Master's thesis in Earth Sciences
The Master's programme in Earth Sciences is concluded with the Master's thesis. The subject of the thesis is in the major study area and represents either an applied or fundamental research project.
In most cases, the project will be integrated into one of the research groups at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Students may contact the lecturers directly for a project or choose from the list of Master's thesis projects at the department.
If geological mapping or sampling is required, early project planning is essential to ensure sufficient flexibility when scheduling fieldwork. These tasks are typically included in the Master's project proposal and are usually carried out during the summer months before the start of the fall semester.
Guidelines Master's thesis in Earth Sciences
Before starting the Master's thesis, students must:
- Have obtained their Bachelor's degree.
- Have fulfilled all additional requirements (if any).
- Have successful completed the MSc Project Proposal (651-4060-00). Please refer to the guidelines to Master's project proposal.
The project is supervised by:
- Main supervisor (mandatory)
- Additional supervisor (optional)
- Examiner (if necessary)
Supervisors are involved in the Master's thesis. If the supervisor(s) belong to the same group an examiner belonging to another research group is necessary. The examiner will evaluate but not necessarily supervise the thesis.
At least one supervisor or examiner must be a professor/PD of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science or one of the department's authorised senior researchers. Exceptions must be approved by the Director of Studies.
The Master’s Thesis (651-4062-00) must be registered in myStudies under "projects/papers/theses" within the first three weeks of the project:
- Students starting their Master’s thesis between August and January register for Autumn Semester. Students starting between February and July register for Spring Semester.
- Please do not register twice if the start and the end of the Master’s thesis are not in the same semester, but choose the option “leave of absence” (Urlaubssemester) on myStudies for the subsequent semester.
- myStudies calculates the individual deadline automatically at the time of registration (plus six months). To ensure a realistic individual deadline, the start date can be set a few weeks later during registration.
The students present their Master’s thesis in a group seminar. At least one member of the supervising committee must be present. The time of the presentation can be selected individually in consultation with the supervisors/examiner.
The presentation counts towards the final grade.
- Individual deadline
The individual deadline is
calculated automatically in myStudies based on the start date (plus 6 months) of the Master's thesis. This deadline is binding and the student must submit the Master's thesis no later than this date (by 23:59). - Submission of Master's thesis
The student hands in the Master’s thesis (physical copy or PDF) to the main supervisor (incl. the signed declaration of originality). The main supervisor confirms the submission in eDoz. - Request for diploma
Students can submit their the request for diploma (Diplomantrag) only after the grade for their Master's thesis has been validated (verfügt) by the study administration.
According to the ETH Zurich Ordinance on Performance Assessments Art. 11 late submission will result in a fail grade. Requests for extensions must be submitted early and will only be considered for valid reasons, such as illness or accidents.
- Grade calculation
The grades from all supervisors and examiner have equal weight for the final mark. The final grade is calculated by the main supervisor using the protected page Master's thesis assessment and grading form. - Grade entry
The main supervisor enters the final grade promptly in eDoz.
For theses submitted in August, timely entry is crucial to ensure students can request their diploma in time and attend the graduation ceremony. - Silver Medal nomination
Exceptional Master's theses (grade 6.0) may be nominated for the ETH Zurich Silver Medal. The main supervisor must submit a justification report outlining the reasons for the nomination.
All students who have completed their Master’s studies and submitted the
request for diploma at the latest by 14 September 2026 are eligible to attend the Master’s Graduation Ceremony 2026.
The graduation ceremony takes place in late autumn, typically at the end of November.
Students can upload the Master's thesis in ETH Research Collection. The publication of the Master's theses requires a declaration of consent from the main supervisor.
Contact
Please contact the D-EAPS study administration in case of questions.
Dep. Erd- u Planetenwissenschaften
Sonneggstrasse 5
8092
Zürich
Switzerland
Master in Space Systems
The Specialised Master in Space Systems started in Autumn Semester 2024 and information about the Master's thesis in Space Systems is currently being prepared.
Master in Atmospheric and Climate Science
For information about the Master's thesis in Atmospheric and Climate Science visit the Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Science website.
Master in Applied Geophysics
For information about the Master's thesis in Applied Geophysics visit the external page Joint Master Programme page on the IDEA League website.