The thesis should be a synthesis and further development of the knowledge and competences gained during the three terms of course work in LUMES on top of undergraduate studies. The thesis work should develop the student’s potential for professional sustainability work and/or for further research.

The process puts great demands on the capacity to work independently. The thesis work should increase the student's ability to seek, evaluate, integrate, and produce knowledge. In addition, it should foster the skill to handle complex issues, phenomena, and situations. In substance, the thesis should focus on a local, national, regional, global, or multiscalar sustainability challenge or problem, and analyse it in relation to dimensions of sustainability.

For guidance, every student has access to a qualified individual supervisor and a supervision group of students. The student will defend the thesis in a dialogue with an opponent at a final public seminar, at the end of the course.