Pedagogy 2025

Abstract

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This paper presents how a Belgian university is currently adapting master’s theses within its recent work-study programs to ensure alignment between students’ needs, academic standards, and business expectations. The university recently introduced three work-study master’s programs focused on developing professional skills and experiences. Consistent with the broader curriculum, the master’s thesis—conceived as a process combining campus and workplace environments (Björck & Willermark, 2024) and recognized as part of Work-Integrated Learning (Ferns et al., 2025; Zegwaard et al., 2023)—was designed to actively engage students in purposeful professional tasks, facilitating the integration of theory with meaningful practice, professional development, valorization (Sanojca & Triby, 2022), and employability (Björck, 2021; Björck & Willermark, 2024). However, initial student theses revealed significant alignment gaps with the university’s quality expectations, prompting critical questions about thesis formats, student support, and more broadly, the role of the master’s thesis within these programs. Specifically, we questioned how the thesis process could be adapted to meet students’ needs and generate added value for businesses, while simultaneously adhering to university methodological and quality standards. A root cause analysis was conducted, identifying barriers and opportunities linked to stakeholder expectations and needs. This paper discusses the identified challenges and subsequent interventions implemented. Particular emphasis is placed on addressing the epistemological gap, varying significantly between fields, between academic and business methodologies (Fournet & Bedin, 1998; Morillon, Grosjean, & Lambotte, 2018), informing adapted thesis formats and enhanced support structures (Höst, Feldt, & Luders, 2010; Knauss, 2021).