EPL students wishing to take part in an exchange programme in the frame of their Master thesis ("Travail de Fin d'Etudes") are requested to first select a thesis subject proposed by an academic supervisor who belongs to EPL and to be accepted by this supervisor. As a 2nd step, students can propose to their thesis supervisor to go and pursue part of their research works with a foreign partner. Generally, EPL supervisors only accept such proposal when the student undertakes part of his/her research work with a foreign colleague with whom the supervisor has had scientific collaboration in a recent past.
EPL applies the same rule for exchange students wishing to come to UCL in the frame of their master thesis.
If you wish to come as an exchange student to work on a final Master thesis, we ask you as a prerequisite to send a letter explaining:
1- the project you would like to work on (a minimum of 2 pages, with description of the subject, purpose and methodology)
2- the name of a professor in your home university liable to promote your project
3- an academic correspondent at UCL willing to supervise your project here, already in contact with your home institution supervisor
If you gather these 3 prerequisites altogether, your registration at EPL will in principle be accepted under no further condition.
If you gather the first 2 prerequisites, but do not have any contact with a EPL academic correspondent, we will do our best to help you find one although with no guarantee of result.
If you have no defined project, no academic contact neither at your home university, nor at EPL, likely to promote your thesis project, please note that as a general rule we will then not be able to accept your application.
A a general rule, master thesis subjects must be relate to the usual research subjects proposed at Ecole polytechnique de Louvain. A professor belonging to another UCL faculty may never be supervisor for the final thesis of an EPL incoming exchange student.
TIMING
It is important to note that EPL students start searching for their final work project during Spring of their 4th year, to start working on their final thesis during the 5th year. It is therefore highly recommended to follow the same timing when applying for a final thesis, as each Faculty member can only supervise a limited number of students.
More specifically, students applying as exchange students at EPL in the frame of their Master final thesis, must ensure that the final thesis project is validated both by their local coordinator and their future EPL coordinator:
- by 30 June at the latest, if registering for the next first semester (Fall Semester) or full academic year, due to Summer break which prevents EPL from finalizing the administrative process properly
- by 15 December at the latest, if registering for the second semester (Spring Semester) of same academic year, due to Christmas break (same reason as above)
Please note that EPL will not accept applications from incoming students to work on a Bachelor thesis during a mobility programme.