Thesis defence

The thesis defence is public and it is done before a Thesis Commission composed of 1 President and 4 members nominated by the Dean.

It consists of

• an oral presentation of the thesis done by the student with the help of slides (max 20 min)
• a discussion on the topic of the thesis and on general topics of Computer Science (max 5 min)

The defence is held in English.

Evaluation and grade

The final degree grade is composed of:

• the weighted average of the grades achieved in exams, calculated in 110/110
• the points given by the Thesis Commission at the thesis defence

The grade thus obtained is rounded to the nearest whole number.

The points given at the thesis defense go from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 8; an average thesis is given 4 points.

The thesis is graded on following criteria:

• Context of research: How well the student has displayed an understanding of the background to the project and related work
• Organisation and presentation of the contents: Literacy and professional presentation of the thesis work
• Technical content: How well the student displayed the relevant knowledge and skills at Masters level
• Originality: The degree of originality shown, commensurate with a 6 months research project

The Thesis Commission can fail a candidate if the thesis defence is considered insufficient; in this case you will have to present a new thesis at a later Graduation Session.

In accordance with the “general university study regulation” (Art. 26) of the unibz it is possible to give the “cum laude” starting from the grade 110/110. The "cum laude" has to be unanimously approved by the commission.

In addition, the Thesis Commission can confer the "dignità di Stampa" (literally "worthy of publication") to a thesis report already awarded the "cum laude", if the thesis contains innovative results and if part of the thesis has been published or is in the process of being published in an international journal or conference.