To supervise a biology master’s
student from Stockholm University
As supervisor you are responsible for the theoretical and practical
supervision of the student during the whole project. The aim of the
supervision is to enable the student to acquire deeper theoretical and
practical knowledge as well as the ability to work independently with
a scientific question.
The supervisor
To supervise a master student you should have a PhD-degree in a relevant subject. PhD-students
or other personnel can assist in the day-to-day supervision, but there should always be a
responsible supervisor with at least a PhD-degree.
Your role as a supervisor includes supervising the student in developing the project plan, the
practical work, and in writing the report. You should also attend the oral presentation if possible,
and give an evaluation of the student’s performance and independence during the project to the
evaluation committee. The supervisor should also make sure that required permissions (e.g.
ethical permissions) is in order for the research activities that the student will take part in.
The amount of supervision depends on the project, the need of the student, and where in the
process the student is. It is however reasonable that you meet once a week and on average the
student has the right to at least one hour of supervision per week. If the project takes longer than
12 months for a 30credits project, you have the right to refuse further supervision (for 45credits
the period is 15 months and for 60credits the period is 18 months).
The student
The student should be accepted and registered on the course ‘Degree project’ at Stockholm
University before starting the project as this ensures that the student is covered by insurance
through the university. The student gets registered by sending in the registration form to
[email protected]. After registration you will get an e-mail from the Department of
Biology Education (BIG).
Note that a student can do a degree in a research group where they have previously done a
traineeship, they are not however allowed to do a traineeship in the same research group where
they have previously done a degree project.
The Project plan
The degree project is divided into two parts; the project plan (5 credits) and the project work (the
remaining 25/40 or 55 credits). During the first weeks of the degree project the student should
write the project plan. The aim of the project plan is to make sure that the students understand the
tasks involved before they begin the project work and that they gain experience in formulating
scientific hypotheses. The plan should include a description of relevant and applicable methods,
detailed and well-motivated hypotheses and a description of the theoretical and practical aspects
of the planned study.
The project plan should also include a time plan where the planned activity of the student is
specified per week. A 30 credit degree project (including project plan and project work) should be
completed in the equivalent to 18 weeks full time, 45 credits in the equivalent of 27 weeks, and
60 credits in the equivalent of 36 weeks. The work with the project plan is 5 credits, which is
equivalent to about 3 weeks but can be done in shorter or longer time.
The work with the plan could also include a pilot study. We strongly recommend that the student
start with some practical work in parallel with writing the plan since this is an opportunity to
evaluate if the project plan is realistic according to the practical and theoretical skills of the
student. You should not approve a project plan that it is doubtful that the student can complete
within the given time plan. The signed template for approval (found here) should be handed to
Cecilia Kullberg at the oral presentation of the project plan.
The project is presented both orally and in writing and is assessed by an examining committee
consisting of Cecilia Kullberg and an expert in the subject area from Stockholm University. As
supervisor you are not required to attend the oral presentation of the project plan but you are
welcome if you want to. When the examining committee has approved the project plan, the
student can start the actual project.
If something unexpected happens causing a divergence from the project plan (including the time
plan) it should be revised and Cecilia Kullberg should be contacted. Failure to follow the time
plan affects the student’s grade. If the degree project takes longer than planned the grade A can’t
be awarded and after 12 months on a 30 credits degree project maximum grade of E can be given
(15 months for 45 credits and 18 months for 60 credits).
Half time report
If the project is 45 credits or 60 credits you should send a short e-mail at half time, reporting how
the project is progressing and whether the time plan is followed to
[email protected]. The student should also e-mail a half time report, consisting of a
draft of the manuscript (usually introduction, material and methods, possibly some results).
The project
During the project work the student is expected to work independently with guidance from the
supervisor towards completing the tasks set out in the project plan. As supervisor you should note
that it is the students learning that is of primary interest, and not the results of the study. Your aim
as a supervisor should be to give the student the possibilities to fulfill the expected learning
outcomes of the course (see below) within the time plan.
Learning outcomes:
After the course, students are expected to:
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show deeper theoretical and practical knowledge within a specific part of the biological
subject area
be able to identify and define a scientific biological problem and formulate a relevant
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hypothesis
use, for the hypothesis, adequate methods to search, collect, gather and critically examine
scientific information relevant to the subject area
be able to analyse, critically examine and discuss the gained results and conclusions in
relation to the hypothesis and the current understanding in the subject area
be able to prepare and present both an oral and written presentation of the projects for
different target audiences
consider societal and ethical aspects in relation to gained results and conclusions
The thesis
The thesis is normally written in English. The student may choose to write it in Swedish in which
case an English summary should be included. The thesis should be of the format of a scientific
paper, i.e., including an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and references.
Furthermore, the report should contain a non-technical popular summary and a reflection of
ethical and social aspects of the work (description and template for the thesis is available at
www.big.su.se).
You should make sure that the student is aware that plagiarism is not allowed, that is, to copy
whole or parts of a work without citing the source. Since the line between citing and plagiarism is
not always clear, please use the anti-plagiarism tutorial to discuss this with your student. The
examiner will use an originality checking service to check for plagiarism in the final version of
the thesis.
At least one week before the oral presentation the student should e-mail the final thesis to
[email protected]. As supervisor you should approve the manuscript before
submission.
Oral presentation
The oral presentation should be held close to the final date of the time plan. The exact date of the
oral presentation is set well in advance by the examining committee, supervisor and student
together. Instructions for the oral presentation are available at www.big.su.se.
Examination
The examiner sets the grade after consulting the examining committee. As supervisor you are not
part of the examining committee but you are expected to share your assessment of the student’s
performance and independence during the project with the evaluation committee.
The degree project is assessed based on set grading criteria. The grading criteria for degree
projects are divided into three categories: 1) how well the work has been carried out; 2) how
independent the student has been during the work and 3) the verbal presentation and the written
report (see Complete grading criteria).
Checklist – for supervisor
 Ensure that the student is registered. The students are not insured until they are registered.
 Start work on the project plan and pilot study. Determine the student’s skills both regarding theory
and methodology.
 Approve the project plan. Make sure that the project plan is realistic in relation to the student’s
knowledge and the time available. The signed template should be handed to Cecilia Kullberg at the
oral presentation of the project plan.
 Discuss plagiarism with the student. Instruct the student on how to cite correctly and avoid
plagiarism.
 Keep the time plan. If the degree project takes longer than specified in the time plan it will affect the
grade. The project plan can be revised; contact Cecilia Kullberg as soon as possible if the time plan
cannot be kept.
 Send half time report: If the project is 45 credits or 60 credits you should send a short e-mail at half
time reporting how the project is progressing and whether the time plan is being kept to
[email protected]. The student should also e-mail a half time report consisting of a draft
of the manuscript.
 Confirm date of oral presentation. The time for the oral presentation should be decided well in
advance.
 Approve the final thesis. At least one week before the oral presentation the thesis should be e-mailed
to [email protected], before which it should be approved by you.
 Communicate your evaluation. Directly after the oral presentation the examining committee will
convene and you are expected to share your evaluation of the student’s performance and
independence during the project.
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Thank you for supervising our students in your labs, it means a lot to students to get experience
and contacts at institutes outside of Stockholm University.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is a problem or if you have any questions.
Cilla Kullberg
Associate Professor/Docent
Coordinator for external master projects in Biology
Stockholm University
Department of Biology Education/Dept of Zoology
[email protected]
Cell 070-595 44 61