Education by the Operations Research and Logistics group

It is possible to write a thesis with a company, as long as the thesis puts central a research question that is relevant and generic. In such theses, students may e.g. rely on data of the company or treat companies as specific cases in a more general academic problem.

The BSC Thesis Course Guide of your personal bachelor program sets our all important aspects of the thesis trajectory, e.g. the assessment criteria.

Key in selecting a topic is the decision on the methodology that you would like to apply in your thesis. In turn, the methods that you are able to perform decide the types of problems that you are able to address. Further, we advise to start looking for research topics on time. On our website, our Publications, Projects may inspire you. Please visit our bi-weekly colloquia and explore the research of other students.

Furthermore, on our ORL Thesis & Internship Brightspace, we display our own suggestions for research ('available thesis topics'). The ORL Thesis Brightspace page is a self-enrolment page. You can find us via the discover tab.

The thesis is assessed according to the BSc thesis assessment form of your own study program.

The 'MSc thesis course guide Wageningen University' explains all important aspects of the trajectory, for instance the compulsory deliverables, supervision arrangements, explanation on thesis delay and so forth.

It is possible to write a thesis with a company, as long as the thesis puts central a research question that is relevant and generic. In such theses, students may e.g. rely on data of the company or treat companies as specific cases in a more general academic problem.

The difference between a thesis and internship lies within the character of a problem: in a thesis, we expect students to study a problem with a generic character. In an internship, students may also study and solve problems that are specific for one company only. In a thesis, generic problems can be studied relying on companies as 'cases' or as suppliers of specific data.

Key in selecting a topic is the decision on the methodology that you would like to apply in your thesis. In turn, the methods that you are able to perform decide the types of problems that you are able to address. Also the topic of your thesis is important, since you will be working on it for at least six months. We advise to start looking for a research topic on time. On our ORL Thesis Brightspace, we display a list of available thesis topics and thesis themes, from which students can choose. Note: the ORL Thesis Brightspace is a self-enrolment page, you can find us via the discover tab.
If you are sure about one of the topics, please send an e-mail to education.orl@wur.nl.

It is also possible to submit your proposal for a self-created topic. In this case, please send an e-mail to education.orl@wur.nl to receive further instructions on what is needed for this preliminary proposal. For inspiration, we advise you to visit the publications of our group on our website (and the fingerprints of our staff!), to discover our current projects, to have a look at the examples of master theses, and to join or bi-weekly student colloquium, where students present their research.

The WUR prescribes the assessment criteria for the master thesis in a rubric. You can find this Rubric on the website of Education and Student Affairs. You can also find our thesis assessment forms there.

Start thinking about the internship on time! Lots of organizations start their application rounds early, sometimes even 5 to 6 months before the date of entry! To ensure a smooth study process, start investigating your ambitions and opportunities today.

The academic internship is a period of work, study, and reflection in a real-world working environment. The aim of the academic internship is to let you experience the potential professional environment in which you could work after graduating from your degree programme.
The internship provides an opportunity to work outside WU at a host organisation, e.g. a company (consultancy firm, industry), a public institution, a research organisation, another university, or a non-governmental organisation.
The tasks you complete have to be of a sufficiently high standard to reflect the desired level of recent Wageningen graduates. You could, for example, work on a research project, a policy document, a communication plan, an evaluation report, a design, or education materials, to name a few.

The 'MSc Internship course guide Wageningen University' can be downloaded via Education and Student Affairs here. We strongly advise to download and this course guide, since it explains in detail e.g. the learning outcomes, the best way to find internships, the roles of the people that are involved in the internship, and the requirements with respect to deliverables.

Your tasks during the internship require academic level of thinking (i.e. the internship needs to include a content driven assignment, such as working on a research project, a policy document, a communication plan, an evaluation report, a design, or education materials). Also, your internship reflects the desired level of a Wageningen graduate (i.e. it needs to be at an appropriately academic level). Moreover, your supervisor at the host organisation works at an academic level.

In a research internship, you work on a single research project that is completed with a research report. In a professional internship, you contribute to different projects. You complete the professional internship with a set of deliverables and a context report.

You will work on one or more tasks/projects provided by the internship provider. You will have a position equal to a junior employee at an academic level. You can work on tasks leading to one main deliverable or on tasks leading to several deliverables. It is also possible that you contribute to joint deliverables in which the individual contributions are not clearly demarcated.

Research internships are completed with a ‘research report’. Professional internships are completed with a ‘context report’ (and deliverables of projects that have been part of your internship). In both cases, the reports are accompanied by reflection reports.

All criteria for assessment of the internship can be found in the Rubric for assessment of the internship on the website of Education and Student Affairs. There, you can also find our internship assessment forms.