How to Organize a Study Project or Thesis?
To assist you in the decision-making process for selecting a topic for your Study Project or Thesis at the Department of Soil Science, we have prepared some important guidelines for you to follow.
The topics are aligned with the focal points of our research. We consistently have exciting opportunities available, including projects with international contacts. You can choose to work experimentally in the laboratory or in the field, write a literature review, or numerically simulate transport processes in soils. Typically, we integrate a student's thesis with an ongoing or planned externally funded project within one of our focus areas. We do not provide a fixed list of topics. The availability of Study Projects or Theses depends on the progress of our research projects. However, we are open to supervising topics proposed by students, provided they align with the scope of our department. Additionally, there is the option to collaborate on final theses with partners such as the Thünen Institute, the Julius Kühn Institute, or the Society for Reactor Safety.
If you wish to apply for a topic at our department, please send us an email that includes the following information:
Semester and Study Course
Are you looking for a Bachelor, or Master Thesis topic?
In the case of a Study Project: Are you planning to conduct it alone or in a group (how many)?
When do you want to start and finish?
How many days a week are you available for the project?
Do you already have a topic or area of interest? (To familiarize yourself with topics offered at the department, please visit our main research focus)
Do you have experience in lab and field work concerning soil science?
Please let us know about your computer skills (statistical analysis, Word, Excel, GIS, R, etc.)
Once we determine the topic, you will receive a description of your work process, including project title, aim, a short introduction, methods used, and procedure. Your supervisor will support you during data acquisition and analysis, provide some starting literature, and also act as your reviewer.
Now the work can start! You will be provided with project information and some literature. However, most of the literature research will be part of your assignment, as it is a fundamental task for any scientific work. You should become familiar with the proper referencing style, scientific writing, and the quality of figures and diagrams. Be advised that we check every written submission for plagiarism.
Here are some suggestions on how to write and structure a scientific work:
https://www.tu-braunschweig.de/fileadmin/Redaktionsgruppen/Institute_Fakultaet_6/Germanistik/awa.pdf
Your project is considered complete when you submit a written thesis. Please be aware that writing your thesis will be the most labor-intensive part of your work, so you should plan your time schedule accordingly. You will also be asked to present your results during the department’s seminars. The grading will be based on the following criteria: understanding of the topic, a proper scientific approach, independent and teamwork, engagement, quality of the written thesis, and presentation (content and editing).
TU Braunschweig offers courses on academic writing:
https://www.tu-braunschweig.de/english-language-courses/academic-writing
https://www.tu-braunschweig.de/english-language-courses/scientific-writing-and-publishing
Good luck!
Magdalena Sut-Lohmann and the Soil Science Team