Rabat – Minister of Higher Education Azzedine Al Midaoui has denied reports claiming that master’s thesis programs have been canceled, asserting that these claims are “completely false” and that “the current law remains in effect.”
Speaking before the House of Representatives on Monday, Al Midaoui clarified that the only change concerns bachelor’s programs – where the research project requirement was officially removed in 2023.
“The research projects for master’s degrees are still ongoing,” he stated.
“As for the bachelor’s level, the research project requirement was removed in 2023, not recently. At the time, this decision had specific reasons, among them the low level of knowledge acquisition, the large number of students, the challenges faced by professors in supervising research, and the growing use of AI tools like ChatGPT, which can generate full research papers from a single prompt.”
The minister explained that the 2023 decision was made to adapt to academic realities, as professors struggled to oversee a growing number of students amid declining academic standards. He added that AI has fundamentally changed how students approach research.
However, Al Midaoui clarified that the new pedagogical framework allows flexibility. “Under the new framework, bachelor’s students can still engage in research activities under the supervision of teachers and specialists.”
Turning to graduate studies, he emphasized that master’s programs remain firmly research-oriented. “For master’s programs, it is entirely false that research has been removed. On the contrary, a full semester has been dedicated specifically to research,” he said.
He explained that the form of research differs depending on the discipline. “There are different types of research: in applied sciences, research may take the form of professional training; in scientific disciplines, it may take place in laboratories; and in law, it can be conducted within courts. Professors have full authority to determine the appropriate form of research for their field.”
Al Midaoui concluded by reiterating that research remains at the heart of Moroccan higher education.
“The term ‘training’ used in the new framework is simply a general concept that encompasses all areas of knowledge. But I must insist, research has not been removed. It remains an integral part of higher education.”
He also noted that the master’s thesis retains its academic weight, accounting for 25% of the final grade.
