The selection procedure is conducted through the EPLApps web application.
Topics
Once the supervisors have provided their proposed topics, the list is accessible on the following website (UCLouvain login required) > https://eplapps.info.ucl.ac.be/thesis/list
(in case you do not have such a login (e.g. exchange students) please contact your programme commission)
Note that
- late additions by supervisors to the list of topics are always possible
- titles and descriptions may involve confidential information, and we ask you not to forward or publish any of these
- only students holding a bachelor's degree are allowed to make their choice of topics
Assignment procedure - First round
Each student will have to indicate his/her three preferred topics (*), in their order of preference, using the above website, by April 24 at the latest. The procedure works in the following way:
- After publication of the topics, students will rapidly contact supervisors of topics they are interested in and possibly meet with them, in order to better understand the content of the proposed theses. Note that, following those meetings, the topics might be adapted or evolve, some theses might be split in two, or merged ; at this stage nothing is set in stone. Supervisors will also be able to tell you whether other students are interested in the same topic as you. Discussion among students and with supervisors can help reorient choices and/or prevent conflicts. Also, if you want to work on a topic of your own (i.e. suggested by yourself), you need to identify first a supervisor who accepts to supervise this topic (and who will be able to add it to the official list of topics).
- Despite the fact that you have in principle more than five weeks to select your preferred topics, students should take into account that some supervisors are quite busy (e.g. they might only be able to give you an appointment after a two week delay) and that the Easter break lies in the middle ; please start contacting supervisors rapidly and do not wait until the last week/few days before the deadline.
- By April 24 at the latest you have to decide which three topics you prefer, and in which order. You are required to have met with (at least) the supervisor of your first choice topic.
- To encode and submit your choices, you should :
- Visit the following link and login using your UCLouvain credentials > https://eplapps.info.ucl.ac.be/thesis/
- Click the "All published topics" item in the menu on the left and locate in the list the topics you are interested in (you can use the search function from the box on the top right, and search for titles or supervisors).
You must select three topics with three different priorities (or five topics for INFO/SINF students).
For each topic you want to pick, click the green button, then select the priority of your choice (1=top priority, 3/5=lowest priority).
You can use the remark field e.g. to mention that you plan to work on a given topic with another student (provide his/her name). - After you have selected all your topics click the "My choices" item in the menu on the left, verify that your choices are correct and press the "Confirm selection" button to send your final choices to your programme commission.
This action cannot be undone, and has to be performed on April 24 at the latest.
On the "My choices" page, before you send your confirmation, you can also reorder priorities or unselect a topic in case you want to select a new one.
Do not forget to confirm your choices before the deadline.
- After submission by the students, each programme commission will try to find the best possible global assignment between topics and students, trying in particular to maximize the number of students receiving their "priority 1" choice. The methods to reach this goal differ in each programme commission - you might be contacted by email during that phase. Techniques to resolve difficult cases might involve friendly negotiation and declination of topics in several theses ; each programme committee will act based on their specific procedures (with interactions between commissions for topics involving students from different masters). The goal is to have a topic assigned to every student by the end of May. This will be communicated by programme committees via the same website.
(*) For INFO/SINF students rules are slightly different: you need to select 5 topics (instead of 3) with at least two different supervisors.
Assignment procedure - Second round (June) and third round (September)
After the June and September deliberations, students who have successfully completed their Bachelor degree will be allowed to select Master thesis topics. Each student will have to indicate his/her three preferred topics (*), in their order of preference, using the above website. The procedure works in the following way:
- After the June deliberation, students will rapidly contact supervisors of topics they are interested in and possibly meet with them, in order to better understand the content of the proposed theses. Note that, following those meetings, the topics might be adapted or evolve, some theses might be split in two, or merged; at this stage nothing is set in stone. Supervisors will also be able to tell you whether other students are interested in the same topic as you. Discussion among students and with supervisors can help reorient choices and/or prevent conflicts. Also, if you want to work on a topic of your own (i.e. suggested by yourself), you need to identify first a supervisor that accepts to supervise this topic (and who will be able to add it to the official list of topics).
- Please start contacting supervisors rapidly and do not wait until the last week/few days before the deadline. You need to take into account the supervisors have a Summer break.
- By July 1st (second and third rounds) at the latest you have to decide which three topics you prefer, and in which order. You are required to have met with (at least) the supervisor of your first choice topic. Students who obtain their bachelor degree in June will be notified around mid-July of the Master thesis attribution (= second round). Students who obtain their Bachelor degree in September will be notified shortly after the September deliberation ( = third round).
- To encode and submit your choices, you should :
- Visit the following link and login using your UCLouvain credentials > https://eplapps.info.ucl.ac.be/thesis/
- Click the "All published topics" item in the menu on the left and locate in the list the topics you are interested in (you can use the search function from the box on the top right, and search for titles or supervisors).
You must select three topics with three different priorities (or five topics for INFO/SINF students).
For each topic you want to pick, click the green button, then select the priority of your choice (1=top priority, 3/5=lowest priority).
You can use the remark field e.g. to mention that you plan to work on a given topic with another student (provide his/her name). - After you have selected all your topics click the "My choices" item in the menu on the left and verify that your choices are correct:
-
- If you obtained your bachelor degree in June: you can press the "Confirm selection" button to send your final choices to your programme commission by July 1st.
- If you did not obtain your bachelor's degree in June (but you hope to obtain it in September): you cannot press the "Confirm selection" button to send your choices. The confirmation will be done automatically, just after the September deliberation.
- The goal is to have a topic assigned to every student before the start of the academic year. This will be communicated by programme committees via the same website.
(*) For INFO/SINF students rules are slightly different: you need to select 5 topics (instead of 3) with at least two different supervisors.
Special cases
- INEO program (former CPME):
In case your are enrolled in the INEO program, you have to follow specific procedures for your master thesis ; therefore you can ignore the emails about the general EPL procedure for the topic selection (and do not need to use the website) - Ongoing master thesis, started during this academic year but to be defended during the next academic year (January/June/September):
If you are currently enrolled in an EPL master thesis (i.e. registered for a LXXXX299X course in your program) and do not plan to defend this year, you have two options:- if you can you plan to continue working on the same topic next year: you should ignore all instructions about selection of topics (and do not need to use the website), and will confirm your topic at the beginning of next year
- In case you want to change your topic, you should first inform your supervisor(s) and discuss with them. Then, if that decision is confirmed, follow the same procedure as students who select for the first time their topic for next year (see above)