General information on credits, supervision, graduation panel and marks
Credits: 15 ECTS credits are assigned for the Master’s degree graduation dissertation.
Topic: Given the time constraints, you are advised to choose a topic for which you already possess adequate theoretical and methodological foundation knowledge. It is also advisable to choose a topic that is related to the specific goals of the degree course in order to obtain the greatest possible benefit from your studies.
Supervisor: You may choose as your dissertation supervisor any member of the School’s tenured or adjunct staff. If you choose a member of the adjunct staff, you must have a member of the School’s tenured staff as assistant supervisor. This is to ensure continuity in the supervision should the adjunct member of staff leave before you graduate. If in doubt, ask a member of staff or contact the Teaching Office.
Assistant supervisor: After agreeing on the topic of the dissertation, you and your supervisor must then quickly find an assistant supervisor who can provide useful expertise on aspects of the dissertation topic. It is then up to the student to discuss the form of collaboration directly with the assistant supervisor.
Graduation panel: The graduation panel is made up of at least three members of the School's tenured teaching staff.
Graduation mark: A 110-point scale is used for the final graduation mark, with the possibility of cum laude being awarded to students obtaining 110/110 if all members of the graduation panel are in agreement. The final graduation mark is the average of the marks received in each individual exam of the degree course (recalculated using the 110-point scale) to which is added the mark obtained in the defence of the dissertation.
Marks awarded for the writing and defence of the dissertation: A maximum of eight marks can be awarded for the writing and defence of the dissertation. In the case of dissertations of exceptional quality, two experts on the topic will be appointed to give a detailed, preliminary evaluation of the originality and quality of the work. If the assessment is positive, the graduation panel will take note of this and may award a maximum of 10 marks for the dissertation. The marking scale to be used when evaluating dissertations is as follows: 0-2 adequate, 3-4 good, 5–6 very good, 7-8 excellent.