Master thesis
General information
February 2, 2015
Project thesis
What is a project thesis?
Based on the analysis of a complex management problem arising in a company or organization and linked to the area of specialization chosen by the student:
Diagnosis. Detailed analysis. Identification and possible implementation of
concrete solutions.
Relies on: scientific approach, theoretical research, critical analysis
Assessment
• After the first ten weeks in the company : the student submits and defends an internship report linked to the project-thesis 10 ECTS➞
• At the end of the academic year : the student submits and defends the final document 20 ECTS➞
Schedule of the project thesis(integrated internship)
M1 M2
2nd semester1st semester
Full-time presence in the company from mid-September till Christmas
Research & choice of a thesis topic> supervision > definition of the topic
1 day/week in companyfrom February till May
Information on the various forms of theses
2nd semester
Key-moments• M1: As of today, access to the « Project thesis »
platform on Lol@ (GTFE0014-1A)
End of February a list of project thesis topics proposed by the school will be available
Students research a possible topic
• Speed meeting on March 4, 2015
• Final choice of a topic by May 4, 2015
Pilots of specialization areas
For information, suggestions and final validation:
Supply Chain Management : Y. ARDA
Financial Engineering : G. HÜBNER
Performance Management and Control : D. VAN CAILLIE
Intrapreneurship: O. LISEIN
For additional information
The Internship & Theses team will answer your questions on
< 11 February from 12:00 (noon) to 1:00 pm
(room 126)
< 26 February from 12:00 (noon) to 1:00 pm
(room 035)
Contacts
Project thesis:
Sophie Leruth office 105 (N1)
[email protected] 04. 232 73 13
Brigitte Marechal office 105 (N1)
[email protected] 04. 232 72 66
Research thesis and internship
What is a research thesis ?
It is a scientific text • based on an original research topic linked with the
area of specialization chosen by the student clearly identified topic and question(s) gathering and processing of relevant information following an appropriate method personal answers to the questions
• written following the standards of a scientific document
What is a research thesis?
Students must prove their capacity to :• conceptualise, model a question in relation with the
stakes of a problem;• elaborate hypotheses;• develop original answers and scientific arguments;• write and defend a substantial document.
Assessment
At the end of the academic year : submission and defense of the final paper.
➞ 20 ECTS
InternshipIf you choose for a research thesis…
• First 10 weeks of M2 are devoted to an internship in an organization (private, public, NGO)
• In Belgium or elsewhere
• On a topic related to your area of specialization
• Not (necessarily) linked to the thesis topic
• Limited scope, focused on practice
Internship
• Written report and oral defense
• More information to be found on Lol@ NTE013 (Stages 2015-2016)
Schedule for the research thesis
M1
2nd semester 2nd semester
Ten-week internship (may be linked with thesis topic) and submission of a distinct internship report - End of Q1 devoted to thesis
Choice of a research topic and internship> supervision > approval of the topic
Submission of thesis on the 3rd Tuesday of May
Information on the various forms of theses
1st semester
M2
Key Moments
From now on, access to the « Research thesis » platform on Lol@ (GTFE0014-1B)
Speed meeting on March 4, 2015
Final choice of a topic by May 4, 2015
Pilots of specialization areas
For information, suggestions and final validation:
Supply Chain Management : Y. ARDA
Financial Engineering : G. HÜBNER
Performance Management and Control : D. VAN CAILLIE
Intrapreneurship: O. LISEIN
For more information
The Internship & Theses teams will answer your questions on:
< 11 February from 12:00 (noon) to 1:00 pm (local 126)
< 26 February from 12:00 (noon) to 1:00 pm (local 035)
Contacts
Research thesis
Marie-Gabrielle Boxus office 157 (N1)
04 232 73 07
Françoise Dubois Apparitorat (N1)[email protected]
04 232 73 65
Contacts
Internships :
Brigitte MARECHAL office 105 (N1)
Pascale SLOCK office 224 (N1)[email protected]
04 232 73 92
Some past examples of research and project theses
Performance Management & Control
• Examples of research theses: theoretical analysis & validation through a case study– System of governance of an organization
– Internal control procedures implemented in a high-tech firm
– Design of the performance control system (dashboards and performance indicators) to be implemented in a research institute in order to facilitate project management
Performance Management & Control
• Examples of project theses : detailed analysis of a problem in a specific organizational context– Development and implementation of the system of governance of
a university spin-off
– Development and implementation of internal control procedures for a company in the food industry in view of its certification by a large distribution group
– Development and implementation of a system of performance management (dashboards and performance indicators) in a hospital department
Supply chain management
Examples of research theses: • Development and test of an optimization model for the design of
a European distribution network, motivated by the case of a multinational manufacturing company.
• Identification of trends in supplier selection procedures: company survey and analysis.
• Models and algorithms for variants of the vehicle routing problem.
• Models and algorithms for production planning with product returns.
Supply chain management
Examples of project theses (case studies):• Reverse logistics management in the fashion industry.
• Key success factors of cross-docking.
• Analysis and assessment of transportation planning procedures for a large trucking company.
• Improvement of personnel planning procedures at TNT Express.