The Bachelor’s thesis (course codes 202001161 and 202001162 ) is the culmination of the Bachelor’s programme. A Bachelor’s thesis is carried out in the form of a 15 EC (420 hours) research project within a department. It is an opportunity to put the knowledge learned during the programme into practice. The Bachelor’s thesis is used to assess the student’s initiative and their ability to plan, report and present a project. The difficulty level of the thesis is described by the attainment targets of the programme and the modules followed up until that moment. Students work independently on a Bachelor’s thesis or Individual Assignment (IOO) under the guidance of a supervisor.
Protocol
- As a student, you are responsible for finding a project and supervisor (you can already start searching for your bachelor assignment once you start your third year).
- You sign up in Osiris for both course codes 202001161 and 202001162.
- You register in Mobility Online ('graduation standard' pipeline), which has a manual here. When you don't get the option to choose the 'graduation standard' pipeline, you can go to this website and choose the button 'Registration form graduation standard'.
- Your supervisor has to take care of a complete committee that meets the requirements, and may help supply some information needed in Mobility Online.
- You will receive an email after registration approval (is checked by BOZ and Module coordinator).
- Project time!
- When you are not doing your thesis during Q4, please view the documents on the module 12 Canvas page, which are listed under 'Kick-off', 'Writing Skills' and 'Presentation Skills'.
- Assessment and grading is based on the report, presentation and questions.
Below you can find more info regarding committee requirements, format thesis reports, submitting the thesis report, format presentation & questions, assessment and applying for the degree.
Requirements for the EE BSc thesis committee
The official requirements are in article B7 of the EER BSc EE:
- The supervisory committee consists of at least two EE-examiners, of which at least one is part of an EE chair (as mentioned in article B7.2);
- The examiners must belong to at least two different research groups;
- All supervisors of the project are members of the assessment committee. Supervisors who are not examiners serve on the committee in an advisory capacity;
- The examiners are collectively responsible for grading the thesis. In case of different opinions among the examiners, the chair of the assessment committee takes the ultimate decision on the grade.
Examiners are appointed by the examination board of a faculty. For the purpose of the BSc thesis, the examiner list of EE is available.
Format BSc thesis report
Students will need to create a report consisting of 20–30 pages. Alternatively, students who are good at concise academic writing may write a shorter paper of 4–8 pages (excluding appendices). These appendices—such as additional figures, designs, code, or fitting procedures—must still be included. However, students should note that writing a shorter paper can be more challenging due to the need for precise communication as any essential information left out in the shorter paper may negatively impact the grade. Variations between these two formats can also be considered, provided they are approved by the supervisor/committee. The final choice of format will be made in collaboration between the student and supervisor.
Submitting BSc thesis report
Please email your finished thesis to the members of your committee. After getting a sufficient degree, you must upload your thesis in http://essay.utwente.nl (double-check confidentiality with the supervisor). For more information, see this link: http://essay.utwente.nl/upload.html. After you have uploaded your thesis, your supervisors and BOZ receive an automatically generated e-mail. Your thesis will be available on UT student Theses in three working days and will be linked to your file in the UT archive.
Format presentation & questions
In Q4 there is a joint end conference day organized where the EE Bachelor students will present their thesis. This is normally held on the last Friday of the module. Details about this day are here.
When you are doing your thesis outside of Q4, the student is supposed to pick time and place for the presentation with his committee himself.
Assessment
After your presentation and questions, the committee will give you three grades for:
- Scientific Quality
- Organization, planning, collaboration
- Communication
In order to pass the module, you must have sufficient grades (≥5.5) for all three parts. Below you can download the assessment form including the criteria:
Follow-up: getting your diploma
In order to get a BSc diploma, you must apply for a Bachelor’s degree with the Office of Educational Affairs (BOZ). You can apply all year round. In order to receive your BSc diploma you will need to submit the BSc diploma form to BOZ-EE@utwente.nl:
The Office of Educational Affairs will assess whether all the conditions for obtaining the degree have been met. A collective EEMCS Bachelor's graduation ceremony will take place at the end of October 2025. Further information on this will follow in due time.
Coordination contact details
The module runs all year and is coordinated by Floris Zwanenburg and Module Support EE. You can reach us via module12-ee@utwente.nl.