FAQs

Your two supervisors should be your first point of contact for all matters related to the thesis research and writing process. Students are reminded of the importance of maintaining regular communication with both supervisors. Try to keep to the recommended schedule of the six formal supervision meetings even if you feel that you have not made much progress on your thesis since the last meeting. In many cases, regular meetings with the supervisors can help you find solutions to problems you are experiencing and can help you to stay motivated and on track with completing the thesis. Outside of the formal supervision meetings, students are encouraged to email their supervisors if they have questions, especially if they feel that are stuck or need clarification in order to be able to move forward with the research.

If you are experiencing circumstances which are having an adverse impact on your studies, discuss these with your supervisors, if you are comfortable doing so.

If you are experiencing any problems with your work that you feel you cannot take up with your supervisor, then you may discuss them with the programme managers, Anna Dekalchuk or Heiko Pääbo who will be able to advise you on the options that are available to support you.

A list of health and wellbeing services, including psychological and career counselling, provided by the University of Tartu and University of Glasgow can be found here (See Health & Wellbeing).

Certain topics may be considered too politically contentious or sensitive to be safely studied at all partner universities. Topics will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the third partner universities. In the case where it is deemed that a topic cannot be researched at a particular university then the student will be sent to the second most suitable university to pursue the research.

Students are advised to think carefully about whether they want to take on the challenge of researching a politically contentious or sensitive topic. Considering that the MA thesis in an independent academic research project and must adhere to strict ethical guidelines, some topics might be better suited to professional contexts.

Students are also advised to carefully consider whether their personal circumstances might be impacted by researching and publishing on a topic, since all successfully defended MA theses are published online in the University of Tartu DSpace repository. If a student is concerned about any potential repercussions of their research, it is possible to request permission for an embargo to be placed on the thesis to restrict public access for a period of time.

It is strongly recommended that you consult with Heiko Pääbo (mobility coordinator) and your supervisors about your topic to find the best solution to overcome these issues.

MA theses are evaluated on the basis that they make an original and relevant contribution to our knowledge of the topic that is commensurate with the MA level of study. MA theses are not expected to be paradigm-shifting. The scope of the research should be considerably narrower than a PhD dissertation but more intellectually ambitious than a BA thesis. The thesis’ contribution should be clearly outlined in the formulation of the research puzzle that it is addressing. A thesis can contribute to our knowledge of a topic through collecting original data (e.g., interviews, focus groups, surveys) or by interpreting existing data in novel ways.

There is no single or correct choice of research method as it very much dependent on the individual topic and approach. It is up to each student to make a decision, in consultation with their supervisors, about the method that is best suited for their thesis topic. A good way to approach this is to read the relevant scholarly literature for inspiration to see how other scholars have studied the topic.

Students should keep a flexible mindset and be prepared that their initial plans will very likely change to a greater or lesser degree for a variety of different reasons. Try not to get blocked when an obstacle arises and arrange to have a meeting with your supervisors to discuss how the challenge might be overcome and to explore alternative options. In some cases, this might involve changing the research methods, finding an alternative source of data, or choosing a different case study. Try not to be too disheartened if your original plan does not go as expected. Most topics can be researched using several different approaches and you will still be able to produce an excellent MA thesis.

Discuss the feedback from the Glasgow Ethics Committee with your Glasgow supervisor/Anna Dekalchuk, who will advise you on how best to proceed.

It is the responsibility of the student to initiate meetings with the supervisors and to keep the supervisors regularly updated. Supervisors will respond to emails from students during working hours and students should be patient and allow the supervisors several working days to respond, especially during busy periods. Students should also be aware that staff working at different partner institutions may have different holiday and vacation periods. It is a good idea to find out in advance when you supervisors will be on vacation, especially over the winter and summer holiday periods. If you are still experiencing difficulties reaching your supervisor you should contact Heiko Pääbo, the CEERES consortium’s MA thesis and mobility coordinator.