and Internal Advisor. You can request a formal appeal via the BTR Coordinator, but note that a re-grade can go down as well as up.

The Internal Advisor is an MSP staff member assigned by the BTR Office (you can't choose them), usually around the proposal deadline (~week 4). They safeguard quality, offer impartial support, and grade your proposal, thesis and video (the video together with a Second Assessor), but not your practical work. They are not a second supervisor for content.

Your graduation date is the last day of the month in which you complete everything:

• September cohort: 31 January
• February cohort: 30 June

Even with all grades in, the Board of Examiners does a final graduation check before it's official.

No, the ceremony is a separate event (typically held later in the year). Your official graduation date is when your requirements are met, not the ceremony date.

Yes, we can issue a Proof of Anticipated Degree while you finish and wait on grading. Just email us.

Grades and GPA appear on your transcript via the student portal; the diploma is registered through the usual UM/DUO process after the Board of Examiners' final check. For graduation-decision and diploma timing, contact the Board of Examiners / OSA.

Not until the Board of Examiners has given final approval of your grades (i.e. you have officially graduated). Don't deregister from Studielink or other platforms before that confirmation.

Yes, you can conduct your 30 ECTS BTR outside the Netherlands for valuable international research experience. You need: the 145 ECTS, a supervisor with a PhD, an RTS submitted on Collent, and a signed External (Internship) Agreement sent to the BTR mailbox. Start with the Before You Start page.

It is a legal requirement for any BTR outside UM, no signed agreement, no BTR. Find it on Canvas, fill in the UM/host/your details, and have it fully signed by day 1 of your BTR (your start date). Send it to msp-btr@maastrichtuniversity.nl, that's all that's needed to submit it. (Your RTS form itself is due earlier, by the RTS deadline: 17 July 2026 for September, 11 December 2026 for February.)

Download the agreement from Canvas

First discuss your plans with your Academic Advisor, then complete the Request to Start on Collent with your supervisor and project details, so the BTR Coordinator can assess it. You may propose any institution, but it must be approved by MSP and meet the academic standards required for your research. Finding your supervisor abroad is your own responsibility.

Everyone leaving the Netherlands completes an Emergency Contact form. Sort the practical side out early (3–6 months ahead):

• Passport valid at least six months beyond your return date
• Visa for non-EU destinations, and a renewed residence permit if needed
• Health and travel insurance
• Accommodation

Only after the BTR Office approves your BTR do you contact the International Relations Office (IRO) with a copy of your approval. All grant and funding decisions are made by the IRO, not the BTR Office, on a case-by-case basis. Erasmus+ is for partner universities in the EU/UK (not your home country); for non-EU destinations an NL Scholarship may be available. The IRO confirms what you qualify for and handles the deadlines.

Contact: msp-iro@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Keep up regular contact with your MSP Academic Advisor and your supervisor abroad so your research stays on track. On return, make sure all credits earned during your BTR abroad are properly converted and transferred to your MSP transcript.

The same RTS deadlines apply as for any BTR, 17 July 2026 (September) and 11 December 2026 (February), but because of visas, insurance and funding you should start preparing 3–6 months ahead. Apply for grants through the IRO as early as possible.

Possibly, extensions are decided on a case-by-case basis. They are usually only granted when circumstances outside your control have stopped you from making progress. Ordinary time-management or planning issues are not normally grounds for an extension. Extensions are granted in increments of one, two, or three weeks.

There is a clear order to follow, please don't skip the first step:

1. Talk to your Research Supervisor first. Make sure they understand the situation and are on board, before you contact the BTR Office.
2. Email the BTR Office with your motivation. Send your request to msp-btr@maastrichtuniversity.nl, explaining why you need it, the specific length needed, and attaching any supporting documentation.
3. We review it. If we accept the request, we send you a provisional new timeline with your extended submission deadlines, and the extended grading deadlines for your supervisors, since these move along with your extension.
4. Get final confirmation from your advisors. Send the new timeline to both your Internal Advisor and your Research Supervisor. You can either tell us they are on board, or forward their confirmation emails to us.
5. We process it. Only once both have confirmed do we process the extension in the system.

Extensions are normally reserved for circumstances genuinely beyond your control that have halted your progress, for example a medical situation or another unforeseen event. Documentation (where you have it) helps us assess the request.

Ask as early as possible, well ahead of the deadline. Even if you only expect things might go wrong, send us an update so we are aware.

Genuine circumstances beyond your control can be considered. Contact the BTR Office (and, for personal circumstances, your Academic Advisor or student counsellor) as soon as possible so we can find a workable solution, don't wait until the deadline.