25 ECTS credits
680 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4022188FNR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester
1st and 2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Alvorens men kan inschrijven voor de Master Thesis Biomedical Research moet men Geslaagd zijn voor de bachelor Biomedische Wetenschappen EN Moet men geslaagd zijn voor ‘Literature study in preparing for research trainings EN Moet men geslaagd zijn voor ‘Practical Laboratory Training / Jounal and data clubs En moet men ingeschreven of geslaagd zijn voor ‘Topics in Biomedical Research’, ‘Professionalisation in scientific Research, ‘Bio-ethics II’, ‘Academics English for life sciences’, ‘Research seminars 1’, ‘Research Internship / Jounal and data clubs’ en ‘Research seminars 2’
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculteit Geneeskunde en Farmacie
Department
Basis (bio-) medische wetensch
Educational team
Karin Vanderkerken (course titular)
Elke De Bruyne
Activities and contact hours
680 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

The data generated during the laboratory internship (see course Research internship / Journal & data club), their statistical processing and its relationship to international literature are written in a thesis that has the same structure as a scientific article, i.e. Abstract (in both Dutch and English), Introduction, Objective, Material and Methods, Results, Discussion and References. The thesis must be written in English. The instructions are available on Canvas.

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : More additional practical information about the Research Internship & Master's thesis is given during a presentation during the first week of the 1st Master year. The presentation and relevant documents are made available, Canvas
Practical course material (Required) : International scientific literature in the field (both from the laboratory where the internship is carried out and externally), textbooks about relevant methodologies.
Additional info

Students must submit an internship plan signed by the promoter for approval by the training council before 1 September for students who passed the first exam period and before 1 October for students who passed in the second exam period. This internship plan contains the scientific research question and research methods, and the subject of the Master's thesis is hereby determined. Changes to the subject of the Master's thesis and / or supervisor or renunciation by the supervisor must be reported to the chairman of the training council before 1 November at the latest. A derogation may be granted by the training council of the study program in question.

During the research internship, an original research question will be elaborated. In the Thesis, the generated data will be analyzed and related to international literature. This is written in a thesis that has the same structure as a scientific article. The results will be presented and defended during a public oral presentation.

In December, students also submit a Research Proposal. The submission dates will be communicated in time via Canvas. Late submission of the Research Proposal will result in a score of 0/20. The Research Proposal is assessed by both the promoter and 2 independent readers (assessors) and counts for 20% in the final assessment of the Master's thesis.

More additional practical information about the Research Internship & Master's thesis is given during a presentation in the first week of the 1st Master year. The presentation and the necessary documents are also made available via Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

The Master's thesis is an important part of the final assessment of the student in the Biomedical Sciences program and should be regarded as a "graduation project". This course contributes to the following training-specific learning outcomes:

The master BMW has in-depth knowledge and insight into

  • The clinical aspects of the main pathologies and the concomitant deviations in molecular, cellular and physiological processes in the human body
  • The working mechanisms of current treatments and principles of drug discovery and development, prevention and diagnosis

The master in Biomedical Research can

  • Formulate complex research questions, research the relevant literature as exhaustively as possible and design a research plan, including the selection of methods and techniques for the generation of data, followed by correct interpretation of the data.
  • Write a thesis in English to present the results of one’s own scientific research in the format of a peer-reviewed international journal
  • Present the obtained results in a scientifically sound manner to a national and international audience using modern means of communication
  • Function constructively in an international and intercultural setting
  • Collaborate in an interdisciplinary team and bridge the gap between basic biomedical research and clinical practice

The master in Biomedical Research has

  • The capacities to function in an actual research environment and appreciates the existence of various work settings
  • Insight into the international character of scientific research
  • Insight into the structure of the scientific profession and associated rules and regulations
  • A critical attitude towards his/her own research data and those of others and has the ability to distinguish correct scientific methods from pseudo-science.
  • High ethical and moral standards with respect to human subjects, human material, animal testing and the society as a whole.
  • Intercultural competences that are required to function as a word citizen in a globalizing world
  • An attitude of lifelong learning and is capable of self-assessment and application of self-learning strategies.
  • An eye for accurate reporting of research data in a laboratory notebook and the protection of raw data with respect to intellectual property and the reliability and traceability of the work
  • Sufficient knowledge and skills to carry out animal experiments according to the ethical guidelines of the Belgium authorities and as such has obtained the legal right to collaborate in animal testing (KB of 13-2004).
  • Insight into industrial valorization of research data, including protection of intellectual property, contracts with industry and the founding of spin-offs.
  • Obtained sufficient knowledge in statistical processing of data from complex study designs using general and generalized linear models

Specialization Biomedical Research:

  • The Master sufficient communication skills in English to be able to write manuscripts for international peer-reviewed journals, to present oral communications at international scientific meetings and to actively participate in discussions.

Specialization Management and Business:

  • Knows the relevant aspects within the micro and macro economy, also in an international context
  • Can identify and elaborate various aspects (e.g. marketing or strategy) of management in business
  • Knows the general processes within project management and can plan, lead and bring a project to a successful end
  • Has insight into biomedical research in the industrial context, in particular in the pharmaceutical sector
  • Has in-depth knowledge and insight into the ethical and legal aspects of clinical studies, knows the regulations of 'Good Clinical Practice' in detail and can apply this in practice (acquires a GCP-certificate)
  • Has in-depth knowledge and insight into the design and implementation of clinical studies for drug development

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
SELF Paper determines 20% of the final mark.
Master Thesis determines 80% of the final mark.

Within the SELF Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Research Proposal with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.

    Note: One mark out of 20 points is given by the promotor/supervisor and 1 mark out of 20 points is given by 2 independent readers as explained under the heading ‘additional information regarding examination’

Within the Master Thesis category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Masterproef with a relative weight of 80 which comprises 80% of the final mark.

    Note: One score out of 20 points is given by the 2 appointed readers and the 3 permanent jury members as explained under the section ‘additional information regarding examination'.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The following master's thesis documents must be handed over to (the secretariat of) Prof. Vanderkerken and Prof De Bruyne, building D, ground floor.

• 3 copies of the Master's thesis, bound and in English.

Attention: For approval for submission, the Master's thesis must be signed by the supervisor(s), accompanied by the date, at the bottom of the English version of the summary. Hereby the promoter agrees to submit the thesis. The signature of the Master's thesis by the supervisor(s) does not guarantee the quality of the Master's thesis (only approval for submission!) and is therefore also no guarantee on whether or not passing this course.

• Upload PDF version of the Master's thesis on Canvas (via Assignments).

In addition, the Master's thesis must also be scanned by the student using the VUB's plagiarism detection software. The necessary instructions for this will be communicated in good time via Canvas. The submission dates are communicated via Canvas at the beginning of the academic year. If the student intends to graduate in January (only possible if there are still one or more exam (s) that has to be taken for courses of the first semester of the graduation year), the student must submit a written application at the student secretariat of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy no later than 1 November. In this case, the Master's thesis documents must be submitted no later than 15 December before 4 pm, unless stated otherwise. Students who do not submit these Master's thesis documents on time are automatically referred to the next exam period. If plagiarism is detected, the Master's thesis will be refused and a new Master's thesis will be requested in the following exam period. For the definition of plagiarism, we refer to article 118 'irregularities' and article 124 'form of submission' of the SUPPLEMENTARY EDUCATION AND EXAMINATION REGULATIONS FOR FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY.

In exceptional circumstances concerning confidentiality and intellectual property issues, the supervisor is entitled to make a request for an oral presentation and defense behind closed doors.

The Master's thesis is assessed as follows:

Research proposal: 20% of the final mark

In December, students submit a Research Proposal. This Research Proposal is assessed by both supervisor(s) and 2 independent readers (assessors) and counts for 20% of the final rating of the Master's thesis. A score on 20 points is given by the promoter(s) that is reduced to 10 points and the score of 2 independent readers (weighted average of both readers) is also reduced to 10 points.

Text: 32% of the final mark

Evaluation of the text on 40 points by the 2 appointed readers (assessors; each reader gives a score on 20 points) based on the layout of the text, the references, the language, processing of the results (tables, graphs, statistics), the discussion and the conclusion.

Presentation and defense: 48% of the final mark

The Master's thesis is defended for the 2 appointed readers (assessors) and one permanent jury. To this end, the candidate will hold an oral 10-minute PowerPoint presentation in English (unless otherwise decided in consultation with the promoter and (co-) lecturer). This presentation contains an introduction to the scientific situation, a summary of the results and a discussion. After that, questions from the readers, the regular jury members and possibly from the public are answered for 10 minutes. Answering the questions is also in English (unless otherwise decided in consultation with the promoter and (co-) holder). The readers each give a score on 10 points for the presentation and a score on 10 points for the defense (together a score of 40 points). In addition, the permanent jury gives one joint score on 20 points (weighted average of the 3 jury members) for presentation and defense together. The permanent jury consists of 3 ZAP members.

The final score is determined as the sum of the scores given per category (taking into account the above weighting percentage) and reduced to 20 points. The permanent jury reserves the right to round up or down this final score based on the overall performance of the candidate. The permanent jury deliberates after all students of the same exam period have defended their Master's thesis.

Anyone who obtains less than 10/20 in the 1st exam period for the Master's thesis must submit a new Master's thesis for the second exam period.

ATTENTION: if an exceptional admission has been granted for enrollment in the Master's thesis, it can only be defended if the enrollment conditions have been fully met.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Biomedical Research: Standaard traject