Students at the master level are not all at the same level. Some of them are smart, but this is not enough to leave the floor for the students to run the thesis without guidance or supervision. Student entered this level to learn. The role of the supervisor is to guide until the proposal is complete and ready for defense in front of assigned committee. However, smart students will be able to comprehend comments and instructions easier and faster than others in intelligent way that relieve the stress of keep repeating on the advisor.

The scientific robustness and quality of the thesis should be the only relevant criteria to assess it. If it is accepted by a scientific committee to be presented and defended, it is not an issue.

Students at the master level are not all at the same level. Some of them are smart, but this is not enough to leave the floor for the students to run the thesis without guidance or supervision. Student entered this level to learn. The role of the supervisor is to guide until the proposal is complete and ready for defense in front of assigned committee. However, smart students will be able to comprehend comments and instructions easier and faster than others in intelligent way that relieve the stress of keep repeating on the advisor.

Hi dear Sandra,

I've recently passed M.Sc. Although I has a supervisor in my masters, but my thesis was based on my own idea, my own research interest ( My interest doesn't match with my supervisor, but I'm fortunate that he allowed me to do my own work). I would say, it's always better to have a supervisor but it's highly possible to work on your own interests. But you must take care of research ethics.

Cheers.

Thank you for your contributions. I have been receiving some interesting comments via message. I would invite the researchers who sent them (if they feel comfortable with it) to post them as an answer, so that everyone could read them.

Concerning the answers already given, you are right Artur Gil, "only the scientific robustness and quality of the thesis should be the relevant".

Muayyad Ahmad you are completely right. I totally agree with your statement: "Some of them are smart, but this is not enough to leave the floor for the students to run the thesis without guidance or supervision. Student entered this level to learn." I'm not an expert on the field, but I do wonder if it is even ethical? Legally it seems there may be differences that vary according the country and its legal framework. But is it ethical?

Gregor C.Falk I agree with you: "the paper has to fullfill common academic standards". In my opinion the advisors play an important role. A student who had no/ or had a poor guidance compared to other students may have difficulties reaching an acceptable level and will probably need more time than the others.

Sumit Das, concerning your answer I'm glad you had such a positive experience. I personally believe that the fact that the students' interests don't match the supervisors' ones isn't a reason for him/ or her not to guide you. Now, if he/ or she believe the student would be better off being guided by someone else, they should discuss that with the student and the scientific or pedagogical comittee (depending on his/her motives). It prevents the student from being harmed.

Here in Brazil the Master's Thesis always is done starting from a personal interest from the researcher... I don't think it's really possible to do a great work without a supervisor, especially when the students came so young to this degree of the academic life. An academic text needs erudition, in any field of scientific research, and an young student only in a very few situations could have the expertise to write properly as the Master’s degree thesis demands.

I agree with you and I would add: it has little to do with the students youth. There are loads of possibilities and information that only experts know that exist. There is research which may not be available on line, others which may be available using keywords that the student would never discover or remember to use when searching. Other possibilities could be added. These are only two examples that illustrate how a supervisor's role is fundamental, in order to the student succeed.

This is very interesting topic and can be discussed from more direction. I will try to give one of them. In my humble opinion, a students could get a good idea if they have more contact with the practice and actual use of what they are learning. This means that faculties must more include in their teaching practical examples and bring people out of practice to tell their story. Because only in this way can students get a real picture of the usefulness of their knowledge/non knowledge. It is undoubtedly that the student should be guided by their professors because students at this level do not have enough skills. But in the end, all the student's freedom of thinking depends on how the professor works with the students. If professor are good and how much they are able to interested students in what are teaching they can expect better response of the students, so it does not matter if it is a bachelor or a master students. It is hard work from both side and can be only complementary you can not put the ball only on one side.

Regards

Dragan

Excellent comment: "It is hard work from both side and can be only complementary you can not put the ball only on one side." Thank you for your contribution.

Do you believe that a student whose master thesis was self-proposed for defense may have some trouble as a consequence while trying to pursue an academic career in your home country? Why?

Sandra, what do you mean by "self-proposed"? Usually MA thesis has a supervisor. If a student comes to me with an interesting topic, I am telling him: Go forward. But more often he/she is unable to perfectly formulate an interesting title and plan the content, and in this case I try to help him (if this topic is within my scope of interests and understanding).

"Self-proposed" means the supervisors didn't sign the papers. The student delivered the thesis at the secretariat and requested the defense on his/ her own.

But there's something we must bear in mind, not all the students have the knowledge or even the courage to go to a secretariat to complain or request a thesis defense when the supervisors don't sign the papers. This alternative might not have been communicated to the students, in my case it wasn't.