Admission requirements
*To start writing the thesis, the student should have obtained 60 EC from the programme.
*To sit the final examination, the student should have obtained 90 EC from the programme.
Description
The thesis project, in which the final examination report of the master is written, consists of two parts
*Preparation of the thesis project (4EC)
*Carry out the thesis project (30EC)
The thesis project may be an academic project on a methodological topic, or an applied project where a non-standard data analysis is carried out, or a combination of both (start with a more applied internship, related topic for academic thesis).
It may be carried out at the university or outside of university (industry, governmental organisations, etc.). A project outside of university can be carried out under a local supervisor, but an examiner of the Statistics and Data Science staff (i.e., a person who holds a PhD and is connected to one of the four participating statistical groups of the Master) is involved as supervisor on a regular basis. This person is responsible for the quality of the project and the thesis and will assess the grade (together with the independent second reader).
Preparation of the thesis project (4 EC)
The student follows mandatory lectures and working groups on academic integrity and responsible research, and writes the proposal for the thesis project.
Carrying out the thesis project (30 EC)
The student will work on the thesis project for a duration of the remaining ±22 full time weeks (when taking into account 40 hours of study per week (30 EC), and assuming that there are no other obligations in the programme).
In the thesis project the student:
participates in activities in the working environment
participates in thesis project working groups
carries out the research of the thesis proposal and writes a thesis.
presents the work of the thesis and defends the thesis.
Course Objectives
The thesis project has two general aims
To gain experience as a working statistician/data scientist in a possible future working environment
To carry out a research project and create a manuscript of students’ original work.
The specific learning aims are listed below:
Aims regarding gaining experience as a working statistician/data scientist in a possible future working environment
The student is able to:
acquire new knowledge and skills relevant for the project.
work in such a way that results are reproducible.
judge their own work, is open for criticism and is able to incorporate feedback.
work with real data problems.
is able to interact and work together with peers, colleagues and superiors.
provide feedback to others.
participate pro-actively in the day-to-day interactions within the working environment.
Aims regarding carrying out a research project and produce a manuscript of students’ original work.
obtain a deeper knowledge of statistical/data science methods in a specific chosen area of application.
apply knowledge, skills and understanding acquired during the research project in a critical, independent, systematic approach to model and evaluate complex phenomena.
plan and execute tasks with appropriate methods within a given time frame.
present clearly on the research, verbally as well as in writing.
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
At the start of the semester in which students carry out the thesis project, they enroll in a thesis working group. The thesis working groups consist of approximately 10 students that share written work and discuss the quality of the work and their work experiences. The meeting will be supervised by a staff member. The groups will meet monthly.
Assessment method
The student should have fulfilled the following requirements (for Pass/ Fail):
Participate in activities in the working environment
Participate in at least four thesis working groups
For the final grade, the student's accomplishments are weighted as follows:
50% of the grade is based on the written Master Thesis (including the appendices)
30% of the grade is based on the general working attitude during the thesis project
10% of the grade is based on the final presentation of the Master Thesis.
10% of the grade is based on the defence of the Master Thesis
The defence of the Master Thesis is to be understood as the Final Examination according the Course and Examination Regulations. The student should be physically present at final presentation and the defence of the master thesis, the presentation and the defence cannot be conducted online.
Reading list
Brightspace E-learning Skills Platform: https://brightspace.universiteitleiden.nl/d2l/home/27150
Registration
More contact information will be provided on Brightspace.
Contact
The general e-mail address is thesis[at]stat.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Transitional arrangements
The thesis project (in total 34 EC) replaces the former separate internship (10 EC) and thesis (24 EC). Students who started before September 2021 are still allowed to plan their thesis and internship as separate projects, provided they did not interrupt their registration
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.