Thesis and Dissertation Template: HEC Montreal

HEC Montreal is the business school affiliated with the Université de Montréal. Its graduate programs (MSc, DBA, PhD) require a precise presentation of research work. This guide brings together the essential standards and resources to help you prepare your thesis or dissertation.


Formatting requirements

ParameterRequirement
Paper sizeLetter
FontStandard (Times New Roman 12pt or equivalent)
Line spacingDefined according to HEC guidelines
Word templateAvailable through HEC Google Drive
LaTeX templateNot officially available
Citation styleDepends on the program (APA common in management)

Available template

Word

HEC Montreal provides a Word template through its Google Drive space:

  • Access: hec.ca, MSc Program / Thesis
  • The template is preconfigured with HEC styles (headings, body, bibliography)
  • Downloadable from the official program page

Note: HEC Montreal does not provide an official LaTeX template. If you work in LaTeX, contact the graduate studies office.


Structure of the HEC MSc/PhD document

Front matter:

  1. Title page
  2. Abstract (French)
  3. Abstract (English), depending on the program
  4. Table of contents
  5. List of tables and figures
  6. Acknowledgements (optional)

Body: 7. Introduction 8. Literature review 9. Methodology 10. Results 11. Discussion 12. Conclusion 13. References / Bibliography 14. Appendices


Citation style

In management, HEC Montreal generally recommends the APA style. However, some programs in finance, economics or decision sciences may prefer different styles. Confirm with your research supervisor.


Official resources

  • MSc Program, Thesis and Dissertation: hec.ca/programmes/msc/memoire-these
  • HEC graduate studies office: contact through the student portal
  • Institutional repository: through Zone, the HEC institutional repository

Common mistakes to avoid

  1. Forgetting to download the right template: always use the official HEC template, not a generic one.
  2. Inconsistent citation style: follow the APA style rigorously if that is what your program requires.
  3. Manual table of contents: use Word styles so the table generates automatically.
  4. Excessive abstract length: check the word limits of your specific program.

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Sources: HEC Montreal, MSc and PhD Programs (accessed March 2026). Last verified: March 2026.