Manual for digital application for approval Master’s degree programme

Before you can start with your MSc thesis you have to apply for approval of your MSc programme. At the Faculty of Economics and Business you have to apply for approval of your course list digitally via ProgRESS. You can enroll for the application in ProgRESS just as you

would enroll for a course or an exam. The information below describes step by step how to fill out and submit the application. If you have any questions about the process, please see the FAQ.

We advise you to keep this manual and the Study guide or Ocasys (Course Catalog) close at hand while filling out the application.

Go to “Enrollments RUG”=> “Economics and Business” => ” Appl for appr.degree progr.and grad.proccess” =>

Enroll for “Appl for appr.MSc degree progr.and grad.proccess”

Choose the right process and check the box under “Enrollment” -> click on “enroll”

Besides that you can see your enrollment noted under Enrollments, there is an extra item called “Registered processes”.(On the right side of your screen)

Under: “Registered processes” click Appl for appr.MSc degree progr.and grad.proccess (0 of 13 steps finished)

Choose the right education Click: “Next”

If necessary, choose the right variant Click: “Next”>> a new page will open

At the top of the page you will see all the steps of the process

Behind Step 1 “Student offers course list for approval” no date is registered under “Finished at”. This step is not finished yet, the application is open.

Under the steps of the process, you can see your List of grades on the left side of the page and your List of courses on the right side:

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Select the compulsory courses you would like to add to your application for approval from your List of grades. Click:

Please note: Don’t include courses that are part of your Propaedeutic or post propaedeutic BSc programme here. When your Propaedeutic and post propaedeutic programmes are finished, those courses already have been approved and processed.

Please, don’t forget to include the MSc thesis, even if you haven’t received a result for this subject yet!

[Including the thesis in the course list is NOT an enrollment for the thesis. You can enroll for the thesis under course enrollment.]

Select the elective courses you would like to add to your application for approval from your List of grades.

Click:

MSc subjects that have NOT been taken/finished yet and are part of your MSc programme, DO have to be included.

Please see Ocasys or the Student Handbook for the right course codes.

On the left side, at the bottom of the page click on:

To search, fill in the course code. Select the right course > choose right category > click: “Add to list of courses”

If necessary, select Extra MSc courses.

This category is for extra MSc courses that are not part of your programme.

Click:

Please note: Propaedeutic and post propaedeutic BSc courses may not be included as extra courses.

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Be sure to apply for at least 60 EC of MSc courses.

In case of a Teaching or Research MSc programme, please make sure to apply for the minimally required number of EC credits.

Submit the list of courses. Click:

“Are you sure? You cannot change the list after it has been submitted.”

Click: “Ok”

When you are finished you can make a print for yourself. Click: “Print”

When you have submitted the application for approval, Step 1 of the process will be finished. The list will now be checked by the Educational Office. Subsequently, the Board of Examiners will approve or reject the programme. You can follow the progress of this process on ProgRESS. As soon as the programme is approved, Step 4 of the process will be finished. You will not receive a letter about this. The processing of the application for approval can take up to six weeks.

For frequently asked questions, please see the next page!

Frequently asked questions and answers:

- When do I have to apply for approval of my programme?Every Master programme has to be approved by the Board of Examiners before you can start with your Master’s thesis. It normally takes about six weeks to process an application for approval. This means that you must submit an application for the approval of your study programme at least six weeks before you think you will start on your thesis. If you don’t, you cannot start with your MSc thesis and this may cause serious study delay.

- I just started with my MSc programme, can I already apply for approval?> Yes, you can apply for approval as soon as you know which MSc courses will be part of your programme.

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- When I fill out the application for my MSc degree programme, I can only select the name of a BSc education. Is this correct?> No. You probably can’t see the name of the MSc education because your enrollment for the MSc degree programme is not yet in order. Your application for the MSc programme should be in order before you apply for approval in ProgRESS. For questions about your enrollment, please contact the University Student Desk (USD): 050-363 8004 or http://www.rug.nl/education/hoezithet/

- Is the application for the approval process sufficient to receive approval for my programme?> No, until your (correctly filled out) programme has been presented for approval (Step 1 is finished) it can’t be evaluated and, if applicable, be approved.

- Will my application automatically be processed when I have filled it out?> No, your application will not be processed until Step 1 “Student offers course list for approval” is finished.

- If I apply for the approval process, will I automatically be enrolled for the thesis?- If I submit the application for approval, will I automatically be enrolled for the thesis?> No, you have to enroll for the thesis yourself under course enrollments in ProgRESS, just as you enroll for other courses.

>> For MSc thesis, please visit: ProgRESS > Enrollments RUG > Ec.&Bus. > Course and Exam enrollment > Course enrollment –Master programme > Master’s theses.

> For information about the course enrollment, please visit: http://myuniversity.rug.nl/infonet/studenten/feb/courses-and-exams/courses/> For information about the MSc thesis, please visit: http://myuniversity.rug.nl/infonet/studenten/feb/studyandcareeradvice/study-progress/master/graduation/master-thesis

- Should the thesis be included in the application for approval?> Yes, all the subjects that are part of your MSc programme should be included in the application for approval and this includes the thesis. Without the thesis your programme is not complete and your application can not be processed.

- Where can I find the course code of a course?> In Ocasys: http://www.rug.nl/ocasys/feb/> In the Student handbook: http://www.rug.nl/feb/education/student-handbook/

- Do I have to include my propaedeutic, second and third year BSc courses as well?> No, it is not allowed to include propaedeutic, second and third year BSc courses in the MSc programme, unless otherwise indicated.

- Is it sufficient to place all the courses in one category?> No, for the clarity and to avoid any delay in the evaluation of your course list the Master’s courses need to be placed in the right categories.

- I have not received the results for all my courses yet, is it possible for me to apply for approval?

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> Yes, even if not all of your subjects are finished yet you have to apply for approval.Courses you haven’t taken/finished yet can be added to the course list by using the button “Search for course to add”. Please visit Ocasys for information about the programme, course codes and course names: http://www.rug.nl/ocasys/feb/

- I am not sure which elective courses I will be taking, can I include them all and later delete a couple of them? > No, you should only include the elective courses that you are actually going to take. Please make sure your course list is complete when you submit it. Incomplete applications can not be processed.

- I am following two MSc programmes, how do I fill out the application?> If you are following two separate MSc programmes, you have to fill out two applications for approval, one per programme.> If you are following two variants of one MSc programme, you have to fill out one application for approval and select the programme name with two variants.! Please be aware of the amount of overlap that is allowed between two (variants of) MSc programmes.> For more information, please read the Teaching and Examination Regulations:http://www.rug.nl/feb/education/student-handbook/docs/2013-2014-oer-en.pdf

- I am following two MSc programmes, but I will be writing only one, combined MSc thesis. How do I indicate this in the application?> Instead of the regular MSc thesis the following subject should be included in both your MSc programmes: Ma Thes.comb.2 progr. / Master's Thesis Combination two Programmes. The course code of the combined MSc thesis is: EBM000A20.! Including the combined MSc thesis in both programme will make the course turn pink in your course list, this colour can be ignored.

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- Initially I wanted to write one combined MSc thesis, but now I’ve decided to write two separate MSc theses (one per programme) instead. Do I have to do anything?> Yes, if you have already applied for approval of your two MSc programmes and the combined thesis is included in both course lists, the programmes need to be altered. The combined thesis needs to be replaced in the two programmes by the regular MSc theses. Please send an email approvalprogram.feb@rug.nl ASAP about this.

- I am following three MSc programmes but there are only two applications for approval in ProgRESS. How to apply apply for approval for my third programme?> Please send an email to approvalprogram.feb@rug.nl and we will help you with the third application.

- I am following an old course, but I am thinking about following the substitute course instead. Which course should be included in the application for approval?> If you think you will finish the old course, the old course should be included.> If you think you will not finish the old course, you can best include the substitute course.! Please note: the old course and the substitute course may not be both included in your course list.> For information about the substitution and transition regulations, please visit:http://www.rug.nl/feb/education/student-handbook/

- I will be following a new/substitute course, but the course code is still unknown. Can I still apply for approval for next year?> Yes. As long as the course code of the new course is not available, you can include the old course in your programme. As soon as the new course code is available, you can email to approvalprogram.feb@rug.nl to indicate that the course needs to be changed in your programme.

- I am following Honours courses at the Honours College. Can I include these Honours courses in my MSc programme?> No, unfortunately it is not possible to include Honours courses in your Master’s programme (yet).

- My programme has been approved, but now something has changed in my course list. Can my application still be adjusted?> You can best email this question to approvalprogram.feb@rug.nl In the email, please mention your name, student number and the courses you would like to change. (Please mention the course names and course codes). ! Please note: if your programme is changed, it will have to be evaluated again. The approval process may take up to six weeks. So please contact us ASAP if your programme needs to be changed.

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