Graduation guide for thesis work at Department of Water Management,

MSc in Civil Engineering

Introduction
Each MSc track for the Masters degree in Civil Engineeringa graduation project: the 'thesis work'.
This is an individual project in which the student must demonstrate that he/she is capable of
solving an engineering problem independently and at a suitably academic level. Some graduation
projects are conducted entirely within the university, others with an external host organisation
such as an engineering consultancy, a research institute, a water management authority or
regional authority. The graduation project carries a value of 40 ECTS credits (or 42 credits in case
of students who started their Masters degree programme prior to 1 September 2009.)
In principle, the thesis should be entirely in English. In certain circumstances (e.g. if the host
organisation so demands) it can be produced in Dutch, subject to the permission of the thesis
professor. In any event, there must be a summary in English.
As you near graduation, your main focus will of course be on the actual content of your thesis.
However, there are also a number of administrative requirements. If you fail to meet these
requirements, you risk unnecessary delay in obtaining your degree. It is therefore important that
you know what is expected of you before, during and after you complete your thesis.
Some formal requirements are set out in Articles 26, 27 and 28 of the Board of Examiners
Regulations and Guidelines, which you are strongly advised to read.
The administrative procedures are summarized in a checklist for the Section of Water Resources
and a checklist for the Section of Sanitary Engineering.
Beginning the graduation process
You may start work on your thesis project if you have successfully completed a Bachelor's
programme and have gained 60 credits on the MSc programme. The Department recommends
70 credits. If applicable (e.g. because you have transferred from a University of Applied Sciences,
or HBO) you must also have successfully completed the required bridging course. We recommend
that you plan your thesis project so that you have completed all mandatory subjects prior to
making your final presentation.
If you intend to start work on your thesis project, you must complete the 'Application Start MSc
thesis' form and submit it to the Service Desk. The administration department will then check
that you are indeed eligible to begin this stage of the programme. The approval for you to start
the graduation phase of your studies will be sent to the thesis coordinator of your track.
The overall graduation process for the thesis work can be divided into the following phases:
A. Orientation
B. Start
C. Execution
D. Completion
E. Post-thesis
Each phase is described in greater detail below.

Graduation guide for thesis work at Department of Water Management, Oct 2012

A. Orientation
You should start thinking about the topic of your master thesis project. We advise that you ask
your professors and other teaching staff for their input and ideas. The various tracks have
published examples of suitable topics on their respective websites or on Blackboard. It can be
very useful to look at the theses produced by former students. Other sources of information and
ideas include the PhD students in your department, the internet and fellow students who have
already started the graduation process.
External organisations often propose interesting challenges which can form suitable subject
matter for a master thesis project. You may make some useful contacts during a visit to one of
the Bedrijvendagen (Business Days).
The topic of your master thesis project must be approved by the thesis professor, even if it has
been proposed by an external host organisation. You should therefore avoid making any firm
agreements before the topic has been formally approved.

The graduation committee

During the graduation process you will be guided and assessed by a 'graduation committee'. This
comprises at least three examiners from within TU Delft, including your thesis professor who also
chairs the committee. They should represent at least two different sections of TU Delft. The
committee chairman must be a professor from the Civil Engineering department. See Article 27 of
the Board of Examiners Regulations and Guidelines.
The members of the thesis committee are selected by the thesis professor, the thesis coordinator
and the student. One of its members will be your thesis supervisor, whom you should contact if
you have any day-to-day questions and queries. The thesis committee may also include external
examiners. This will certainly be the case if you produce your thesis on behalf of an external
organisation. The thesis coordinator (acting on behalf of the Board of Examiners) formally
appoints the external expert as an accredited examiner for a period of two years. In order to do
so, he will need the details of the person concerned (name, title, company, address). You should
therefore have this information to hand when you meet the thesis coordinator to complete the
'Form Graduation Chart'.

Completing your thesis project with a host organisation

If you wish to complete your thesis project with an external host organisation, you must obtain
the express permission of your thesis professor. Some host organisations will wish to enter into a
formal contract which establishes certain practical matters, for example the possibility of
receiving an allowance. It may also include a confidentiality clause. The organisation may request
TU Delft to co-sign the contract. This is not standard practice: the thesis coordinator will assess
every case on its merits and, if he considers it appropriate to do so, will sign the contract.

Completing your masters thesis project abroad

It is possible to complete your thesis project with a host organisation abroad. In such cases, the
chairman of the thesis committee will nevertheless be a professor from the MSc Civil Engineering
programme. A masters thesis project abroad demands careful preparation. You can call upon
your thesis professor's international contacts to help. In this case too, your thesis will be
assessed by the thesis committee of the MSc Civil Engineering programme, acting under the
overall responsibility of the Board of Examiners of Civil Engineering. It is obvious that one or
more of the experts who supervise your project should be included on the thesis committee as
external examiners. Remember that completing a thesis project abroad will often demand extra
time.

Graduation guide for thesis work at Department of Water Management, Oct 2012

B. Start
In this phase, you are expected to deliver the first actual 'product': the work plan. This
represents the results of your efforts to find an appropriate thesis topic during the preceding
orientation phase. You will draw up your work plan in close consultation with your thesis
supervisor. Your work plan should therefore state the topic of your thesis and how you intend to
approach the subject matter. A particularly important component of the plan is the schedule. You
should try to produce a realistic schedule showing firm dates for the completion of the various
activities, making allowance for holidays, examination periods and so forth.
The 'start meeting' is the first official meeting of the thesis committee, which ideally should be
attended by all members. At the very least, the thesis professor and your day-to-day supervisor
should be present. At this meeting, you will present your work plan for the committee's approval.
Once this approval has been granted, you can get down to the real work. Remember that any
subsequent significant amendments to your work plan must first be approved by the committee.
Once the topic of your thesis project has been established and the thesis committee has been
appointed, you must finalise your MSc examination programme in consultation with your thesis
coordinator. This will require you to complete the 'Form Graduation Chart' which is then
submitted to the coordinator.
C. Execution
In this phase you actually conduct the activities listed in your work plan. The faculty provides
various facilities to assist you in doing so, including rooms and computers which are reserved
solely for students working on their masters thesis project. Your thesis coordinator can provide
further information.
During this phase there will be at least one, and usually several, interim reviews at which you
meet with the thesis committee to discuss the progress of your project to date. One week before
each review, you must submit a progress report to each member of the committee (in hard copy
if requested), which must include the schedule for the remainder of the project. You must also
produce a report of the review meeting itself, which again should be submitted (by e-mail) to
each committee member for approval. If you do not receive a reply within one week, it is safe to
assume that your review meeting report has indeed been approved.
You will also meet with the individual members of the thesis committee on a regular basis.
Ensure that you contact your day-to-day supervisor at least once a month but preferably twice.
Although unlikely, it is possible that you may have some disagreement with the thesis committee
that cannot be resolved amicably. If so, you should contact your academic counsellor who will
attempt to find a solution. If he or she is unable to do so, the matter will be referred to the Board
of Examiners. The board will first attempt to mediate but if this process also fails to produce an
outcome which is acceptable to all concerned, the board will issue a binding ruling.
If your thesis project takes longer than one year, the thesis coordinator is required to investigate
the causes for this delay. He will contact both you and your thesis professor. If it seems likely
that the delay will be further protracted, the thesis coordinator will notify the Board of Examiners
accordingly. It is possible that the board will then require you and your thesis professor to
provide a written explanation. In exceptional cases, the board may rule that the work to date
must be assessed immediately, incomplete though it is. Clearly, there is a risk that this will result
in a 'fail'. You should do everything possible to avoid this situation, since you would have to start
all over again.

Graduation guide for thesis work at Department of Water Management, Oct 2012

D. Completion
The final phase of the graduation process begins with the 'green light review'. A week prior to
the review meeting, you must submit a copy of the complete draft version of your thesis
(including the summary and conclusions) to each member of the thesis committee. As the name
suggests, the purpose of the meeting is to decide whether or not you should be given the 'green
light' (permission) to submit the final version of your thesis for assessment. The final version
should, of course, be amended in line with any criticisms offered during the review.
At this meeting, the date of the thesis presentation and final assessment will be agreed.
Wherever possible, presentations are planned for a Thursday or Friday and are given in Halls F
and G.

The final review and presentation

The masters thesis project culminates in a final review of your work by the thesis committee and
a public presentation. In most cases, both take place on the same day. You should arrange any
facilities you need for the presentation (beamer, coffee, etc.) through the CEG Service Desk. One
week prior to the presentation you may post invitations in the lifts and on the notice boards.
For the purposes of the final review, you must ensure that all members of the thesis committee
have a copy of the final version of your thesis in good time. In addition to the hard copy on
paper, you should also provide a digital version.
The majority of theses are in the public domain: they are held in the library's repository and
made available to anyone wishing to read them. The only exception is if the host organisation
requests an embargo on publication, for example because the thesis contains confidential
business information. In such cases, a period is agreed after which the thesis can be published.
The presentation is given to an audience made up of your family and friends, professionals from
the field and TU Delft staff and students. It must therefore be of an appropriately high standard
and geared to a 'mixed' audience. Laymen should be able to understand your presentation, but
you must also hold the interest of the professionals. The chairman and at least one other
member of your thesis committee must be present.

The assessment
The formal assessment of your thesis project will be made immediately following your
presentation. The thesis committee will convene behind closed doors; you do not attend this part
of the proceedings.
The committee's assessment will take the following aspects into account (further to Article 28 of
the Board of Examiners Regulations and Guidelines, qv.):
A.

B.

Intrinsic Aspects
originality and creativity
independence
productivity
analytical ability
synthetic ability
approach method
sustainability (where relevant)
Written presentation
structure
readability
presentation

Graduation guide for thesis work at Department of Water Management, Oct 2012


C.

use of language
Oral presentation
structure
clarity for a wider audience
quality of the audiovisual aids
defence.

The final mark is expressed as a score out of ten. (Half-marks are also possible.)

Summary for the Collection of Master Theses

You must produce a summary of your thesis for the Collection of Master Theses, a graduation
yearbook of all graduating Citgs Engineers per 4 month period. Include an illustration which
represents your work and list the members of your thesis committee. The entire summary should
be no longer than one A4 page. Submit it to the secretariat of your thesis professor's department.
An example and the format is provided in Appendix 1
E. Post-thesis
Master's degree audit
In order to receive your Master's degree, you must apply to be included on the list of candidates
to be considered, using the Aanvraag MSc-examen ("Application Form MSc Graduation ')
form. Keep in mind closing dates for applications, as announced in e.g. Citg news. All courses as
have been mentioned on the Graduation chart must have been completed. Non-EU students can
apply for personal collection of the diploma through the Graduation Coordinator. In that case
keep in mind that the Central Student Affairs needs 20 days to prepare for the diploma.
The degree award ceremony
The formal presentation of your degree certificate takes place three times a year. You will receive
an invitation showing the exact date and time of the ceremony, which is held in Hall A (Faculty of
CEG). The ceremony is followed by a more informal gathering with drinks and snacks.

Graduation guide for thesis work at Department of Water Management, Oct 2012

Appendix 1

Manual for summary in the Collection of Master Theses

This is the manual for writing your Msc-thesis summary. The importance, purpose and use of
your summary will be explained. Furthermore, an example of a clear and interesting summary is
included. Note that this is not a real Msc-thesis.

The summary
The summary of your thesis is an obligatory part of graduation. When you register yourself for
the graduation exam, you have to hand in a summary of your Msc-thesis before the known
deadline. When you finished writing your summary, you are supposed to digitally hand it in at the
secretary of your department.
The summary itself is bound by some regulations. The length is limited to one A4 page. It has to
be written in English. You really have to keep in mind that the summary is understandable for
people who dont know much about your subject, and is interesting for professionals. Try not to
go too deep into the technical details. This means using clear language, using headers and some
nice pictures. It is recommended to hand in the pictures apart from the summary. Just mark the
place of the picture in the text. The font to use is Tahoma, size 10. Note that the name of
yourself, the graduation committee and the contact phone number of the department are at the
bottom of your summary. To make it more clear, this is all worked out in the example on the
next page. Please try to follow the format as close as possible.

Collection of Master Theses

Your summary will be published in the collection of master theses, which is published three
times a year (in March, June and October). The book contains the Msc-theses of the past 4
months. It is sent to many external contacts of the Civil Engineering faculty. You can think of
building and engineering companies, universities and other civil engineering related organizations.
These will read the book carefully and often request more information about some studies. This
proves the importance of writing a good summary of your thesis. With a good summary you
promote yourself to the civil engineering and earth science world.

Graduation guide for thesis work at Department of Water Management, Oct 2012

Small reservoirs in the Volta Basin

Introduction
The basin of the Volta River is located in Ghana and Burkina Faso in West Africa. Upstream the
river many small dams were built to provide villages with water for the irrigation of their crops.
These reservoirs are the main focus of my thesis. I did my research in cooperation with local
scientists and NGOs.
Problem definition
In theory, the reservoirs seem to be ideal: easy construction of the dams, easy management of
the reservoirs, few safety problems and the provision of more water to the inhabitants of the
villages. In practice, the situation is almost the opposite, mainly because the designers paid too
little attention for the water quality in the reservoirs. The water in the reservoirs is very turbid,
polluted and is a breeding place for malaria mosquitoes. As a result the reservoirs often are not
used at all.
Reservoir.jpg
Research
My research focused on the improvement of the water quality in the reservoirs. I visited the area
twice for two weeks. To achieve my goal, a special approach was developed. The approach was
divided in three phases:
1. The analysis of the problem: how can the problem be defined, what are the causes and who
are the stakeholders involved.
2. The second phase was to develop technical and management solutions for the problem.
Which measures can be taken to improve the water quality and prevent the occurrence of
dangerous pollution in the future?
3. Implementing the technical solutions in the real situation and ensure a durable solution.
Results
1. The problem analysis concluded that the water quality in the reservoirs was very bad. The
concentrations of the substances that define the water quality were far above the
recommended values from the WHO. The main cause for this, was the poor management of
the reservoir by the users.
2. Technical solutions to improve the water quality on the short term, the measures to be taken
were not very difficult. It basically meant flushing the reservoir and, in some cases, getting
rid of the polluted sediment. The difficult part was, making the villagers aware of their own
mistakes and responsibilities.
3. The plan developed for implementing the solutions was mainly focusing on education. The
aim of the education was to make villagers themselves aware of their own involvement and
responsibilities for managing the reservoir and its structures.
Conclusions and recommendations
The problems were largely caused by the villagers themselves, not because of bad intentions, but
because of ignorance. By both flushing/cleaning the reservoirs and making the villagers aware of
their own responsibilities, the water quality in the reservoirs can be improved considerably. But
the research has to be continued to test and improve the developed approach.
Student:
Committee:

L.A. Brasem
Prof. ir. A.B. Boezem, ir. F.A.P. Strickler, dr. ir. D.E. Gate(WHO), ing. A.
Owusu (University of Accra)

For more information you can contact the section Watermanagement, tel. 015-2781646
Graduation guide for thesis work at Department of Water Management, Oct 2012