MRES.C.01 MSc Thesis
MSc Thesis is the final outcome a research study on a specific topic within the broad field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. In the present MSc Program, the topic is defined upon enrollment of the MSc student and research on it is carried out throughout the duration of the program (typically, 3 academic semesters).
The major objective of the MSc Thesis is to lead the student to delve into the selected topic of research within the broad field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, to develop novel approaches, methods, solutions or designs and thus contribute to the advancement of science and technology in the field. In doing so, the student is gradually brought to the state of the art in the science and technology of the field.
An equally important objective is the introduction and initiation of students to research methodology and procedures, the cultivation of their scientific and research interests, the familiarization of students to the rules and ethics of research and the development of their research skills.
A typical MSc thesis comprises an initial literature review, the definition of research questions that should bear elements of novelty, theoretic study of the problem at hand and results, as well as – where applicable – practical implementation or construction of a prototype and measurements or data analysis to verify the results of the theoretic study. The students are guided to adopt and implement a carefully chosen methodology in order to systematically address and answer their research problems or questions. Results are used to compose answers to the research questions, followed by discussion and critical appraisal of the whole research study and conclusions.
Upon successful completion of the MSc Thesis, the student is expected to be able to:
- Perform a literature review of the field of research to get acquainted with the state of the art,
- Discern a gap in knowledge and/or technology that is worth addressing at the MSc level,
- Analyze the problem(s) or issue(s) related to this gap,
- Compose alternative solutions and comparatively evaluate them according to a set of criteria; select the optimal solution,
- Simulate and/or design and/or construct a prototype to demonstrate the feasibility of the solution, as a proof of concept,
- Comparatively evaluate this solution to alternative existing ones and state its strengths and weaknesses,
- Carry out an up-scaling study, were the solution required to operate in real-field conditions and scale,
- Write and defend in public an extended research report, in the form of MSc Thesis, on the problem, the proposed solution and its merits.
Successful completion of mandatory course modules and electives chosen.
MSc thesis is turned in and orally defended by the student to the respective examination committee. The procedure is held in public.
The examination committee may
(i) accept the MSc thesis as it is,
(ii) return the thesis to the student along with comments for improvement and set a new deadline for defense, or
(iii) reject the thesis.
An accepted MSc thesis is graded by the examination committee on the basis of the set of defined evaluation criteria and grade breakdown, as detailed in the MSc Program Study Regulation. The final grade is the average of the grades given individually by each committee member. After the committee files the MSc thesis grading form with the Secretariat, the student has to upload the thesis in full text in the UNIWA repository POLYNOE, under the MSc program partition, for the grade to become final.
The MSc thesis evaluation form along with the detailed criteria and grade breakdown per criterion can be found in the “BIBLIOGRAPHY” tab of the present module.
All faculty members of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering professors , associate professors , and assistant professors can supervise student research leading to the preparation of an MSc Thesis, on specific topics they propose in the annual calls for applications.