Master's Dissertation

Introduction

The Master's Thesis (TFM) carries an academic load of 8 ECTS credits. The TFM involves the development of a supervised research project aligned with one of the Master's research areas. Under the personalized supervision and guidance of an appointed tutor, the student will prepare and write the Master's Thesis, which will ultimately be evaluated by an academic committee of professors from the programme. See the Guide for Master Dissertation (Guía Docente)

The TFM must be carried out in accordance with the guidelines set by the University of Granada (UGR) for this component of Master’s degree programs. See The Common UGR Guidelines for Master's Theses

In addition, the program provides its own specific guidance and recommendations to support students throughout the process.

You can find other relevant documents at the following links:

Procedure and Forms for the Submission of the Master's Thesis

Procedure

The process begins with the selection of a research topic. At this stage, students are encouraged to start reflecting on potential research ideas and directions. Different types of dissertations are possible, including but not limited to:

  • Literature review, consisting of an in-depth overview of the current state of knowledge on a specific subject, accompanied by a critical analysis.
  • Theoretical or empirical research work, which may involve qualitative and/or quantitative analysis, including the collection of field data.
  • Applied projects derived from the experience acquired by the student during the internship.

Once a preliminary idea has taken shape, the next step is to contact potential supervisors. It is important to identify and reach out to an expert in the chosen research area who can provide appropriate guidance. Careful consideration at this stage is essential, as selecting an unsuitable supervisor may significantly delay the progress of the thesis.

Once the supervisor has formally accepted to supervise the TFM, the student must upload the TFM Supervision Commitment Form through the PRADO platform. In the event that a change of supervisor occurs after this form has already been submitted, the student is required to upload a new TFM Supervision Commitment Form signed by the new supervisor through PRADO. In such cases, the student is also responsible for contacting the former supervisor to inform them of the change.

After the supervisor has approved the Master’s Thesis (TFM) for presentation and defense, the student must prepare the required material for submission and evaluation by the Master’s Thesis Evaluation Committee.

Within the established deadline, the student must submit:

This documentation must be submitted through the following procedure:

  • Via the PRADO platform, in the space designated for the Master’s Thesis

In turn, the student’s supervisor must send by email to dolores@ugr.es, and within the established deadline:

The Master’s Thesis must be written and defended in English. In order to submit the thesis, students must have passed at least 70% of the credits they enrolled in, and this requirement must be met before the submission deadline.

When preparing the written document, students are required to follow a specific formatting template. You can download it here: Download the official TFM template

Finally, students must ensure that their work complies with the University’s strict rules on academic integrity and plagiarism. All dissertations must include a signed statement confirming the originality of the work, certifying that no sources have been used without proper citation. Every supervisor will be required to submit the dissertation to Turnitin. As a general rule, the similarity index must be below 15% before the defense can take place. This requirement applies particularly to dissertations of the literature review type.

Documentation

The following documentation must be delivered by the student at least 10 days before the date set for the viva:

Supervisors must send the Annex I and Turnitin report by email to Dolores Jiménez at dolores@ugr.es.

 Submission

The submission will be via PRADO. Please go to the course “Trabajo fin de master” (Final Master's Project). In the section “TFM submission”, a new task has been created called “TFM submission task”.

TFM Defense

The TFM defense will be carried out according to the protocol established by the International Graduate School and through the platforms established by the International Graduate School for the telematic connection of the student with the evaluation committee. Technical details will be announced in advance. The student will deliver the oral presentation at the scheduled time, immediately afterwards the members of the commission will make comments and ask questions to clarify doubts.

The defense consists of a 10-minute oral presentation of the dissertation, followed by 5 minutes of questions from the committee. For dissertations of a theoretical or empirical nature, the recommended structure of the presentation is as follows: motivation, contribution of your study (what is new relative to the existing literature?), methodology, results and conclusions. 

TFM Assessment

The Master’s Thesis is assessed by a three-member TFM Evaluation Committee appointed by the Master’s Academic Committee. The final grade reflects (i) the quality of the written report (formal academic style), (ii) the oral defense, and (iii) attendance at research seminars (up to 1.0 point). Specifically, each examiner applies the official rubric (up to 9.0 points). 

For the assessment of the Master’s Thesis (TFM), the supervisor will issue a detailed report on the work carried out by the student. This report will be considered by the Master’s Thesis Evaluation Committee when grading the TFM. However, it should be noted that the supervisor does not assign the final grade; the Evaluation Committee is responsible for determining the student’s mark, taking into account the supervisor’s report together with the defense and the overall quality of the thesis. See the supervisor's report form. 

Call for Master Thesis Defense

Students may submit, present, and defend their Master’s Thesis (TFM) in the ordinary and/or extraordinary examination sessions. Students from previous academic years who have been authorized by the International School for Postgraduate Studies may complete the TFM in the special examination session. It should be noted that, within a single academic year, students may only submit, present, and defend the TFM in a maximum of two examination sessions.

Relevant Dates

Ordinary Examination Session. Academic year 24/25 - July 2025

Defense dates: July 14–16, 2025

Submission deadline: July 6, 2025 before 23:59

Extraordinary Examination Session. Academic year 24/25 - September 2025

Defense dates: September 11–12, 2025

Submission deadline: September 4, 2025 before 23:59

Special Examination Session. Academic year 25/26 - December 2025

Defense date: December 10-12, 2025

Submission deadline: December 7, 2025 before 23:59

The exact details regarding the submission deadline, defense date and time, modality (on-site or online), the composition of the Evaluation Committee and other relevant information will be communicated in due course through the PRADO platform, in the section designated for the Master’s Thesis (TFM).

TFM Research Areas and Academic Supervisors

See the list of professors willing to supervise Master’s Theses during the 2025/2026 academic year. Click on a professor’s name for more information about contact details, internship opportunities, and thesis proposals.

Contact for TFM

Master's TFM Coordinator: 

María Dolores Jiménez Rubio, Full professor

Office C115

dolores@ugr.es

Before reaching out, please carefully review the information available on this website, where you will find answers to most common questions regarding the TFM. The use of contact channels should be reserved for highly specific or personal inquiries that cannot be resolved through the information provided online. This will help avoid overloading the communication channels and ensure timely responses.