Master of Science in Computer Science - Thesis
Guidelines for the Dissertation (=Thesis)
In order to help students with their dissertation, the Degree Committee of the Master in Computer Science has prepared specific guidelines. In the guidelines you can find:
- what a dissertation is, and why it is extremely important
- between which kinds of dissertations you can choose
- how long the Dissertation Report should be, according to the kind of dissertation
- how the Dissertation Report should be written in order to be successful
Please be sure to carefully read the guideline: dissertations not taking into account these indications may be considered not appropriate for submission.
Download the Guidelines for the Dissertation
Layout and language of the Dissertation Report
Layout of the Dissertation Report:
- Page format: A4 sized paper, printed on both sides
- Formatting: single spaced, 10 pt. (in the style of LaTeX standard article 10 pt.)
- Margin: sufficient to accommodate binding on the left
Language of the Dissertation Report:
- English
- The Dissertation is also held in English.
Supervisor and Co-Supervisor of the Dissertation
The Supervisor of the dissertation must be a Full or Associate Professor of the Faculty, a Researcher of the Faculty, or an External Lecturer employed by the Faculty.
The Supervisor is responsible for the scientific aspects of the dissertation.
The Faculty Council may nominate a Co-Supervisor who collaborates with the tutoring and supervision of the student during the dissertation work; the Co-Supervisor can be a Full or Associate Professor of the Faculty, a Researcher of the Faculty, an External Lecturer employed by the Faculty, or a Researcher belonging to national and international Universities and Research Centres.
Dissertation Defence
The Dissertation Defence is public and it is done before a Thesis Commission composed of 1 President and 6 members nominated by the Dean.
The Dissertation Defence consists of
- a presentation of the dissertation done by the student with the help of slides (20 min)
- a discussion on the topic of the dissertation and on general topics of Computer Science (5 min)
The Dissertation Defence is held in English
Dissertation Evaluation and Mark
The final Degree Mark is composed by:
- the weighted average of the marks achieved in exams, calculated in 110/110
- the points given by the Thesis Commission at the Dissertation Defence (max 10 points)
- the bonus for completing the study course within 2 years (2 points for the July Thesis Session, 1 point for the October Thesis Session)
The mark thus obtained is rounded to the nearest whole number.
The Thesis Commission can fail a candidate if the Dissertation Defence is considered insufficient; in this case the candidate will have to present a new dissertation at a later Thesis Session.
The Thesis Commission can assign the mark of 110/110 "cum laude" if the Dissertation Defence is considered outstanding; this is only possible if the candidate reaches a mark of 113/110 (according to the composition detailed above), and the Thesis Commission votes the "cum laude" unanimously.
In addition, the Thesis Commission can confer the "Dignità di Stampa" (literally "worthy of publication") to a Dissertation Report already awarded the "cum laude", if the dissertation contains innovative results and if part of the dissertation has been published or is in the process of being published in an international journal or conference.
Thesis Sessions and Important Deadlines
Thesis Sessions
Deadlines
At least
3 months before the Dissertation Defence (for example: defence on May 20th -> deadline on February 20th):
- hand in the "Request for the Title of the Thesis" at the Faculty Administration.
At least
1 month before the Dissertation Defence (for example: defence on May 20th -> deadline on April 20th):
- hand in the "Request for the Final Thesis Examination" at the Faculty Administration; the request has to be signed by the Dissertation Supervisor and by the Student. The signature of the Dean of the Faculty will be collected directly by the University.
- hand in the AlmaLaurea receipt certifying that you have filled in the AlmaLaurea questionnaire at the Careers Advisory Service. Attention: you must hand in the AlmaLaurea receipt in order to be admitted to your Dissertation Defence! See Informations about AlmaLaurea and Instructions for filling in the AlmaLaurea questionnaire
At least
15 days before the Dissertation Defence (for example: defence on May 20th -> deadline on May 05th):
- hand in all bound copies of the Dissertation Report, together with the summary in English on a separate sheet (see paragraph "Copies of the Dissertation") at the Faculty Administration;
- hand in the "Request for Archiving and digital upload of Thesis" at the Faculty Administration.
As soon as you receive the e-mail notice from the Student Secretariat:
- upload a digital copy of the Dissertation on the University web pages.
At least
4 days before the Dissertation Defence (for example: defence on May 20st -> deadline on May 16th):
- send the presentation slides for the Dissertation Defence via e-mail to the Faculty Administration (please use only standard formats)
Copies of the Dissertation Report
You have to hand in at the Faculty Administration
- 2 bound copies of the Dissertation Report (3 if you have a second Dissertation Supervisor);
- a summary of one page in English on a separate sheet (please write your name and student id-number on it).
These copies will be at the disposition of the Thesis Commission during the Dissertation Defence.
After the Dissertation Defence, one copy will be given to the Library to be archived, the other ones will be handed back to the student.
The student also has to give a copy of his Dissertation Report to the Dissertation Supervisor and the Dissertation Co-Supervisor (if there is one); these copies do not have to be bound.
You have to bind the Dissertation Report at the University Library with the special binder.
Furthermore, you will have to upload a digital copy of your Dissertation Report, to be stored at the University Library.
Thesis Projects of the Centres of the Faculty of Computer Science
Each Centre of the Faculty of Computer Science offers different Thesis Projects.
If students choose one of these projects, they will do their Thesis Internship at the Faculty, in one of the Research Centres.
To get information on these Thesis Projects, please visit the pages of each Centre listed below:
Thesis Projects of External Lecturers of the Faculty of Computer Science
Also External Lecturers holding a course at the Faculty of Computer Science in the current Academic Year can be chosen as Thesis Supervisors by students.
Many External Lecturers have interesting Thesis Projects: to get information on these Projects, please contact the lecturers via e-mail.
All External Lecturers can be found on the
Course Page and on the
Staff Page of the Faculty.
Regulations and Forms