Master | 5. Finalising the master's examination

5.1 Green light and registering for the master’s examination

This is the point where your master's thesis is approved. You can now start arranging your colloquium.

Please note that due to the Covid-19 measures your colloquium will take place online via the programme Bluejeans. Your family and friends can also watch (please mention the expected number of spectators in the Examination Registration Form). After you've e-mailed the form (below) to boz-psy@utwente.nl you will receive further information, also about the technical part.

No later than 15 working days prior to the colloquium, you are to submit the completed Psychology Master's Examination Registration form to the Educational Affairs Office (BOZ, Citadel H436).

A few days after you've submitted the Examination Registration form to BOZ you will receive a link to the master's exit evaluation ‘Final Programme Satisfaction Survey MSc-PSY’ by email. The programme director requests that you fill in this form conscientiously. It is very important that the master programme is properly evaluated. You need to have completed it (and have received a confirmation e-mail) on the day of your colloquium at the latest.

5.2 Prepare your colloquium

It may sound clichéd, but your presentation will be most successful when you properly prepare. Below you can find some important information and tips for your colloquium:

Visit a few colloquia of other students. Colloquia are open to the public, so you are free to visit them.
Consider the audience that will attend your colloquium, and make sure not to overcomplicate matters. Not everyone attending is a specialist and people might not know anything about your topic, so go easy on the jargon, etc.
You might want to discuss the general course of the presentation with your supervisors. There is one hour reserved for your colloquium. The generally advised schedule looks like this:
Welcome (5 min)
Presentation (20 min)
Questions from public and supervisors (10 min)
Break, in which supervisors discuss the grading (10 min)
Diploma speech and closing up (15 min)
Give a practice presentation to friends or fellow students. This is extremely important. For while you might believe you've got the presentation down pat, you will only know this for certain when actually giving it. You will also feel more confident when having given it once before.
Have a look at the room in advance and also check the equipment you plan to use. This can best be done during a break. Consult with the building manager or reception staff.

Tips for your powerpoint presentation/sheets

Start your presentation with an overview of what you will be talking about (content or structure), so your audience will know what to expect.
Slides and sheets are presentation aids and should only be used to support what you're saying. So don't fill a sheet with text.
Slides and sheets should be clear and easy to read, also for people in the back of the room, so keep this in mind when selecting font and font size.
Go easy on the amount of text - your audience is listening to you and doesn't have the time to read entire paragraphs - and the special effects, as these are only distracting.
Don't use too many slides.

Tips for the colloquium itself

Be well in time.
Make sure that all equipment you are going to use is in proper working order.
Avoid just reading out a piece of text, but explain what you are showing.
Look at the audience, do not tilt your face towards the screen, as nobody can understand you when you do this.
Do not talk too quickly, it is fine to have a few short silences.
Do not be afraid of being or looking nervous: the audience usually does not notice it at all.
Keep an eye on the clock.
Try to avoid verbosity, keep things simple.
Make sure to reserve plenty of time for questions by the committee and the attendants (consult on this with your supervisors beforehand).

5.3 Submit the thesis report and finish your thesis in Mobility Online

You need to submit the final version of the master's thesis to the 1st and 2nd supervisor in both digital and paper copies (ultimately 3 days before the colloquium).

And submit the following, at the latest on the day of your colloquium:
1. Thesis (digitally, via email) to BOZ-PSY@utwente.nl (in *.doc and *.pdf)
2. Confirmation email exit evaluation (as mentioned above at 5.1). Send the conformation email you receive after finishing the survey to boz-psy@utwente.nl
3. Upload your thesis to UT Student Theses (http://essay.utwente.nl).
More instructions about how to upload your thesis you can find at: http://essay.utwente.nl/upload.html
After uploading the thesis the student, the supervisors and the administration office of your faculty will be notified by means of an automatically generated e-mail. The thesis will be available in UT Student Theses within 3 working days and will be attached to your student file in the UT archive.
Note: your grade will only be registered after you have submitted the thesis to BOZ and the library, have sent the confirmation email regarding the exit evaluation to BOZ and finished your thesis in Mobility Online (see below).
4. (In consultation with your supervisor) submit a CD or memory stick to your supervisors containing your contact details and relevant information and data regarding your thesis/research, such as SPSS syntax/data file, research materials, articles.

Finalize your thesis in Mobility Online

Mobility Online Procedure A: internal thesis

Students in the graduation standard pipeline don’t have to do anything in Mobility Online anymore (as long as the application form has been handed in and approved). A while after graduation BOZ will mark the thesis as finished.

Mobility Online Procedure B: thesis in an organization (externally)

Note: you have registered your thesis in Mobility Online at the start of your thesis and at that time you received an e-mail with a web link that you need for access to your account with Mobility online.

You already finished step 1-6 at the start of your thesis.

Step 7: Login to Mobility Online again and mark changes to be made

In case the content of your Master thesis project (title or thesis description) and/or the duration of your Master thesis project have changed please alter the information during this step.

A while after graduation BOZ will mark the thesis as finished