Master Thesis

What is a 4Cities master thesis?
It is an unique piece of research done by yourself which proofs that you have developed the skills and knowledge to do scientific research in the field of Urban Studies. The end result consists of a well written text in English which has the potential to be published in an academic journal. You will also demonstrate your oral skills by defending your thesis during a public session. A thesis which is judged to be of very good or excellent quality will be a guarantee that the student is fit for an academic career as researcher.

The topic of the thesis will de decided in consultation with you, depending on your interests, your professional expectations, your disciplinary background,... and our capacity to supervise a certain topic. The topic should be in the field of Urban Studies, using a disciplinary angle you are acquainted with, but with the ambition to explore new disciplinary grounds. The thesis should be a mix of theory and case-studies whereby you take full advantage of the European and comparative approach of the 4CITIES programme. The thesis should consequently have of a strong international comparative angle.

Supervision in 4 cities?
The guidance and supervision of your thesis is done at three levels. You will attend group meetings and have individual feed-back on your thesis in each of the four cities, monitored by the local staff. Additional to this three international thesis meetings will be organised in Vienna, Copenhagen & Madrid, involving members of staff from the other cities. Your progress will be collectively discussed during these meetings. Once your thesis has advanced sufficiently you will be appointed an individual supervisor. The public thesis defence is planned in Brussels in September where you meet the new students who will learn from your experience.

The thesis is an important part of the course and equals 30 ECTS out of a total of 120 ECTS.

You can download the theses of 2010 and 2011 with an A grade here.