Guidelines Bachelor thesis

The Bachelor Thesis International and European Law, course 620060, is the final phase of the Bachelor's degree program in law. The course consists of two components. The first component is a brief and practical introduction to the international area of work (for example, by participating in a study trip, a summer- or winter course or doing a short internship). The second component covers an individual research project of limited size. For more detailed information students should enroll in CANVAS page of Bachelor Thesis International and European Law. Concrete questions concerning the Bachelor thesis can be e-mailed to office.eip@tilburguniversity.edu.

Below you will find general Eindvak IER information on:

ECTS

In total 6 ECTS are allocated to the Bachelor Thesis. These can be specified in 2 ECTS for the first component (internationalization) and 4 ECTS for the second component (independent research). Note that for the practical component, regardless of the option chosen, a final paper of approximately 6,000 words (or 15 pages) must be written.

Absolute condition for participation

To start with your Bachelor Thesis students must have obtained 119 ECTS. No exceptions will be made to this requirement. The Education Office will verify the number of ECTS obtained by each student enrolled in the Bachelor Thesis process. Generally this condition means that students must have completed all courses from the first and second year of the Bachelor program and two to three courses from the third year.

Options

Students have two options to fill in the practical component of the Bachelor Thesis:

1. Participating in a study trip
   The department of European and International Public Law (EIP) will organize an international study trip of three to five days (depending on the destination) to European and/or international institutions in the second semester of the academic year (Easter holiday). At the end of the first semester a short summary of the theme of the study trip and the deadline for application will be announced on the website of the department on CANVAS. This will help students prepare for the trip and choose a topic for the Bachelor thesis. In addition to the online information there will be two preparatory meetings in the weeks before the study trip. Attendance at these meeting is compulsory! More information on the preparatory meetings can be found in the ESG.
2. Doing a short internship
   The practical component of the Eindvak IER can be completed by doing a short internship. Students must submit a proposal for an internship, including a theme, and obtain approval from the Eindvak coordinator. Furthermore, it must be taken into account that the total effort they must put into the (short) internship option of the Eindvak IER may turn out to exceed the 6 ECTS awarded for the course as a whole. After all, the internship needs to be useful in and of
3. Bachelor Thesis
   For each Bachelor Thesis options, a final paper of approximately 6,000 words (or 15 pages) must be written in English. The paper should be seen as a 'mini thesis', containing a clearly identifiable tripartite structure of introduction, discussion, and conclusion, and requires students to thoroughly prepare. For the exact assessment criteria please consult the Reglement bachelorwerkstuk.
   
   The Scriptorium provides individual coaching to help students with academic writing assignments in Dutch or in English. In addition to helping students become better writers, the Scriptorium*also offers assistance in looking for the right sources and citing them correctly. These services are free for all Tilburg University students.

Registration

All Bachelor theses must be registered at the online thesis file (scriptiedossier). In the thesis file students can upload their design and drafts of the Bachelor thesis and, ultimately, the final version. In addition, the thesis file also contains all contact data of supervisors, file information, plagiarism checks, assessment forms, and an evaluation.

Note: it is very important that students register at the thesis file!

Deadlines

Students are expected to complete the practical component independently, meaning they will have to regard all deadlines for enrollment themselves. Also, the Bachelor thesis must be submitted electronically to the supervisor no later than 6 weeks after the study trip, summer/winter course, or short internship. In week 4 there is the possibility to hand in a draft version of the paper with the individual supervisor and, subsequently, receive feedback on this draft via e-mail.

Resits

If the score of the Bachelor thesis is unsatisfactory, students will be allowed to revise their paper in order to obtain a pass (grade: 6). The assessment will include comments on which parts need to be improved. The student must submit the improved version of the final paper within one working week after having received feedback on the assessment of the initial paper by the supervisor. If the improved version is still unsatisfactory, students will need to resit the course by writing a paper on a different topic within the parameters of the overall theme of the practical component. A proposal for the new topic must be submitted for approval by the Bachelor Thesis coordinator within one month after notification of the final grade. The practical component of the Bachelor Thesis will not have to be retaken. For more information on resits please consult the CANVAS page of Bachelor Thesis International and European Law.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism constitutes fraud and is strictly forbidden! As a rule each paper will be checked for plagiarism via Urkund. Cases of suspected plagiarism will be reported to the Examining Board. For more information on what constitutes plagiarism, please consult the special website of TLS. In addition, the department of European and International Public Law (EIP) provides some information on plagiarism and the basic rules of correct citation of literature. To access this information please consult the CANVAS page of Bachelor Thesis International and European Law.

The information is only available in Dutch. Please visit the website for more information. 

Visit the TSHD website.

1. Go to the information about Educational Coordinators
2. Choose for Thesis Coordinators Bachelor's or Master's Programs.