Getting ready: writing and grading information

Final examination general information

At the end of their study path, students are admitted to their final exam, consisting in the public presentation of a project to the Graduation Board. 

The Graduation Board may ask you in-depth questions on methods, results and any developments of your work. The Board will assess your performance in determining your final grade. 

For guidelines about the final dissertation, please download the PDF in the attachement section (right side)

In order to be admitted to the graduation session, you must have earned the credits from all of the modules and learning activities except the “final exam” (that is, when you have earned and registered at least 177 credits). You can choose different graduation sessions, according to when you manage to finish your exams: July, September, October, or March. The earlier you graduate, the more bonus points you may be awarded.

Choosing and proposing a subject

To graduate, you must propose a dissertation subject to a teacher within your Degree Programme, who will assess the validity of your proposal in relation to your study plan.  You will have to prove to be able to put together and summarize a bibliography on the subject and re-elaborate it based on the required editorial rules.

Editorial rules

Basic editorial rules to write a dissertation:

• length: between 50,000 and 100,000 characters (including spaces);
• font: Times New Roman or Arial;
• font size: 12 or 13 (10 for footnotes);
• right-left and top-bottom margins: 2.5 cm;
• spacing: 1.5 cm.

MANDATORY RULES TO APPLY TO THE GRADUATION SESSION:

1. Before starting to write the dissertation, it is mandatory for students to contact a Professor of a pertinent subject and decide the title of the work together. 
2. The final paper must be of about 25 to 30 pages. 
3. The bibliography must contain at least two scientific papers
4. Once the title and the bibliography have been approved by the chosen Professor, students have to send and email to the Programme Coordinator (Chiara Orsingher <chiara.orsingher@unibo.it>), with the Professor in cc, letting her know about it.

ATTENTION! Should you not follow these last steps, the Programme Coordinator shall not approve your title on Studentionline and you won't be able to graduate.

Sending the Final Paper

You have to email the final version of your paper, in .pdf format as an attachment, within the relevant deadline, to didatticascaravilli.tutorclabe@unibo.it. You have to send it from your @studio.unibo.it email address and the object of the email should be: CLABE graduation mm/20yy (that is, month +year) final paper.

Within the body of the email please state:

- your full name (first and last name);

- your student number (matricola);

- your degree course (CLABE 8965);

- your graduation month and year;

- your final paper’s title.

The first page in the file you will send must be that in the attachment box (cover page format).

Power Point for thesis discussion

For online graduations it is mandatory to use a Power Point presentation (PDFs, or similar formats are accepted as well). 

For discussions in presence, it is not mandatory, but suggested.

Your Final Grade

While exam grades are on a 18-30 scale, the final grade is on a 66-110 scale. Such final grade is the result of the starting grade + the bonuses (see below). The starting grade is the mathematical average of all of your exam marks weighted on the corresponding credit point values, converted into a mark in the 66-110 scale. The file in the attachment may help you calculate your starting and final grade, however, this is not to be intended as an official tool: it is the Registrar’s Office who can provide official and complete information.

• For every exam passed with honorus (30 e lode) 0.33 points are added 
• Courses and activities in your records that are not graded, that is those assessed on a pass/fail basis, such as internships or idoneità, do not count towards the starting grade.
• The value resulting from previous calculations is rounded up to the nearest integer value: if the decimal point is equal to or higher than 5 then the score is rounded up, whereas if the decimal point is lower than 5 it is rounded down.
• Exams from previous academic careers appearing on your records as “acknowledged” will not count towards the starting grade (however, if the where recognized via the “transfer from another Italian university” procedure, they will count).
• To students whose academic curriculum is particularly deserving and whose final paper is well produced, the Graduation Board may decide to award honours (110 e lode).
• The name of the Graduation Board members, the list of graduating students, the student’s starting grade and the exact dates will be published by the Ufficio di Presidenza about two weeks before the final exam, and will be available on StudentiOnline.

See the information on how to calculate the average score based on your study programme.

Bonuses

A number of bonus points may be added to your starting grade, according to:

Graduation session:

I (July): 4 points
II and III (September and October): 3 points
IV (March): 2 points

Final grade

The Board will assess the candidate's overall performance – dissertation, curriculum, time taken to complete their studies, transfers from another University or another programme – applying specific rules for each Degree Programme.
The Board expresses its assessment with a grade out of one hundred and ten. The exam is deemed to be passed with a minimum grade of 66/110 and a maximum grade of 110/110. In the case of granting a maximum grade, the Board may also grant honours (lode) by unanimous decision.
See the information on how to calculate the average score based on your study programme

The criteria to assess dissertations are:

• originality of the subject,
• correct methodology,
• level of in-depth analysis,
• adequate writing and editing,
• ability to express and present the dissertation.

For further information on the matriculation of the previous years, see the website page.

The Final Examination Board, having taken into consideration the dissertation discussion and your curriculum, will decide the final grade, which will be proclaimed after the discussion (or published on the last day of the Graduation Session on Studenti Online).