MSc Thesis and Defense

Your thesis is the conclusion of your research. It should include: A general description of your research subject, a detailed description of your research study (including research methodology, results and discussion), and a summary.


Deadline for Your Thesis

Your thesis must be submitted by the end of two years after commencing your studies. 

Current information concerning the deadline for the submission of your MSc thesis is available online.

If necessary, you may submit a fully detailed request, through your faculty coordinator, to the Board of Studies to postpone submission of your thesis.

Public Presentation of the thesis (Chemistry)

Second year MSc students must present their thesis in front of an audience, either immediately before or after their MSc defense exam ( 0.5 CPs).

 

Declaration of specific contributions - for Life Science 

look at "MSc research proposal" for more introctions. 

 

Graduation Ceremony

.For information regarding the ceremony see the link Graduation ceremony

 

Submitting your Thesis

Your thesis, must be submitted via the online uploading service

Technical Details

When uploading your thesis, please keep in mind the following criteria:

  • Your thesis should be written in English (except for students of Science Teaching).
  • Your thesis should not exceed 30 pages, excluding pictures, graphs, and bibliography.
  • The preferred fonts are Ariel, Calibri, Times New Roman size 11 or 12 with 1.5 line spacing, and margins of 1.5 cm.

Thesis Structure

The following thesis structure is mandatory:

Title page
Your title page should include: the subject of your thesis, your name, the name(s) of your advisor(s), the date of submission, and the sentence, “A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Master of Science to the Scientific Council of the Weizmann Institute of Science.” For your convenience, provided herewith is a WORD template of the title page.

Abstract

  • The abstract will briefly summarize the background, results and conclusions of the thesis (up to one page).
  • Theses that are written in Hebrew (in Science Teaching), must include an abstract in English as well.


Table of contents

List of abbreviations
Any abbreviation used more than once should be included in this list. The abbreviations should be explained in the text the first time they are used.

Introduction
The Introduction chapter should review and summarize the current state of knowledge in your field in terms of scientific literature, raise questions, and note mistakes or possible gaps in this knowledge.

Goals
You must present a clear outline of the hypothesis behind your study, as well as a clear and concise statement as to the goals of this project. The scientific importance of the study should also be explained in brief.

Methods
This chapter must include a description of the materials and methods used in your study. The information should be written so that a competent researcher can replicate your results based on your protocols. You may describe protocols in detail, or refer to a detailed reference in the literature (while nonetheless providing a brief overview of the protocol).

Results
This chapter must include a full description of the results obtained in your thesis work including results that you have already published in scientific papers. (The papers themselves, however, must not be included.) Whenever possible, the results should be presented in the form of figures, graphs or tables with appropriate statistical analysis, where relevant

Discussion
The Discussion section should provide a wide view of the subject matter of your thesis, its conclusions, implications, and potential future developments. The results obtained will be compared with the original hypothesis, and with results and conclusions of other investigators that appear in the scientific literature.

Literature
The literature cited in your thesis must be presented as is customary in scientific publications. Titles of articles must be presented in full.

Acknowledgements
It is both customary and appropriate to add to the thesis acknowledgement text.

Thesis Defense Procedures

About the thesis defense

The Board of Studies will appoint two examiners who will test you on the subject of your thesis, as well as your general knowledge in the field of your studies. 

The exam will take place only after you have completed all other degree requisites including courses, seminars, and labs, unless otherwise authorized by the Weizmann School of Science.

You must take the exam within 30 days from the day the examiners are appointed.

Please note: Your appointed examiners AND your advisor(s) must be present at your thesis defense.

 

Grading the Thesis and Oral Exam

Following the defense of your thesis, your examiners will award separate grades for your thesis and the oral exam. Please note that if your GPA in courses is lower than the class GPA for the same courses, your grade for the oral exam may NOT be higher than 94.

 

Submitting a Copy of the Corrected Thesis

After the exam on your thesis and approval of the corrections, you are required to submit to the WSoS the final version to the Weizmann School of Science. You must do so through the online uploading service.

WSoS Coordinators