Supervising a Pair Thesis
This page provides tips for supervising a thesis when students are working together as a pair. Some tips are technical, while others relate to supervision practices. At the end of the page, you’ll also find a few problem scenarios and their solutions.
In Bachelor’s level the students can do their thesis with a pair. In Master’s level the thesis is commonly an individual work.
Working with a pair can help students stay on schedule and move forward with their work. It’s wise for them to agree on a grade goal in advance to avoid unnecessary conflict toward the end of the project. Sometimes, students in a pair may come from different degree programs. In such cases, they must agree on this with the main supervisor, who ensures that the learning objectives of both degrees are met. The second reviewer must come from the other degree program to contribute their expertise to the students and the main supervisor.
Topic Approval and Supervisor Assignment
In a pair thesis, only one student submits the topic proposal in Wihi. They invite their pair to the same project using the “group members” section of the Wihi form. The pair must accept the invitation using their own credentials in Wihi. Only then can the coordinator approve the topic and assign a supervisor.
Meetings and Division of Work
Both students must demonstrate their competence across the entire scope of the thesis. Each must participate in all phases (planning, implementation, writing, finalizing, presenting, etc.). This may not be obvious to students, so the supervisor should communicate this clearly at the beginning. Both students attend supervision meetings as equals.
Students must also understand that the thesis project is shared throughout its duration, regardless of when they plan to graduate. For example, both must complete the maturity test (or apply for exemption) before either can receive a grade.
A pair thesis must be broader than a solo thesis. This can be reflected in:
- A wider scope (more research questions / development tasks)
- A broader or deeper theoretical foundation
- A larger empirical dataset
- More in-depth data analysis
In the thesis plan, students must describe how the work provides enough tasks for both (in Bachelor’s thesis approx. 400 hours/student). It’s also wise to describe each student’s contribution in the final thesis report, possibly in the Ethical Reflection section, as freeloading in a pair thesis can be considered misconduct.
Writing Course
In a pair thesis, both students enroll in the writing course and complete it independently. To facilitate this, they can divide the theoretical foundation into main chapters based on the topic, allowing each to focus on their own chapter.
Maturity Test
Each student registers for and completes the maturity test independently. The tests are assessed separately. The assessment statement will use the date of the later test as the completion date.
Both students’ maturity tests must be approved (or exemption applications accepted) before the supervisor can approve the assessment statement.
Thesis Assessment
A pair thesis is assessed using the same criteria as individual theses, but the scope of the work is taken into account (see above). One joint assessment statement is produced.
Self-Assessment
Each student writes their own personal self-assessment. They combine both assessments into one PDF file and submit it to Wihi. The file name must include both students’ names (see naming instructions on the student guide page).
Problem Scenarios and Tips
- I can’t assign a supervisor in Wihi; a red exclamation mark appears.
The second student in the pair hasn’t yet accepted the topic as their thesis. The coordinator can only approve the topic and assign a supervisor once the invited student has accepted the topic using their own credentials. - One student dropped out, and the other is finishing the thesis alone. What now?
Ask the Wihi coordinator to remove the student who dropped out from the project. - A student started the thesis alone but wants to continue with a pair.
Ensure the workload is equal for both students, even if one joins an already started project.
Ask the Wihi coordinator to add the new student to the project. - One student can’t pass the maturity test (e.g., due to dyslexia).
The Language Centre handles the language review of maturity tests. Dyslexia usually slows progress but isn’t a barrier.
Graduation may be delayed, as the assessment statement in Wihi can’t be approved until both students’ maturity tests are accepted. - How do I archive two self-assessments?
Wihi only allows one self-assessment file. Ask students to combine their assessments into one file. Naming instructions are in section 8 of the student guide: “Thesis ready for assessment.”