Duration
Number of credits
| Master in history (60 ECTS) | 20 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Writing a TFE is an opportunity for students to apply the theoretical knowledge, research methods, critical thinking skills, and writing abilities they have acquired throughout their studies. Students will work independently on a topic proposed by their supervisor, benefiting regularly-according to the terms agreed between them-from their advice, as well as that of the readers on their reading committee.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The completion of a TFE requires students to conduct personal, original, and rigorous research based on a corpus of sources calibrated by the supervisor. Students will demonstrate that they have acquired the basic critical skills required of all historians. This undertaking will therefore in no way correspond to a compilation of existing work, but will establish that the student is capable of identifying a personal issue, questioning the traces of the past, anchoring their questioning in recent historiography, and communicating the results of their research clearly and correctly.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The Seminar in Historical Criticism corresponding to the TFE period is a corequisite, with the required skills base naturally consisting of the progressive research training followed during the Bachelor's degree.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Students are encouraged to contact the advisor of their choice as soon as possible.
They will meet regularly with their supervisor and, once the reading committee has been formed, with their readers to present the progress of their research. With their agreement, they may submit pages for review, according to terms to be freely agreed upon.
Students will also present the interim results of their research at a symposium for thesis students who have the TFE included in their PAE, which will be held on March 9 and 10, 2026 (attendance is mandatory).
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
For the assessment grid and the procedures for defending the final year projects, see Ecampus.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Other : Orale defense of the TFE
Further information:
The TFE, a written, personal, and extensive research project, is evaluated by a reading committee composed of the supervisor and two (or three) readers. This committee is established and approved by the Master's jury. The committee evaluates the TFE using the evaluation grid established by the Master's jury (see Ecampus).
Oral defense
Students defend their Master's thesis (TFE) orally and publicly before their reading committee. The oral defense of the TFE will last a maximum of 40 minutes and will be organized as follows:
1/ The student will first speak for a maximum of 10 minutes to present:
- their research objectives
- their corpus of sources and methodology
- their main findings
Students may accompany their presentation with a slideshow, which must be sent to the chair of the session at least one day in advance.
2/ For 30 minutes, the supervisor and then the readers will take turns speaking to give their opinions on the work and ask questions. The student will have the opportunity to answer these questions: they will demonstrate their mastery of the subject by responding to their interlocutors in a reasoned, precise, and relevant manner.
3/ The student will then leave to allow the jury to deliberate. Grades will not be communicated before the official announcement of the results.
Any errata must be communicated no later than one week before the defense. They will be limited to correcting material errors: missing lines or pages, incorrect tables or graphs, etc.
Spelling
An excessive number of spelling and syntax errors-left to the discretion of the jury-will result in the loss of the degree or even postponement, depending on the extent of the problem.
Use of artificial intelligence
All academic writing must be personal and original. At the end of your work, you must ensure that it is not the product of any artificial intelligence software and declare any use of such tools for language improvement purposes (i.e., exclusively for spelling and grammar correction or translation). You will be required to demonstrate your mastery of your own writing in an oral assessment. Any false or incomplete declaration will be considered fraud and punished as such.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Choice of supervisor and definition of the topic
The choice of supervisor and topic must be communicated to the secretariat by October 30, 2025.
Any doctor who is an academic or scientific member of the History department and who is guaranteed to remain so for at least another two years may be a supervisor. In any other case requiring specific expertise, a co-supervisor will be appointed.
Thesis format
As the quality of a thesis is not related to its length, the number of pages should not exceed 100 pages (excluding appendices and bibliography).
The thesis will include the following elements, according to a plan discussed with the supervisor:
- a presentation of the issue
- a critical presentation of the sources
- a review of the issue, including a critical bibliographic review
- a personal analysis
- a conclusion
- a complete and recent bibliography
- an abstract of max. 200 words accompanied by 3 keywords
- UNIVERSITY OF LIEGE / Faculty of Philosophy and Letters / History
- Title of the thesis
- The statement: "Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of History by [First name LAST NAME] under the supervision of [thesis supervisor]"
- Academic year
The regulations of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters concerning final projects are available via this link: https://www.student.facphl.uliege.be/cms/c_3363380/fr/studentfacphl-reglements
The university and the faculty provide students with a range of activities and support to help them succeed in their final year projects: https://www.student.facphl.uliege.be/cms/c_12674223/fr/studentfacphl-soutien-tfe.
Contacts
Chair of the Master's jury: Catherine Lanneau (C.Lanneau@uliege.be)
Secretary of the Master's jury: Philippe Raxhon (p.raxhon@uliege.be)
The supervisor of your choice (see ULiège directory).