Degree Project in Accounting & Financial Management

Course Director: Katerina Hellström

The course consists of a) lectures and workshops on thesis writing and methods, b) group tutoring seminars and c) individual tutor meetings.

Lectures and workshops

The lectures and workshops are intended to provide students the necessary tools to write their thesis. The lectures are held already at the beginning of the semester and offer an introduction to research areas, the research process, and methodology. The lectures are voluntary but highly recommended. Method workshops are compulsory.

Two lectures provide an overview of research topics in qualitative and quantitative accounting research and should help students to find and formulate their research topic and research questions. An additional two lectures provide an introduction to methodology, how qualitative and quantitative research is conducted, and how the empirical projects may be designed. There are also an introductory lecture, a lecture on thesis writing more generally, and an introduction to the library services (incl. literature searches and databases).

All lectures are held prior to the first thesis proposal deadline. We recommend all students to attend all lectures to be able to make an informed decision on their thesis topic and method. The lectures are also a good opportunity to discuss the viability of the thesis idea with the lecturers.

Later during the course, we offer two additional methods workshops: one on qualitative methods and one on quantitative methods. The students will then work on the design of their particular study and only attend the workshop on the methods relevant to them. The workshops are MANDATORY.

Group tutoring seminars

Experience shows that thesis writers have similar challenges. In the group seminars, you can discuss and tackle the challenges together and learn from each other. The group tutoring helps you to work continuously, improve your work and finish on time. Before each seminar, students are expected to circulate their thesis drafts in the group (including the tutor). You should also act as discussant on another students thesis during the seminar. All group tutoring seminars are mandatory. Students not handing in the seminar assignments on time and/or not participating in the tutoring seminars might not be allowed to continue the course.

In groups of (about) three pairs, students meet with their tutor to discuss specific topics. The first tutoring seminar will focus on the aim and scope of the thesis (“The problem”), the second on the choice of research methodology (“The study”) and the third on how to perform an analysis of the results of the study (“The analysis”). The fourth group seminar is the presentations and oppositions of theses. The first three tutoring seminars are 2 hours long. The last tutoring seminar “The thesis presentation/opposition” is 3 hours.

“The thesis presentation/opposition” seminars are only held at the end of the course. You are supposed to attend the presentations and oppositions of the theses within your seminar group. Both authors must participate actively. Students who are not participating must wait until next spring semester until they can present their thesis and receive a grade on the course.

The specific date and time for the tutoring seminars will be sent out by the tutor. As an indication, the schedule will show preliminary time periods when tutoring seminars are likely to occur.

Individual tutoring

Each thesis team will be assigned a tutor (the tutor for individual and group tutoring is the same). We match the thesis teams and tutors based on the topics of the thesis. The tutor's role is to help the students progress with their thesis based on their individual needs. Thus, the tutor´s main duties are to advise the students on the planning and execution of their research and to help them to complete their work within the required time limits. Individual tutoring (in addition to the group tutoring sessions) is held on demand.

The thesis

The thesis proposal and the hand-in for the first tutoring seminar

The thesis is written in pairs. You and your colleague select a topic on your own. The lectures may serve as a source of inspiration. After the introductory week, all students shall upload a thesis proposal (maximum one A4) under the application "Assignments" including:

• General topic.
• The research method you intend to use.

A revised thesis proposal should be submitted to your tutor 3 working days before the first tutoring seminar. This revised proposal should be about 3 pages and cover:

• Description of the problem area and preliminary literature review (including references).
• Specification of the research question and hypothesis to be tested (if relevant).
• Detailed discussion about research method including data collection and data analysis.
• A list of questions/problems that you would like to discuss at the seminar.

There is a short time span between handing in the thesis proposal and the hand-in for the first tutoring seminar. We therefore advise students to plan for this in advance.

The thesis format

The format of the final thesis must be:

• A maximum number of 40 pages excluding title page, references and appendix (but including contents). The appendix should not exceed 5 pages.
• TimesNewRoman 12 and 1.5 line spacing. (Tables not smaller than TimesNewRoman 12 and 1 line spacing). All margins 2.5 centimetres.

Abstract and any acknowledgements should be written on the title page.

Submission of the thesis

The thesis must be submitted twice.

Submission of the first version
Authors should submit their thesis in pdf-format through the web application ”Publish Thesis” on the course web, on Monday, May 10, 2027, at 10:00 AM the latest (tentative date). Observe that the Stockholm School of Economics logo cannot be present in the thesis. Instead it should be noted that it is a bachelor thesis at the Stockholm School of Economics. This is the version of the thesis that will be graded.

The examiner reviews the thesis regarding plagiarism through an external service. The thesis will be available at the course web until the defense seminar for those who wish to read/print it.

Submission of the second version
The authors should hand in a corrected version (based on comments from supervisors and opponents) no later than date TBA. The authors must also e-mail the second version to their tutor with a specification of all corrections that have been made.

Course Administrator: jessica.kihlman@hhs.se

After finishing the course the student shall be able to plan, conduct, and report a scholarly study.

There are three intended learning outcomes:

1. Basic knowledge of the main areas and methods in accounting research.
2. Basic ability to choose and apply research methods.
3. Basic ability to report a scholarly study.

To begin writing the Degree Project during the autumn or spring semester in the third year of study, the student must, no later than in the beginning of that fall or spring semester, have passed at least one of the two courses (BE0352/BE0353) within the specialization in which the project is to be written and also have fulfilled all course obligations (for instance, assignments and project work) except for the final written exam in the second course within that specialization.

• Ryan, B., Scapens, R.W., Theobald, M.T. (2002) Research Methods and Methodology in Finance and Accounting, Thomson Learning EMEA 2002. ISBN 1-86152-881-7.
• Articles and hand-outs.

Examination consists of a final grade on the thesis and mandatory participation in seminars.

The thesis will be published in the SSE library database. The grade will be registered when the students have fulfilled all requirements.

Find the course schedule in TimeEdit

Have you been granted educational support because of a documented disability? If so, please contact the course director as soon as possible so that adequate accommodations can be made.

Contact specialneeds@hhs.se if you have questions about being granted educational support or need a copy of your educational support certificate.

For more information, visit the Specific Educational Needs page on the Student Hub (login required).