Each student of the EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies programme is required to write a substantial Master's thesis, which is to be submitted in early May. The thesis, written in either French or English, must be an original piece of work, dealing with an issue relevant to the study programme. It counts for 15 ECTS.

The thesis is written in the framework of an optional or compulsory course and supervised by the professor teaching that course. Most students benefit from the proximity of Brussels and conduct interviews with experts from the EU institutions, NATO or national representations.

To prepare for their theses, students follow the course “Research Design in EU External Action Studies”, which deals with research design, theoretical approaches and methodology relevant to the study of the EU's external action.

All Master’s theses are also independently assessed by a second reader, and an oral thesis defence involving the supervisor and second reader is held in the exam session.

When submitting their thesis, students may apply for thesis awards dedicated to specific subjects. Some of these awards come with a paid internship at the sponsor’s organisation. Only theses with a mark of 16/20 or higher are eligible for an award.