Are you writing a thesis or another major assignment?

Thesis groups are for thesis students who want to spar with each other and with a group supervisor

In the group, you will meet other thesis students from different study directions. You will be presented with academic inputs and tips for the thesis process. The group is led by two experienced group leaders who are used to talking to students who are writing a thesis and therefore have knowledge of the problems that can arise during a thesis process.

Sparring with others in the same situation

In the group, the focus is on you being able to share your experiences of being a thesis student with others in the same situation. Therefore, a large part of the activities consist of sparring between the participants.

Is there academic sparring?

No, it is not the aim of the group to offer a space for academic sparring. That being said, we can certainly discuss an issue that is academic. If you cannot get an answer in the group, we will certainly help you find the answer elsewhere.

What do we do when we meet?

Meetings in the Special Interest Groups can involve a wide range of activities. These can include anything from short presentations by the facilitators or group members, group discussions, brainstorming, exploring each other’s processes, reflection exercises and, generally speaking, talking about how things are going and what people are struggling with at the moment.

In the spring of 2026, the programme included the following topics:

1. Getting to know each other a little and learning about the requirements for a master's thesis
2. Planning the semester and daily life whilst working on the master's thesis
3. Collaboration with supervisors and collaboration in general
4. Master's Thesis Cup
5. Sustainable master's thesis writing and the master's thesis period
6. Beyond the master's thesis period – master's thesis defence and finding a job afterwards

The topics will likely be more or less the same this autumn 2026, but as we always tailor the topics to the participants’ needs, they may end up being different.

Community outside the sessions

One thing we know from experience to be of great value to thesis groups is meeting up with one another outside the six scheduled sessions. We’ll make sure the content and format of these informal meetings are planned for the first session. However, the group is responsible for organising how things run from there on.

The target group is you, who need a community during your thesis process

A Thesis Group is a community where you can meet with other students who are also writing a thesis. It is thus a group for thesis students who would like to take advantage of the community to ensure the best possible thesis process. This also means that you must be willing to engage in the group’s discussions and sparring if you sign up.

The group is obvious for you, who have fallen behind compared to the team you started on, or you who could imagine that extra sparring and community was what could get you safely through the thesis.

So expect to meet thesis students from all five faculties at SDU, who despite very different thesis topics and ways of writing a thesis, will have a lot in common with. 

For you who do not live in Odense

If there are enough registered participants to form a group at other campus cities, we will be happy to do so. However, you are also very welcome to participate in Odense, even if your programme is based at another campus city.

Who is the thesis groups not for?

The group is not for students who are already writing a thesis in a group, as you are already part of a writing community.

New Thesis Groups will start in February

All group meetings will be held in person.

We will meet 6 times during the spring semester

The group will meet a total of six times with approximately two to three weeks between each meeting. Each group meeting lasts two hours. We start at the beginning of February and finish in May/June.

Thesis groups in autumn 2026

In autumn 2026, the group will meet on the following 6 occasions, on all days from 1.15 pm to 3.00 pm:

1. Thursday, 17 September
2. Tuesday, 29 September
3. Thursday, 22 October
4. Tuesday, 3 November
5. Tuesday, 17 November
6. Tuesday, 8 December

If you want to join, you must be able to attend all the meetings

If you want to participate in a thesis group, you should be able to attend all the meetings. This means that you also mentally have to prepare for this when you sign up.

If you sign up for the group course and are admitted, you will receive an email with the time and date of the meetings. There you will have the opportunity to finally sign up or cancel depending on whether you can participate or not on the selected days.

Of course, we can all be hit by illness, and then it is perfectly okay to cancel.

Registration for the specialism groups in autumn 2026 is now open

Sign up for the group programme. (Only in Danish)

Pre-register for the group programme

If you’re interested in joining a Specialised Group, you can pre-register here (Only in Danish). We’ll then get in touch with you when we have more information about meeting dates and times.

There are limited seats in the Thesis Groups

Thus, we cannot necessarily offer all interested a seat. In case of overbooking, and you do not get a seat, we will make sure to suggest some other relevant offers to you.

Are you curious about what happens in a Thesis Group?

Then read this article from SDU’s own news service (only in danish): “Sammenhold i stedet for specialesump”.

Or read the article from RUST (only in danish): “Farvel til specialesumpen”

A couple of quotes

“I think overall, it worked insanely well to get out among fellow students and I especially think the help around structuring the process was good!”

“I just want to thank you for a super good course! I sense a clear interest from both of you in students’ well-being, and it has helped to provide a calm in the process, knowing that you could reach out to you. Even if you didn’t, it has just been really nice to know".