Acknowledgements for a master’s thesis in engineering
Who wrote it
Kawtar El Idrissi, from Fès, is finishing an MSc in mechatronics engineering in Trento. Her thesis built a low-cost glove for hand rehabilitation after a stroke.
The writer and every detail about them are fictional.
What went into the template
- Degree and thesis
- MSc thesis in Mechatronics Engineering, University of Trento, 2026: a low-cost soft glove for hand rehabilitation after stroke
- How do you want to begin?
- Begin by thanking God
- Supervisors, committee and colleagues
- Prof. Paolo Rinaldi, supervisor: weekly meetings for a year; read three drafts of every chapter; let me rebuild the actuator twice
Dr Elisa Conti, co-supervisor: taught me to run tests with patients safely and ethically
The physiotherapists at the rehabilitation centre, especially Marta, who tested every version and told me honestly when it was uncomfortable
Lab mates Luca and Ahmed, who shared the 3D printer at all hours - Funding, institutions and others who helped
- Scholarship from Opera Universitaria; the nine patients who volunteered for the trials
- Family and friends
- My parents in Fès, who called every Sunday and never asked when I would finish; my sister Salma, who sent a message before every exam; my friend Nadia, who read chapter 4
The writer’s facts, as typed into the template’s form. The example uses nothing else.
The example
Thesis acknowledgements: Master’s thesis
Numbered notes in the margin explain each choice.
Acknowledgements
First, I thank God for the health and patience1 that carried me through this work.
Thanks to God
Note 1: A religious line kept to one sentence, then the page moves on to people. It sounds sincere because it is short.
I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Professor Paolo Rinaldi, for a year of weekly meetings, for reading three drafts of every chapter, and for letting me rebuild the actuator twice2 when it would have been easier to accept the first version. I also thank my co-supervisor, Dr Elisa Conti, who taught me how to run tests with patients safely and ethically.
Supervisors
Note 2: Specific thanks name what the person did. The supervisor will recognise this and remember it.
This thesis would not exist without the physiotherapists at the rehabilitation centre, and especially Marta, who tested every version of the glove and told me honestly when it was uncomfortable3. I thank the nine patients who volunteered their time4 for the trials. My lab mates, Luca and Ahmed, shared the 3D printer with me at all hours and never complained.
Colleagues and participants
Note 3: Thanking someone for honest criticism is generous, and it shows how the work improved.
Note 4: Participants are thanked as a group, without names, as research ethics expect.
My studies were supported by a scholarship from Opera Universitaria, which made it possible for me to study in Trento.
Funding
Finally, my parents in Fès called me every Sunday and never once asked when I would finish5. My sister Salma sent me a message before every exam, and my friend Nadia read chapter 4 when I could no longer see its mistakes. This thesis is theirs as much as mine.
Family and friends
Note 5: One small, true detail says more about her family than a paragraph of gratitude.
Structure
How it is built
Each part in order, with its share of the words.
Checklist
Before you send
Go through your own draft line by line.
Before and after
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Lines like these turn up in many drafts by Arabic speakers. Each fix keeps the meaning and changes only the English.
I would like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude and appreciation to my great supervisor.
I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Professor Paolo Rinaldi, for a year of weekly meetings.
Thanks for everyone who helped me.
I thank the nine patients who volunteered their time for the trials.
Last but not least, to my family.
Finally, my parents in Fès called me every Sunday and never once asked when I would finish.
Questions people ask
Is it acceptable to thank God in thesis acknowledgements?
Yes. Acknowledgements are personal, and a short religious line at the start is common in many traditions. Keep it to one or two sentences, then thank people for what they did.
In what order should I thank people?
Usually supervisors and committee first, then colleagues and technical staff, funders and institutions, participants, and finally family and friends. Check whether your funder requires specific wording or a grant number.
Can I thank research participants by name?
Usually not. Thank them as a group, as this page does, unless they have agreed in writing to be named. Their privacy matters more than the gesture.
Every writer in this library is fictional, and so is every detail about them. Universities and companies appear only as places someone applies to; the professors, papers and facts mentioned around them are invented for teaching. Use the examples to learn the moves, never as text to copy: committees notice, and your own facts are stronger.