Admission requirements
To be admitted to the graduation project, students need to have passed Elective Sustainable City: Biodiversity in the City and Inferential Statistics.
The graduation project is only available for students in the BA Urban Studies, who have obtained 100 EC of the Urban Studies programme, including two Methodological and two Thematic Electives.
Course description
The bachelor research project (BRP) is the first acquaintance of students with independently designing and performing scientific research. All aspects of scientific research, from reading relevant literature and formulating a research question to the reporting and presenting of the results, will be addressed.
Thesis Seminar
During the first month, the students will be guided through the process of designing an independent research project, formulating a research idea, developing research questions and appropriate research methodologies, designing data collection tools, collecting data in the field, data analysis, and report writing, which should be applied during the Research Project. The Thesis Seminar culminates in a Thesis Proposal, which contains a problem definition and research question or hypothesis, theoretical and methodological considerations, a literature overview and a time frame of steps to take. At the end of this period, the student will present their Research Proposal to their fellow BRP students and the BRP supervisors.
Research Project
In the next months of the research project, the student will perform experiments according to the plan and keep up to date on the developments in the field by reading literature.
During the project, you are expected to:
Explore the best data collection methods and techniques to gather reliable data aligned with your research questions.
Carry out the data collection. Data collection can include various methods: conducting questionnaires or surveys with people to understand their behaviours or opinions; performing biodiversity surveys to observe and record species (e.g. plants, insects, birds) in specific habitats and measuring states and changes by tracking variation in species richness; and gathering information and data from existing sources (e.g., official statistics, land cover and land use maps, energy consumption, materials, GHG emissions) to analyse patterns and assess environmental impacts.
Interpret results objectively, linking them back to your research questions.
Present your research in a scientific-style paper, including a justification of methods, an analysis of the results, and well-supported conclusions, structured in a coherent and logical way.
A 15-20 pages of text is considered most appropriate (approximately 7,000-10,000 words), accompanied by adequate and relevant tables and figures and references to support your argument. Writing a lengthier thesis is also possible (maximum 30 pages of text) but discouraged.
The first supervisor has to agree on the proposal before the start of the project; the project needs to be feasible and relevant, showing the student's academic knowledge and skills. The supervisor needs to be able to supervise the research topic. Therefore, the subject should be related to the research themes of staff members from the Institute of Environmental Sciences of Leiden University.
The deadline for the submission of the bachelor's research project thesis is June 6, 2025.
Course objectives
At the end of the course, the student is able to:
Acquire in-depth knowledge about a current research project, concepts, and approaches in a particular research area of environmental sciences, such as biology, urban ecology, or industrial ecology.
Carry out relevant literature research and critically evaluate scientific publications.
Use relevant methods and techniques to conduct experiments.
Formulate a meaningful research question and hypothesis.
Design and implement a research study under supervision.
Collect and interpret data, addressing data limitations.
Justify used methods and/or approaches to contextualise and analyse the results.
Report and present research results in a well-argued, logically structured scientific-style academic paper.
Relate research to the broader framework of the discipline(s) within which it falls and explain how it addresses or contributes to understanding socio-cultural urban issues.
Show a critical attitude and use feedback from thesis supervisor(s) in a constructive way
Mode of instruction
Tutorial (compulsory attendance): This means that students have to attend every session of the course. If a student is unable to attend a tutorial, they should inform the lecturer in advance, providing a valid reason for absence. The teacher will determine if and how the missed session can be compensated by an additional assignment.
Individual supervision: Following the collective supervision during the seminars, students will receive individual guidance specifically focused on the subject of their research. Consultation and feedback during the project are provided by the daily supervisor (weekly) and responsible supervisor (once a month).
Writing a scientific essay/project report.
Assessment method
The final mark for the BSc-research project is calculated as follows:
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Research proposal | 10% |
| Practical work | 40% |
| Report | 40% |
| Final presentation | 10% |
Reading list
Scientific literature according to supervisor's instructions.
Registration
In the course of block 2, students will receive an application form to apply for the thesis seminar in semester 2. In the form, students elaborate on their motivation for this particular thesis seminar.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Urban Studies board.
Remarks
This information is subject to change.