Overview: The Bachelor Thesis Research
The Bachelor Thesis Research (BTR) is a one-semester, 30 ECTS research project that marks the completion of the Maastricht Science Programme degree. Students specialize in a scientific area of their choosing and experience the entire scientific cycle: formulating research questions, designing experiments, analyzing results, and communicating findings.
Students may conduct their BTR with MSP staff, at other Maastricht University locations, or at another institution within or outside the Netherlands.
⏰ Important: Specific deadlines and timeline details vary by cohort (September or February start). Please refer to the cohort-specific timeline or contact the BTR Office for your student's exact deadlines.
Your Role as Research Supervisor
As the Research Supervisor, you provide support, feedback, and assessment throughout the BTR. You are the primary point of contact for the student's research journey.
Key Responsibilities
1. Support & Guidance
- Introduce the student to the specifics of your research area
- Discuss and guide experimental design
- Provide instruction on equipment, approaches, and methodologies
- Teach good working practices and result analysis
- Foster student independence while ensuring scientific quality
2. Regular Contact & Monitoring
- Essential: Maintain regular contact to monitor student progress
- Provide semi-structured feedback at particular assessment points (not limited to these points)
- Hold face-to-face meetings for proposal and progress discussions
- Be available for questions and guidance throughout the semester
3. Feedback on Written Work
⚠️ Important Feedback Limitation
To ensure a "level playing field" for all students:
- Proposal: Provide feedback on ONE draft only (not more)
- Final Thesis: Provide feedback on ONE draft only (not more)
- Feedback may be given on parts as the student writes, or on the entire document at once
- This ensures the work reflects the student's own capabilities
4. Supervisor Qualifications
- Research supervisors should have several years of research experience
- PhD required: Supervisors are generally expected to have a PhD
- PhD students may act as day-to-day supervisors but cannot be official supervisors with final BTR responsibility
Assessment & Grading Responsibilities
As Research Supervisor, you are responsible for grading four of the five BTR components:
Components You Grade
1. Research Proposal (15% of total grade)
- Graded with: Internal Advisor
- Submitted: Four weeks after BTR start
- What to assess: Literature review, aims/hypotheses, methodology, anticipated outcomes, research importance, ethical considerations
- Word limit: Below 2000 words (strictly enforced - BTR office applies penalties, no extensions allowed)
- Required citations: Minimum 15 peer-reviewed journal articles
2. Midpoint Practical Grade (15% of total grade)
- Graded by: You alone
- When: Submitted during the first half of the thesis research
- What to assess: Practical skills, independence, problem-solving abilities, general research competence
- Important: A meeting between student and Research Supervisor should take place to discuss this, allowing the student to make adjustments to improve their practical performance
3. Written Thesis (25% of total grade)
- Graded with: Internal Advisor
- What to assess: Scientific quality, writing, analysis, conclusions, literature integration
- Word limit: Below 15,000 words (excluding references and appendices only)
- Extensions: A longer thesis requires written approval from you, communicated to Internal Advisor and BTR Office (msp-btr@maastrichtuniversity.nl) with clear reasoning minimally 48 hours before submission. Word extensions should only be granted if absolutely necessary.
4. Final Practical Grade (35% of total grade)
- Graded by: You alone
- Includes: Overall research execution + Research Group Presentation
- Presentation timing: Approximately one week before or after thesis submission (may take place at different time if more convenient, as long as it's before the final grading deadline)
- Your discretion: Discuss with student to communicate your expectations (length, content). We have no fixed requirements.
- Important: Do not submit final grades until the presentation has been completed
Component You Do NOT Grade
5. BTR Video (10% of total grade)
- Graded by: Internal Advisor and a peer student
- Length: 5-7 minutes (video stopped at 7th minute if longer, content after not graded)
- Purpose: Communicate research to non-scientists in easily accessible manner, including scientific/societal importance and ethical considerations
- Your involvement: Not graded by you, although your input is welcome
- Focus: Grading focuses predominantly on content, not production values
🎓 Understanding the Dutch Grading System
The Dutch grading system uses a scale from 1.0 (lowest) to 10.0 (highest), reported to one decimal place:
5.5
= Minimum passing grade
7.5
= Considered average
8.0+
= Considered very good
9.0+
= Excellent
9.5+
= Exceptional
10.0
= Perfect (very rare indeed!)
Note: To pass the BTR and gain 30 credits, students must achieve a weighted average grade of 5.5 or higher. Students may gain a grade of less than 5.5 in individual components but can still pass provided it is compensated by grades in other parts.
Grading Procedures & Platform
Using Collent for Grading
All BTR submissions and grading are managed through Collent, the university's submission platform.
How It Works:
- You'll receive automatic email notifications when your student submits work via Collent
- Access grading rubrics directly in Collent (also provided in PDF form)
- Submit grades through Collent by the specified deadlines
- Plagiarism and word count checks are performed by the BTR Office - if there are issues, you'll be notified directly by the BTR Administrator
- You do not apply penalties; this is done by the BTR Office
⚠️ Important: When Multiple Supervisors Are Involved
In situations where a student is supervised by multiple individuals or is being guided by a PhD student assistant:
- It is imperative that the main Research Supervisor processes the final grades in Collent
- Consult with co-supervisors/assistants but submit grades under your name
- You retain final responsibility for all assessments
Handling Grading Discrepancies
When you and the Internal Advisor grade jointly (Proposal and Thesis):
- If your grades are more than 1.5 apart, the BTR Office will ask you to discuss this and reach a consensus
- This does not necessarily mean either grade will change (although it may), but ensures understanding of different perspectives
- Do not communicate grades to students until you are sure there are no such issues - you will be advised by email
- Note: Any supervisor-advisor discussions must take place immediately to ensure grades are recorded on time so the student can graduate
- If consensus cannot be reached quickly, the BTR Coordinator reserves the right to make a final decision on grading
Providing Feedback to Students
After grades are released (students see grades and assessment forms via Collent):
- It is your responsibility to provide feedback to help the student improve their research
- Very important: Provide feedback in a face-to-face meeting (strongly urged)
- For proposal: Discuss to help improve their research going forward
Deadline Importance
⏰ Critical: Submit Grades On Time
Complete grading forms in Collent before or on the deadline:
- Grades are necessarily returned on a short deadline due to graduation requirements
- Depending on the time of year, overdue grades could delay graduation and/or result in financial implications for the student
- Contact BTR Office immediately if you foresee any delays
Additional Important Information
The Internal Advisor's Role
Each student is assigned an Internal Advisor (usually MSP or allied staff member) who:
- Verifies that the scientific level of proposed experiments, actual research, and final outcomes are of sufficient academic quality
- Is appointed by the BTR Coordinator before submission of proposal
- Is likely a member of staff familiar with the student and their academic background (such as an academic advisor)
- Is NOT necessarily an expert in the research area of the thesis
- Does NOT generally contribute to development of the thesis except in general terms
- Grades the Proposal and Final Thesis alongside you
- Discusses BTR progress with the student at certain key points by request
- May contact you to discuss progress by request
Additional Modules During BTR
Students may take one additional module (maximum 5 ECTS) during their BTR if working in or near Maastricht:
- Requires approval from both you and the MSP Board of Examiners
- Research Supervisors are NOT obligated to support additional module requests and must be consulted before the BTR begins
- Students should discuss how they will manage the extra workload with you
- If you do not approve, or if requested after BTR starts, the additional module must be completed after the BTR ends
External BTRs: Legal Agreements
For all students doing theses outside of Maastricht University:
- An internship agreement must be signed between Maastricht University, the host institution, and the student
- Student CANNOT start the BTR until this document is fully agreed and signed
- You should receive this document from the student - please read and fill in at the earliest available opportunity
- Sometimes host institutions also require written agreements or Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)
- These legal documents must be legally checked before being signed and should be submitted to the BTR Administrator at the earliest available opportunity
- Documents submitted less than 1 month before BTR start are considered too close and may cause a delay in being allowed to start
- In case of legal or other problems or specific issues, contact the BTR Coordinator
When Problems Arise
In cases of special circumstances or requirements (deadline extensions, personal circumstances problems, disputes):
- The BTR Coordinator will make any final decision on the advice of the Research Supervisor and Internal Advisor
- Note: In most cases, the responsibility for contacting the BTR Office lies with the student, not the supervisor
- If necessary, the BTR Coordinator will discuss any issues with you after the student's initial contact with BTR administration
