Final examination: modalities and deadline

Thesis Supervisor

All the professors responsible of teaching activities can be chosen as thesis supervisors.

Students are required to graduate in a subject included in the teaching plan of their degree programme.

If a student wishes to write his/her dissertation in a subject that is NOT included in the teaching plan of the degree programme, she/he must submit a motivated request for authorization to the Degree Programme Director, before starting to write the thesis. This request must be sent to the Programme Coordinator .

Co-Supervisor

The name of the co-supervisor has to be indicated in the online graduation application.

Please note: if the co-supervisor is external to the University of Bologna, the main Supervisor must submit a formal request, attaching the curriculum vitae of the external proposed expert.

The final examination for the awarding of the Master’s degree consists of the drafting and public defense of an original thesis, prepared by the student on a topic consistent with the educational objectives of the degree program, under the supervision of a thesis supervisor.

From the reading of the thesis and the related discussion, mastery of the subject matter, critical analytical skills, independence of judgment, and adequate communication skills must emerge.

The topic and structure of the final thesis are defined jointly by the candidate and the supervisor, in compliance with the guidelines of the Master’s degree program.

The formal and stylistic features of the final thesis must particularly demonstrate:

• Clarity of language and style: arguments must be expressed in a clear and linear manner, free of redundancies, using short and well-constructed sentences; grammar and syntax must be correct. The linguistic style must be appropriate to the academic-scientific register.
• Completeness and informational coherence: all information necessary for a full understanding of the candidate’s logical and conceptual reasoning must be presented with accuracy and rigor.
• Theoretical soundness: the chosen topic must be developed on the basis of thorough and up-to-date bibliographic research, capable of situating the subject within the relevant theoretical framework.
• Methodological rigor: when the thesis includes an empirical investigation, it is necessary to clearly outline the research design, precisely describe the instruments and techniques used, and discuss the results in relation to the reference literature, highlighting any original contributions of a conceptual and/or applied nature.

Structure of the thesis

The supervisor, in agreement with the candidate, may propose—depending on the chosen topic, research questions, and methodological approach—that the final thesis take one of the following forms:

• Monograph (approximately 80–120 pages), focused on a coherent and systematic theoretical or empirical in-depth study;
• Short monograph linked to a professional internship (approximately 50–60 pages), in which the internship experience is integrated into a critical and methodologically grounded analysis;
• Scientific research article (approximately 10,000–20,000 words), which requires the candidate to demonstrate strong analytical, synthetic, and expository skills and to use original data and sources, in order to present the topic under analysis clearly, convincingly, and comprehensively, and to propose innovative results.

The score that may be awarded for the Master’s thesis ranges from a minimum of 0 (zero) to a maximum of 6 (six) points.

Evaluation criteria and score allocation for the Master’s Thesis

Theses deemed acceptable but of minimal quality must be awarded 0 points.

• 1–2 points: theses that are stylistically and formally correct and limited to a review of the literature on the topic.
• 3–4 points: theses that include empirical work (data collection from primary sources) or in-depth research based on secondary sources, but that are not fully successful and/or lack an original and mature theoretical interpretation.
• 5–6 points: theses characterized by solid research work, the use of appropriate methodologies, and a high level of theoretical and interpretative originality.

Evaluation criteria and score allocation for the Master’s Thesis with Professional Internship

• 0–2 points: absence or minimal presence of sources and materials related to the internship, with a predominantly descriptive approach.
• 3–4 points: good presence of sources and materials related to the internship, developed within an adequate analytical framework.
• 5–6 points: excellent presence of sources and materials related to the internship, developed within one or more comprehensive analytical frameworks and enriched by critical and original reflections on methodology and content.

Evaluation criteria and score allocation for the Thesis in the form of a Scientific Article

• 0–3 points: articles that include empirical work (data collection from primary sources) or in-depth research based on secondary sources, but that are not fully successful and/or lack an original and mature theoretical interpretation.
• 4–6 points: articles characterized by solid research work, the use of appropriate methodologies, and a high degree of theoretical and interpretative originality.

Within each score range, the Committee may award the minimum or maximum score based on the quality of the oral presentation and the thesis defense.

The final degree grade is calculated as the simple sum of the weighted average of exam grades and the score awarded for the final examination (excluding any bonus points for regular progress).

Honors (110 cum laude) are reserved for candidates who present a thesis and an academic record of particular merit. The Committee will assess all elements of the academic career and the final work as a whole.

1st Deadline – Online graduation application:

By this deadline (by 11.59 pm CET) you have to:

• fill in the online graduation application on Studenti Online (SOL) It is possible to submit the online application even in the event if not all the exams included in your study plan have been officially registered;

• pay:
  two stamp duties (for a total of 32 €) according to the methods indicated in the online graduation application, IF you applying for the first time,
  or
  one stamp duty of 16 €, if you have already submitted a graduation application in the previous academic years, according to the methods indicated in the online graduation application.

Please note! The online graduation application is considered properly submitted only when the payment of the stamp duty (“imposta di bollo” in Italian) has been completed (please, see also the section Payment methods).

In the "view details" section of the graduation application, the "verification traffic lights" will be displayed in yellow and/or red until manual and individual verification by the Student Administration Office.

Manual checks can generally continue up to one week before the graduation.

Once the checks are completed, the status of the application will be changed to "requirements satisfied," and the traffic light will turn yellow (the traffic light turns green after the graduation grade is recorded).

Only in case of issues, you will be notified via your official Unibo email or contacted via Microsoft Teams or on your mobile phone.

2nd Deadline - Possession of the requirements

By this deadline, you must:

• Have paid all the tuition fees due for your entire academic career.
• Have passed and officially recorded all the exams required by your study plan (you can check the records on AlmaEsami/Exams at Link to Alma Esami or via Studenti OnLine).
  You will see a check light for the “Completion of the study plan” (in Italian, “Completamento del piano di studio”). It will automatically turn green, if your study plan complies with the rules provided in the related section of the Degree website, otherwise, it remains yellow (even if the study plan is completed) in the presence of exams recognized from previous careers, taken abroad, individual study plans, etc., until manual verification by the Student Administration Office (see "verification traffic lights" in the box above). Inform us as soon as possible via your institutional email at segforli@unibo.it if you have entered excess exams of type D (elective) that you do not intend to take.
• Have completed the AlmaLaurea questionnaire online. The link to the AlmaLaurea questionnaire appears within the online graduation application, and completion is recorded within a few hours after the questionnaire is completed.
• Have uploaded: keywords, the abstract (see details within the online graduation application), and the final thesis in .pdf format (a single file with the cover page as the first page, followed by the signed originality declaration form and the thesis itself - see Attachments). It is not possible to upload the thesis after 11:59 PM on the Deadline 2.

3rd Deadline – Online thesis approval

By this date (11:59 PM), you must have obtained the online approval of the thesis upload from your Supervisor.

Attention! Once the thesis is approved by the Supervisor, it cannot be modified. If the deadline is approaching and you haven’t received approval, contact the Supervisor.

Change of Graduation Session Choice

If, after submitting your online graduation application, you wish to change the date of your graduation session within the same academic year, you must:
- Send an email as soon as possible to the Student Administration Office (segforli@unibo.it), and they will cancel your current application;
- Log back into StudentiOnLine to book a new session – without any additional fees (no stamp duty) – by the new "1st Deadline " indicated in the calendar. This change can be made multiple times, always following the same procedure (email, cancel application, submit a new application).

If you have submitted your graduation application and are unable to graduate by March (the last session to graduate in the academic year), you must:

• Send an email as soon as possible to the Student Administration Office (segforli@unibo.it), and they will cancel your application;

• Regularize your university fees;

• Submit a new graduation application (only paying the stamp duty).

Near-graduate students will receive the official convocation - including date, time and room - approximately one week before the graduation session

Schedule of the final examinations and deadlines of online applications

(*)Extra fee =100 euro

Schedule of the final examinations and deadlines of online applications

(*)Extra fee =100 euro

The Rector congratulates on this important milestone and trusts that the session will be conducted orderly, and invites the candidates and their guests to respect the rules of civil coexistence before, during and after the sessions.

In particular, reminds that it is forbidden to introduce glass bottles, confetti or other material likely to offend or disturb the sessions, and that, at the end of the sessions, it is forbidden to linger outside the structure and create gatherings.

Ruffilli libraries organize training courses online (Pronto Soccorso tesi, tesine & co), self-learning guides and tutorials on how to use bibliographic resources and electronic catalogues.