Course description
Title of the Teaching Unit
Thesis and preparatory Seminar
Code of the Teaching Unit
21XP032
Academic year
2025 - 2026
Cycle
Number of credits
17
Number of hours
0
Quarter
1-2
Weighting
Site
Montgomery
Teaching language
English
Teacher in charge
GERARD Simon
Objectives and contribution to the program
At ICHEC, the Master's thesis is defined as "a personal and original research project, closely connected to real-world contexts, grounded in a strong conceptual framework and supported by a rigorous methodology. It differs significantly from a professionally oriented Bachelor's thesis or an internship report, due to the higher levels of reflexivity, analytical depth, and critical perspective required"
(See: Guidelines on source referencing in academic work and theses, 2024–2025 edition).
This course unit is designed to support students throughout the process of designing, conducting, and valorizing their Master's thesis, in alignment with their professional aspirations, the challenges of the socio-economic environment, and the standards of academic research.
Prerequisites and corequisites
A basic understanding of research methodology in economics and business sciences is recommended.
Content
The following topics will be addressed progressively and interactively:
1) Formulating a Research Problem:
Identifying a relevant topic that aligns with the student’s professional interests, societal challenges and academic standards.
2) Developing a Research Question:
Translating the research problem into a precise, feasible, and operational research question.
3) Building a Theoretical Framework and Literature Review:
Exploring key concepts and conducting a critical review of academic literature related to the research question.
4) Choosing a Research Design and Methodological Approach:
Presenting the main types of research designs and methodological strategies, particularly in relation to empirical data collection and analysis.
5) Analyzing and Interpreting Results:
Applying appropriate analytical tools and linking findings to the theoretical framework and research question.
6) Highlighting the Thesis Contributions:
Identifying the original contributions of the thesis (theoretical, methodological, practical) and formulating actionable recommendations for professional stakeholders.
Teaching methods
This course combines various pedagogical approaches.
The Thesis Supervision Seminar (SAM) includes ex cathedra lectures and group seminars. The thesis is developed under the supervision of a faculty member from ICHEC.
Students are expected to use AI tools in a transparent, responsible, and critical manner. Specific instructions will be provided for each production activity, as usage may vary.
Assessment method
Assessment is based on two learning activities:
Thesis Supervision Seminar (SAM)
- Written production (80%)
- Oral presentation during the seminar (20%)
Both components must be passed to validate this learning activity.
The thesis evaluation
is conducted by a defense jury composed of the supervisor and an external reviewer (if the thesis is not confidential) or an internal reviewer (ICHEC faculty member if confidential).
One grade is assigned for the written thesis, and a second for the oral defense.
Calculation method
For the ICHEC department, where a teaching unit (UE) comprises several learning activities (AA), the overall grade for the UE is calculated as follows:
- If all the scores obtained for the different learning activities are greater than or equal to 10/20, the overall score will be the weighted arithmetic mean (based on the relative importance of each of the AAs in the UE) of these scores.
- If at least one of the scores obtained for an AA is less than 10/20, the overall score will then be the weighted geometric mean of the AA scores.
These modes of calculation apply when a Teaching Unit consists of several learning activities.