Degree Project in Economics

Course Director: Johanna Wallenius

The B.Sc. thesis concludes the specialization in economics. It is an independent written work of a scientific character worth 15 ECTS credits. It is an exercise in applying the insights gathered during the course of economics studies at the SSE and also an exercise in communicating the results of an independently conducted analysis. Course TBE551 provides the forum where this work takes place and is subsequently reported and examined.

Objective

The B.Sc. thesis is an independent piece of work, where students demonstrate that they can identify and analyze a problem, and present and defend the results. The thesis should pose a theoretical, methodological and/or empirical challenge, illustrating the ability to think systematically and critically, as well as showing an ability to interpret and discuss data and literature.

Format and process

Students work in pairs. Based on the thesis proposal, the B.Sc. thesis course director, Johanna Wallenius, will allocate a supervisor for each thesis. The students should then contact the supervisor to schedule a meeting. The supervisor provides tutoring, support with methods, etc., but the ground rule is that students work independently. Further feedback will be provided in the compulsory midterm seminars, where the thesis drafts will be discussed by the supervisor and fellow students. The completed thesis will be presented at the end of the semester at a thesis seminar attended by other students and an examiner. Each student, typically paired with another student (but not the co-author), will act as a discussant for one thesis. Each student registered in the course also has to attend a number of other final seminars during the course (and individually fill in the evaluation form for each of these seminars).

To complete the thesis work, each student must thus: attend the midterm seminars and discuss the draft of a fellow student during these sessions, write and defend one’s thesis, discuss another completed thesis in economics, and attend 5 other final thesis seminars in economics (and submit an evaluation of each of these 5 theses).

General rules are as follows:

• language: English

• maximum length: 30-40 pages, plus appendix if necessary

• should meet formal requirements in academic writing

• the normal format is that the students work in pairs
  
  Important Dates

• intro session (via Zoom and recorded): Dec 16th 12:30-13:00 (Zoom + recording)

• deadline for submitting thesis proposal: Jan 22nd at 10:00
  (the proposal should be between a half a page and a page; email proposal to johanna.wallenius@hhs.se)

• mingle with supervisors and fellow thesis writers: Jan 26th 12:00-13:00

• midterm seminars: Apr 5th-6th
  (email draft to supervisor and students in same midterm seminar group by Mar 30th at 10:00)

• deadline for submission of thesis: May 10th at 10:00

• thesis examinations (via Zoom): May 18th-21st & 26th-28th

Detailed schedule for midterm seminars and final examinations will be posted on Canvas later.

GDPR

GDPR applies to the use of personal data and sensitive data. Be sure to discuss GDPR related issues with your supervisor, so as to ensure that your B.Sc. thesis is compliant with SSE’s GDPR policy (see Checklist provided by SSE’s Office of General Council). Note that SSE's GDPR policy prohibts students from working with sensitive personal data in their B.Sc. theses. Note also that SSE by-laws do not allow students to sign NDAs.

Course Administrator: Kathrine.Abelson@hhs.se

The students shall learn

• to choose a topic that is relevant and researchable
• to formulate an objective for the study/thesis project and to derive research questions amenable to the analysis
• to select and use a suitable theoretical base/framework from which to proceed
• to identify and apply suitable methods of data collection (if applicable) and analysis
• to meet formal requirements of thesis writing (footnotes, references, etc.)
• to deliver a readable paper on time

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 (BE0552/BE0554) 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.

No compulsory readings are assigned for this course; instead, the nature and substantive focus of the thesis expected to result from the course will determine the material to be read. In addition, course participants are likely to stand to gain from consulting reference works and similar resources on how to write a thesis.

Thesis, including on-time submission, presentation, defence and active seminar participation, accounts for 100% of the 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).