MASTER THESIS

You should apply in time for the final graduation exam of your master studies (see schedule and deadlines). Starting with the July 2017 session, registration to the final graduation is made online via infostud. For your convenience, an English version of the detailed operative instructions is available (translated from the original instructions in Italian).

The master thesis is the execution of a technical or scientific project (for an approximate period of 6 months), which is then described in a written final report. Under the supervision of a professor, work for the thesis can be performed by the student autonomously, or carried out in a company or with an industrial partner during an internship, or developed in one of the laboratories at DIAG. If the thesis work is conducted outside the Sapienza university, an authorization form should be filed. Completion of the master thesis yields 27 credits. The preparation of the master thesis can also integrate an internship, summing up the related number of credits (anyway for a total of 30 credits).

The final graduation exam consists in the presentation and discussion of the master thesis. The work performed should prove that the student masters the methodologies of Control Engineering and/or their application in a specific field, with an appropriate level of confidence and in line with the state-of-the-art of technology. After graduation, the student should be ready for the marketplace or for higher studies.

The grading criteria of the final exam for obtaining the Master degree in Control Engineering have been set by the Council of the Course of Study. They are aligned with those of other master programs taught in English that are being offered at DIAG Sapienza.

The final grade is given by the sum (over a total of 110 points) of the following contributions:

  • weighted average of the grades obtained in the exams performed during the master course, with weights given by the credits; the result is normalized to 110 points
  • bonus for the curriculum: 0-3 points (1 point if you have obtained the maximum grade cum laude in 3 or more exams and 1 point (2 points starting from the graduation of June 2024) if you graduate within 2 academic years)
  • grade for the master thesis (report, presentation, and discussion): 3-8 points

For a master degree to be honored cum laude, it is necessary to reach 113 points in this way. In order to assign 7 or 8 points to a master thesis, or when the cum laude condition applies, the supervisor of the thesis should request the nomination of an examiner (controrelatore) at least 15 days in advance of the scheduled graduation day. The examiner, nominated by the Director of the Course of Study, shall make a deep evaluation of the work performed by the candidate and present the conclusions to the Graduation Committee.

The master thesis should always be written and presented in English. It is however also mandatory to include a one-page summary in Italian. The final version of the thesis has to be screened against plagiarism by the supervisor before the graduation session (see the form available here).