Leiden University · Faculty of Humanities

Thesis & Research Supervision

MAIR — International Relations

MA

The MA thesis in International Relations is an independent research project. It should fit your specialization track and build on the topics, methods, and skills from your coursework.

This page is adapted from the MAIR thesis supervision guidelines. Confirm details with your supervisor and check Brightspace for the current rules.

Download: MAIR Thesis Guidelines (PDF)

Your next step: Confirm the rules below, then draft a one-page working plan that names your research question, likely sources, method, timeline, and questions for supervision. Start with the Getting Started Guide and Templates & Checklists. Use the Methods Guide and Ethics if your project involves data, participants, sensitive material, or computational methods.

Key Requirements

Requirement Details
Word count 15,000 words maximum — a hard cap including all elements (notes, bibliography, and appendices), with no 10% margin
Citation style One consistent, recognized reference style applied throughout
Language English
Specialization fit Thesis must fit your MAIR specialization track
Next deadline December 2026 (date TBD)

Deadlines

This site will be updated as new AY2026-2027 deadlines are published. Dates not yet announced are marked TBD.

MAIR has one thesis deadline per semester. If you miss it, your next opportunity is the following semester.

Deadline Date
June June 2027 (date TBD)
December TBD (typically first Friday of December)

Extensions. Discuss an extension with both your supervisor and your second reader well before the deadline, since both must approve it. An extension may delay your graduation date and keep you out of the graduation ceremony. If it is not approved, contact stucomair@hum.leidenuniv.nl and consult the Board of Examiners.

Supervision

You receive a supervisor once you hand in the literature review assignment, or an abstract instead, in the Humanities-Based International Relations (HBIR) course. European Union Studies students get a supervisor after taking Thesis and Methods in International Relations Research or Thesis and Methods in European Union Studies. Meet your supervisor as soon as possible to set goals for the thesis, including for the break, since supervisors are generally not available during the winter and summer breaks.

Puzzles and Questions and Literature Review explain the approach behind this assignment. Its form and rubric are on Brightspace and take priority.

Meet your supervisor at least four times:

Meeting Focus
1 Topic scope, research question, literature, sources, general approach, and timetable
2 Introduction, literature review, and research design
3 An empirical chapter at the intermediate stage
4 The final evaluation

Your supervisor gives oral or written feedback on the introduction, literature review and research design, and on at least one later chapter. They may read a full draft but are not required to.

Important: With no supervision over the breaks, do not plan to write the whole thesis during a break. A thesis submitted without supervisory oversight will not be accepted for evaluation.

Research Ethics

Discuss the ethical implications of your research with your supervisor at your first meeting, or as soon as they arise, especially if you work with human participants or identifiable data. If you conduct interviews, you must:

  • Obtain informed, voluntary consent from all participants
  • Give participants an information sheet on the nature, aims, and implications of the research
  • Protect participants’ privacy and confidentiality throughout
  • Use identifying information only with the person’s express agreement
  • Respect each person’s right to refuse or to withdraw at any stage

Take particular care with vulnerable groups, such as asylum seekers or citizens of authoritarian regimes. The program will not allow research that could endanger you or your participants. The Ethics page has consent form templates, the Code of Ethics, and the university’s ethics guidelines.

Assessment Criteria

Your supervisor and second reader assess the thesis independently on the five Faculty criteria, explained on Assessment Standards. In MAIR, the learning skills criterion includes participation in the thesis group where there is one. The formal requirements (the 15,000-word maximum, formatting, and program rules) are also assessed.

A passing thesis has:

  • A clearly formulated research question
  • A critical report on existing academic debates
  • An original contribution that goes beyond summarizing the literature
  • Primary sources where appropriate
  • Applied concepts and research methods
  • Clear structure and correct language

Fraud and plagiarism are knockout criteria.

Grade Descriptors

Grade Level Description
9–10 Distinction Outstanding work with excellent understanding of issues and methodologies, original independent thinking, and a rigorous argument using a wide range of sources. A 10 could not be bettered at MA level
8–8.9 Merit Excellent understanding, independent thought, and a strong, well-organized argument using a wide range of sources
7–7.9 Merit Good to very good work, meeting most but not necessarily all of the above
6–6.9 Pass Satisfactory understanding and a reasonably well-organized argument using a standard range of sources. Some shortcomings, but no fundamental errors
5.1–5.9 No grade issued The faculty does not issue grades in this range
3–5.0 Fail Inadequate understanding, substantial omissions, irrelevant material, or a poorly conceived argument
2–2.9 Fail An attempt to answer, but without significant grasp of the material or appropriate skills
0–1.9 Ungradable No answer, totally irrelevant, fundamentally wrong, or plagiarized

Formatting

  • Written in English, in Word format
  • 1.5 line spacing, standard margins, standard size 12 font
  • Title page with your name, email, student number, and word count (including all elements)
  • Student number on every following page
  • Proofread for spelling and language errors

If writing in English is a struggle, contact the Writing Lab.

Submission

Email your thesis to your supervisor and second reader, with a copy to MAthesis@hum.leidenuniv.nl (MA Course and Examination Regulations, Appendix A, Art. 6.1). Ask for confirmation of receipt, and follow up if none arrives within a week.

Resubmission

If you fail, you get one retake. To graduate in the same semester, meet these retake deadlines:

Original deadline Retake deadline
June deadline Last workday of August
December deadline Last workday of January

The retake, too, cannot be written entirely over a break (see Supervision).