Duration
Number of credits
Lecturer
Collégialité
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Students enrolled in Block 2 of the Master in Mathematical Sciences must
present a thesis to conclude their training.
This thesis is prepared under the supervision of a promoter and possibly a co-promoter and follows the course "Preparation of the thesis".
As soon as they enter the Master's program, students are invited to contact potential promoters and co-promoters in order to obtain proposals for dissertation themes.
The theme of the thesis is chosen by mutual agreement between the promoter, the potential co-promotor and the student and should normally follow the work done for the "Preparing for the thesis" course.
The content of the thesis must demonstrate the mastery acquired by the student in a field related to mathematics.
It is usually written in French but may be written in English if the promotor agrees.
The promoter or co-promoter must be a member of the academic or scientific staff of the Department of Mathematics. In addition, one of them must have a doctoral degree. The dissertation may, however, be prepared, in part or in whole, outside of the Department of Mathematics.
The role of the promoter is to clearly define the objectives of the work and to help the student to achieve them. He may be assisted in this task by the co-promoter. If the promoter is outside of the Mathematics Department, the co-spromoter will also serve as a liaison between the department, the student and the promoter.
Although assistance may be provided, the student must act as independently as possible to develop his abilities to work in autonomy.
The final version of the thesis must contain an introduction, a presentation of the results and a bibliography that allows the retrieval of the cited references. The cover page of the thesis will include the following information:
- University and its logo
- Faculty of Science
- Department of Mathematics
- Title of the thesis
- Master concerned
- Academic year
- Names of the student, the promoter and the possible co-promoter
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
After submitting the thesis, the student should have acquired a complete mastery of the subject. He/she should also be able to present this topic orally and in writing as expected by the mathematical community. Finally, he should have developed his critical thinking skills and be able to easily find his way in the scientific literature.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Recommended or required readings
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Additional information:
The thesis is evaluated by a reading committee.
This committee is made up of four to seven people (holders of a doctorate or a title deemed equivalent, or of recognized expertise). It always includes the promoter and the eventual co-sponsor as well as an academic member of the member of the Department of Mathematics designated as a fixed point by the Department Council at the beginning of the academic year.
At the end of January, the promoter will communicate a brief description of the theme of the thesis and a proposal for a reading committee to the coordinator. These proposals will then be
discussed and possibly modified at the Department Council before being forwarded to the apparitorate.
For each session, a deadline for submission is set by the coordinator in agreement with the Department Council and communicated to the students. It is for this date that the final text of the work must be submitted in PDF format on MatheO and that a printed copy must be provided to each member of the of the reading committee.
Plagiarism being sanctioned by the University of Liege, the student is invited to
inform itself on the dedicated page of the university website to avoid any problem.
The thesis is presented orally in 15 minutes; this presentation is followed by a 15-minute public during which the members of the reading committee may ask any question they deem relevant. When the reading committee has no more questions, members of the audience may in turn ask any questions they may have.
At the conclusion of the defense, the reading committee evaluates the student's performance and discusses the grade to be awarded, taking into account in particular:
- the work done,
- the assistance requested,
- the clarity of the writing,
- the relevance of the bibliography,
- the quality of the oral presentation,
- the mastery of the subject when answering questions.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Coordinateur : Jean-Pierre Schneiders Président du Jury du Master en Sciences Mathématiques Département de Mathématique (Bât. B37, Bureau 1/60) Allée de la Découverte, 12 - 4000 Liège (Sart-Tilman) Tél. : (04) 366.94.01 - E-mail : jpschneiders@uliege.be