Biology specifics

Science Project Shop – possible subjects for Master's thesis

On the webpage Science Project Shop you can read about possible projects in Biology – in English and Danish.

More information

Find more information about project possibilities in Biology within the core areas of research strength. Contact a researcher if you have an idea for a Master's thesis or are interested in a particular research field.

Main supervisor - must be from Department of Biology

If you want to which to work with a supervisor at Department of Bioscience or another department at NAT or TECH, you can do so, but you must have a main supervisor from Department of Biology.

Industrial Master's thesis

An industrial Master's thesis is an academic Master's thesis that is evaluated according to the academic goals in your study program, just like any other Master's thesis.

It is possible to write an industrial Master's thesis in collaboration with private companies as well as public institutions. You can write your industrial Master's thesis within all types of professions.

Here you can download a word template for the workplan to be included in your online thesis contract. The template includes information about content requirements and suggestions: Workplan Template

When your online thesis contract is approved you will be registered by the section secretary and subsequently you will appear on the list of affiliated persons on the section homepage.

In all sections, there is a board with photos of employees and students. Therefore, a photo will be taken or you will be asked to send a photo of yourself to the person responsible for the board.

As a master student you are encourages to participate in section meetings, scientific meetings and social activities. Some sections also have student project seminars once or twice a year with scientific presentations from all affiliated students.

You are expected to keep yourself informed about news and upcoming events on bio.au.dk. If you are affiliated with Department of Bioscience you should also check their website: bios.au.dk 

Office space, computer etc.

When you initiate your project work you will be offered an office space at the research section and get a key to the office and other relevant rooms. If you do not already have a key card with access to the building, please contact the section secretary.

During the project period you must use your own computer unless you have made a special agreement with your supervisor. If you need specific software programmes, please talk to your supervisor.

Laboratory work

It is mandatory to get a guided safety tour by a technician before initiating any work in a laboratory.  In addition, you are expected to keep informed about and adhere to all safety rules for laboratory work, incl. clothing and rules regarding food and beverages in the laboratories where you work and are located.

Most often, you will be assigned a contact lab technician to whom you can ask relevant questions.

Driving in departmental cars

If you need to drive in a departmental car with relation to your Master’s thesis, you need to send an e-mail to Louise Kruse Have and she will assist you in obtaining a written authorization. It will take a few days, so please send a mail well in advance. 

Insurance

It is highly recommended that all Mater’s students, take out an accident insurance on which they state that they are students, since Master’s student are not included in the industrial injury insurance. Please be aware of the fact that some insurance companies make certain reservations when covering for accidents which have occurred in a laboratory.

Academic regulations

The academic regulations regarding a Master’s thesis in biology can be found under “Thesis – Biology” in the AU course catalogue and in the Master’s Degree Programme in Biology

Structure of the thesis

It is recommended that the thesis follow the IMRAD structure, like a scientific paper.

Length of the thesis

The length of the thesis must be discussed with your supervisor. There are no official rules regarding the length, but the length should be appropriate. A 60 ECTS master’s thesis will typically be approximately 40-60 pages.

Avoid plagiarism

Read advice on how to avoid plagiarism in the webpage Avoid plagiarism – for students

Submission deadline in Digital Exam

Regarding 60 ECTS Master thesis projects: You must hand-in your thesis via Digital Exam before the 15th of June, 13:00, if the project is initiated the 1st of September and before 15th of November, 13:00, if project is initiated the 1st of February. If the online thesis contract has been approved before the 1st of October, the deadline for submission is the submission date written in the online thesis contract.

Regarding 30 and 45 ECTS Master thesis projects: You must hand-in your thesis via Digital Exam before 13:00 on the submission date written in the online thesis contract.

Be aware, that you as a student is solely responsible for a timely submission of your thesis. We recommend that you upload and submit your thesis well in advance. A thesis handed-in after deadline will not be evaluated. The submission link will be available in Digital Exam at least one week prior to your submission date.

File format

As a main rule, the master’s thesis report should be submitted as one single pdf-file. However, it is possible to submit attachments as other file types if necessary.

Electronic copy for the Study Portal – Biology

In addition to the online submission via Digital Exam, you must send the master’s thesis (as a pdf-file) and abstract (as a word-file) to Anne Mehlsen. The Kgl. Bibliotek is currently working on a digital platform on which students can search for abstracts and theses.

Digital Exam support

Find answers to frequently asked questions regarding Digital Exam here:

Digital Exam

The master’s thesis is concluded with an oral examination after submission of the thesis report. The oral examination consists of a lecture within a selected topic associated with the subject area of the thesis, followed by an oral examination within the topic area of the thesis. The main supervisor, the project supervisor, if applicable, and the external examiner agree on the subject of the lecture and this is submitted to the student seven days prior to the examination. The topic area of the thesis is restricted to the literature used, as stated in the reference list for the thesis report or the answer to the thesis assignment.

One and a half hours are set aside for the thesis examination, divided into 45 minutes for the lecture incl. questions and 45 min for an oral examination of the thesis report and the topic area of the thesis.

One single combined mark is awarded in accordance with the Danish 7-point grading scale for the thesis report, lecture and subsequent oral examination. The student’s written expression skills must be included in the assessment.

Supervisor(s) and an external censor participates in the examination.

You can find advice on oral examinations at AU Studypedia – Exams

Graduation celebration

In Department of Bioscience there is a graduation celebration for alle graduate master students once a year at the end of June. The date will be announced on posters and on Biosphere. Also, some students usually announce the event in Facebook.