Frequently asked questions

1. Who proposes the subject, the student or the teaching staff? The student can propose a research topic for the Master's Thesis (hereinafter TFM). If the student is not clear about a topic for the TFM, they can ask the teaching staff and the coordination of each master's degree to suggest research topics.

2. When should the first proposal of the topic of the TFM be submitted in order to assign a suitable tutor to the topic chosen by the student?

According to the TFM calendar of the current course, the proposal must be submitted to academic management before December 1, 2025* and through a specific template. At the same time, if the student wants his TFM to be of public access through the digital deposits of the UAB and the CSUC, he must also give to the academic management a specific authorization and it will only be effective if the work exceeds a 9 of note. The student must submit the form of the transfer of publication rights to the UAB Digital Deposit of Documents (DDD) to the Academic Management (face-to-face or via email to masters.oficials.comunicacio@uab.cat as long as it is signed electronically), maximum on February 2, 2026.

This authorization may be revoked temporarily or permanently by the student until September 30, 2026.

* In the case of the MUCAP, the project proposal is delivered on February 9, 2026.

3. How is the final topic of the TFM decided? Once the tutoring of the work has been assigned, the student must do a first tutorial with the tutor in order to jointly define the object of study and its viability. The TFM can be research or project if the coordination of the master's degree authorizes it. Both the title and the topic of the TFM can be modified during the academic year as long as it has the approval of the tutor.

4. Can I do a TFM in group? The TFM must be carried out individually, but in the case of the official master's degree Strategic Planning in advertising and public relations, group TFMs are allowed if they have the approval of coordination. In this master's degree, teamwork may be accepted, whether they are project or research work, provided that they are justified and have sufficient entity and, in addition, that the work of the autonomous hours (depending on the number of credits) per student is ensured. We emphasize that the academic regulations of the UAB establish in article 270.4b. that "the evaluation of the work is always individual, even if it has been elaborated collectively." Therefore, despite allowing group work, the defense of the work and the note will always be individual.

5. Who assigns the tutor? The coordination of the master's degree will assign the most appropriate tutor according to the type and area of knowledge that the TFM addresses and the interest of the students. 

6. Who can be a tutor? Only doctors can be a tutor(e)s of the TFM. However, non-doctors, but professionals from the relevant field, may be tutor(e)s, always exceptionally and justified, directly related to the content of the TFM. 

7. Are tutorials mandatory? Yes. In order for the student to defend the TFM, he/she must do at least three compulsory tutorials. The tutor may decide to do more and must agree with the student. 

8. Will there be a tutorial follow-up sheet? The student and the tutor will have to sign the tutorial follow-up form. Both will have a copy.

9. The recommended structure is as follows, although the teaching staff may modify some parts according to the specific needs of each TFM.

1. Cover: It is necessary to fill in the template provided by the faculty where the title / subtitle of the work is specified, name and surnames of the student, name and surnames of the tutor, university, faculty, degree and year; the bibliographic sheet to catalog the TFM, if applicable, in the Digital Deposit of Documents (DDD) and the commitment of original work. The bibliographic file must include a summary of the TFM between 350-500 words in Catalan, Spanish and English and four key words to index it. The original work commitment must be signed by hand and delivered to the tutor. It must not be included in the TFM. You can also include another page of thanks/dedications or famous quotes.
2. Index: The work must contain an index where the different sections of the work are indicated indicating the corresponding pages.
3. Introduction: In the introduction, the presentation of the work must be made, indicating its reasons and justification.
4. Object of study
5. Objectives of the TFM.
6. Hypothesis and/or research questions: Questions to investigate and to which we want to respond. Hypothesis to be validated.
7. Theoretical frame: It must expose the existing and predominant theories of the object of study. A tour of the main theories, research and trends that address the object of study must be made.
8. Methodology: methodology used, methodological techniques and procedures that have been followed to carry out the research work.
9. Show (optional)
10. Data analysis strategy (optional)
11. Work plan schedule (optional)
12. Analysis and results: Presentation of the research carried out and analysis and interpretation of the results obtained. To illustrate this data they can use graphic shapes (tables, boxes, ...) for presentation.
13. Conclusions: In this section, the research questions or hypotheses raised must be answered. It is the personal contribution of the researcher to what he has investigated.
14. Bibliography: In this section all works that have been cited throughout the work must be incorporated (books, articles in academic or sector journals, reports, statistics, etc.).
15. Annexes: It is necessary to include in this section all the information that is considered essential and interesting to contribute and that serves as a support for data that have been treated both in the theoretical framework and in field research.

10. What is the extension of the TFM? It will depend on the number of credits of the TFM module:

• 6 credits: 12,000-18,000 words
• 9 credits: 18,000-27,000 words
• 10 credits: 20,000-30,000 words
• 12 credits: 24,000-36,000 words

11. In which language should the TFM be written? The TFM can be done in Catalan, Spanish or English or in another language if authorized by the coordination of the master's degree. The formal aspects of the TFM are the following:

• Line spacing 1.5
• DINA 4, vertical, with numbered pages
• Times, Garamond, Arial or Helvetic, 12 points
• Margins: upper 3.5 cm, lower 3, right and left 2.5
• Quote with Harvard or APA system
• Bibliographical references will follow ISO 690

12. To whom should the TFM be delivered? The almnat must deliver the TFM to:

• Virtual Campus of the TFM or in the web application of TFM of the UAB, as determined by each coordination of master.

13. How should the TFM be submitted? The master's thesis must be submitted in a single document and in PDF format. In the case of other formats, the coordination of each master's degree must be consulted, which will study the authorization of another system or delivery format.   

14. Should a printed copy be submitted to the tutor? Not in principle. However, the tutor may require it. 

15. What is the deadline for submitting the TFM? Consult the calendar of procedures for the Master's Thesis. 

16. What happens if the TFM is delivered after the deadline? If it is delivered later than the indicated date and time, the TFM will be graded as a 'Not evaluable'. 

17. Is there a model or template for the cover of the TFM? Is it compulsory? The Faculty has developed a two-page PDF form containing the cover and the file for the cataloguing of the TFM in the Digital Documents Deposit (DDD) of the UAB. All the TFMs of the Faculty, including those of the project, must use this template.

18. What works will be published in the Digital Documents Deposit (DDD) of the UAB? All the TFMs will be published in the DDD from a grade equal to or greater than 9 and provided that it is authorized by the author of the TFM. 

19. Why do we encourage the publication of the TFM in the DDD of the UAB? We encourage the publication of the TFM in the DDD of the UAB to comply with the institutional open access policy of the UAB (agreement of the Governing Council of April 25, 2012) that urges that any TFM be included in the Digital Documents Deposit (DDD) of the UAB.

20. Can you request the temporary or permanent embargo of the publication of the TFM in the DDD? Yeah. For reasons of confidentiality of the data, for wanting to publish the TFM in a scientific journal or for any other reason, the author of the TFM may request the temporary (12 or 24 months) or permanent embargo of the TFM. You must request it through the document in which the rights of public communication are transferred to the UAB and which is delivered together with the TFM proposal form at the beginning of the academic year. This embargo can also be requested later at the address bib.comunicacio@uab.cat The deadline for applying for the embargo is 30 September 2026.

Given the case if you want to guarantee the confidentiality of the people interviewed in a Master's Thesis, we recommend that you consult this link of the Communication Library: https://blogs.uab.cat/dretsautor/2022/05/20/com-es-pot-garantir-la-confidencialitat-de-les-dades-personals-de-les-persones-entrevistades-en-lelaboracio-dun-treball-de-fi-destudis/

21. How will the TFM be evaluated? The court will award 70% of the final grade. The student's tutor will make an evaluation report to allow the defense and will grant 30% of the final grade. The court will deliver the minutes of the defenses of the TFM with the final grade to the coordinator and this will introduce the notes to Sigma. Finally, the custody of the defense acts of the TFM corresponds to the academic management. 

22. What will be the composition of the court? The evaluation board will consist of 2 or 3 doctors. In exceptional cases, there may also be professionals from the sector who are not doctors. 

23. How can I know the composition of the members of my court? From June 1 to 12, 2026, it will be published on the Faculty's website within Academic Information, in the Master's Thesis-> Gestió Management of TFM evaluation, and on the panels that are close to the academic management. 

24. Is there a single call for TFMs? Yeah. June 19, 2026 is the deadline for the TFM.

25. Is the defense of the TFM before the court mandatory? Yeah. Article 272.1 of the UAB's academic regulations states that for the evaluation of the TFM, a written report and its public presentation must be prepared before a court appointed by the master's degree committee.

26. When and where should the defense be made before the tutor? The public defense before the court will be held from July 1 to 10, 2026. The time and place of the presentation will be determined by the coordination of the master's degree, which will communicate it to students well in advance. The fact that the defense of the work is one of the conditions established by the state regulations of the TFM implies that the non-presentation to the defense before the court will be qualified as ‘Not evaluable’. 

27. When will the marks of the TFM be published? Deadline for publication 17 July 2026.

28. How is a TFM evaluated? The evaluation criteria of the TFM are different according to each Master's Degree and depends on whether it is a research work or a project. The evaluation criteria are established by the coordination of each master's degree. What is important to highlight is that not only the knowledge is evaluated, but also the more general skills such as the planning of the work by the student, the fulfillment of the tasks in charge, the ability to reason and argue their own ideas, communication and oral and written expression, etc.

29. When do the final project minutes close? The final project minutes are closed the date established by the administrative academic calendar of the UAB.

30. In the event that I disagree with the final mark of the TFM, can I request an extraordinary review? In case of disagreement with the final mark of the TFM, you can request the extraordinary review, which will be carried out by teachers who have not participated in the correction of the TFM. Once the minutes have been closed, you must submit the application to the Academic Management of the Faculty, arguing about the specific aspects of the TFM that, in your opinion, have not been adequately evaluated by the court. Incoherent, unjustified or unargued requests will be dismissed. 

31. If the TFM is suspended, can you take advantage of the work done for the next time you enrol for the TFM? Yes, as long as the new tutor, whether or not it is the same, agrees.

33. Què s’entén per plagi? Segons el Diccionari de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans (DIEC), plagi és, en la seva segona accepció, "Part d’una obra d’altri inserida en la pròpia sense indicació de la font". Per més informació, podeu consultar el web del servei de biblioteques dedicada a les citacions i a la bibliografia.

32. If a tutor detects plagiarism, is the TFM suspended? Yes, with a zero. According to article 266.10 of the academic regulations of the UAB, "In the event that the student makes any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation act, this evaluation act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that can be instructed." 

33. What is meant by plagiarism? According to the Diccionari de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans (DIEC), plagiarism is, in its second meaning, "Part of a work of others inserted in the own without indication of the source". For more information, you can check the website of the library service dedicated to citations and bibliography.