Master Thesis (30 ECTS)

Some information is available on the website of the Faculty of Arts. Below, you find the most important guidelines for Master Theses at the English Department. However, we strongly encourage you to read the Faculty guidelines as well.

Template Cover Master Thesis (English) (DOCX, 56 KB)

You may also wish to consult the section on extending deadlines (only possible in cases of force majeure).

• The Master Thesis is usually supervised by a professor.
• Other members of staff holding a PhD degree are also allowed to supervise Master Theses. Note, however, that they are not obliged to do so.
• To find out what types of topics individual instructors may be interested in supervising, you can consult their homepages. You can find links to all instructors' homepages on the UZH English Department's Staff List.

Make sure to contact a potential supervisor prior to booking the Master Thesis online - ideally at the end of the preceding semester, but no later than:

• August 5 if wishing to book the two-semester module in the fall semester;
• January 5 if wishing to book the two-semester module in the spring semester.

• The Master Thesis must be booked online, during the module booking period.

• The latest possible submission dates for the Master Thesis are:
  • December 1 (for the fall semester);
  • June 1 (for the spring semester).
• Template covers:

  • Template Cover Master Thesis (German) (DOCX, 56 KB)

    Template Cover Master Thesis (English) (DOCX, 56 KB)

• Note that your supervisor may ask you to submit the Master Thesis earlier than this (e.g. mid-November for the fall semester).

Usually, the Master Thesis is between c. 20,000 and 30,000 words (not counting the bibliography). Note, however, that supervisors may accept theses that are shorter or longer. In other words, if in doubt, discuss the question of length with your supervisor.

Please also consult the following documents:

• Linguistics: Manual for Writers of Papers in English Linguistics
• Literature: Literature Guide

You are expected to conduct most of your research for the Master Thesis independently. However, supervisors will of course be happy to provide a certain level of guidance.

Important:

• At the start of the supervision process, you should discuss the mode of supervision with your supervisor (e.g. Will there be regular meetings? How often are you allowed/supposed to contact your supervisor?)
• Should you encounter any major problems, then please make sure to get in touch with your supervisor as early as possible!

Usually, supervisors at the UZH English Department will try to respond to your queries within 48 hours (working days, i.e. not counting weekends).

Should you not not hear back from your supervisor within three to four working days, then please send them a short reminder.

If you still do not hear back from your supervisor after your second message (within three to four working days), you should contact the advisor of studies at englishstudies@es.uzh.ch .

The Master Thesis is, usually, a two-semester module. Accordingly, the following examples cover the two most common cases.

• If you plan to submit the Master Thesis in the fall semester, you would:
  1. ideally contact your supervisor at the end of the fall semester in the previous year, but no later than January 5, to find out whether they are willing to supervise your topic;
  2. book the Master Thesis during the module booking period of the spring semester (end of January/early February);
  3. submit the Master Thesis no later than on December 1 (or earlier, if your supervisor has given you an earlier submission date).
• If you plan to submit the Master Thesis in the spring semester, you would:
  1. ideally contact your supervisor at the end of the spring semester in the previous year, but no later than August 5, to find out whether they are willing to supervise your topic;
  2. book the Master Thesis during the module booking period of the fall semester (end of August/early September);
  3. submit the Master Thesis no later than on June 1 (or earlier, if your supervisor has given you an earlier submission date).

If you would like to submit your Master Thesis at the end of the first semester, then the corresponding deadlines would apply (i.e. June 1 for the spring and December 1 for the fall semester).