BSc Thesis 'Earth, Economy and Sustainability'

The bachelor’s thesis is the final project of the bachelor’s program ‘Earth, Economy, and Sustainability.’ In this course, students demonstrate that they are capable of independently describing, analyzing, explaining, and presenting a specific problem. They utilize relevant scientific literature as well as the knowledge and skills they have acquired over the three years of the bachelor’s program. During the thesis process, students show that they:

• can apply the knowledge acquired during the program in the field of Earth and Economy and the latest developments to their chosen topic;
• can gather relevant data from both academic literature and practical work, and process, describe, and interpret this data;
• can articulate information, ideas, and solutions in a report that is understandable for both specialists and non-specialists.

The thesis carries a workload of 12 ECTS, equivalent to eight weeks of full-time study. The thesis must align with one of the following learning outcomes of the program:

1. Knowledge and understanding of climate change and natural disasters: causes, risks, opportunities, prevention, and adaptation;
2. Knowledge and understanding of energy issues and the use of scarce resources: energy transition, sustainable water use, and circular economy;
3. Knowledge and understanding of integrated socio-economic solutions: pricing resources, valuing ecosystem services, behavioral changes;
4. Knowledge and understanding of sustainable land use: spatial planning, nature conservation, cultural heritage, and food security.

The student is responsible for selecting the topic, research approach, and planning, which must be established in close consultation with their (VU) supervisor. The thesis must be written individually. Students are supervised during the writing process by a faculty member from the Faculty of Science or the School of Business and Economics (SBE) of the VU. The thesis writing takes place in May and June, but students already work on the proposal in April. Assessment is based on the research report (the thesis itself), an oral presentation, and attitude.

The thesis should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words (from the introduction to the conclusions) and should be distinctly different from the master’s thesis that may be written during a subsequent master’s program. In the master’s thesis, students are expected to contribute to generating new scientific insights and to independently conduct original research. Therefore, the master’s thesis includes innovative elements, which are not (necessarily) required for the bachelor’s thesis.

Students have the possibility to extend the thesis with an additional 6 ECTS which should consist of data collection and is graded in a separate course.