M30-LA Master's Thesis

• Writing a master thesis is a comprehensive working process, aiming at providing the student with practical experience in:
• planning and implementing an independent research/design project within the set time limit of ca. 6 months
• working towards a research question or on identifying the specifics of the design/planning problem;
• gathering analyzing and reflecting critically on relevant data through the activating of:
  • the body of relevant design references and design methods acquired throughout his/her previous studies, that are necessary to solve the problem and/or
  • the theoretical perspectives and research methods that are necessary to answer the question

Throughout the master¿s thesis process, the student shall gain new knowledge,skills and competences:

Knowledge:

The student shall acquire

• advanced theoretical, methodological and factual societal/natural scientific knowledge concerning the thesis¿ specific field of practice or academic scholarship.
• a sound understanding of the key concepts attached to the field.
• knowledge of the history and state-of-the-art of the discipline¿s work within the field.

Skills:

The student shall acquire advanced skills in formulating a viable academic question or design goal, and in presenting it in an efficient way taking into consideration its societal or cultural relevance and significance.

The student shall further acquire advanced skills:

• (a) pursuing a design/planning process systematically - from an overall design concept that can be related to an analysis of the problem at hand, via the choice of appropriate design tools, to the discussion of and decision on the best concrete design/planning measures,
• or (b) pursuing a research process systematically - from theoretical/conceptual anchoring of the question, via the choice and use of relevant methods of investigation, to a sound discussion and conclusion regarding the investigated issue.

presenting the argument in a comprehensible and efficient way, with verbal as well as visual means,

using visual as well as verbal concepts in a consistent way.

Competences:

The student will acquire high competence in working individually or in groups on implementing a large project, involving -

• making contacts with different people within academia, the professional world and government agencies,
• gathering various kinds of information from first-hand and secondary sources in a respectful, ethical and transparent way,

critically assessing the various kinds of information regarding their relevance and value to the isues/topics identified at the onset of the master¿s theses

• prioritizing time use and what to include in the overall argumentation and presentation of the thesis.

The student shall acquire a critical attitude and an advanced level of reflection concerning:

• the connection between theoretical/conceptual perspective, methodological approach and results/conclusions of an investigation/design accomplishment,
• his/her own contribution to the investigation/design, compared the used sources and references,
• the relation between political goals, academic and disciplinary insights and traditions,
• the general ethics of professional consultancy work or of academic research,

the societal role and potential contribution of the landscape architect perspective in handling the kind of task/question that the thesis addresses.