Thesis and Final Examination - Computer Science MSc, Computer Science for Autonomous Systems MSc

Guidelines for Writing a Computer Science MSc and Computer Science for Autonomous Systems MSc Thesis + Information on the Final Examination

At the Faculty of Informatics students of all majors are required to compose a separate, independent bachelor thesis for each of their programmes. (See section 76 (3), Academic Regulations for Students, henceforth ARS.)

Title Last modified Size
Calendar for the Final Examination - Spring semester 2023/24 (import it to your own calendar for the most important deadlines) 22.04.2024. 4.07 KB
Flowchart for students who registered for the Final Examination in June 2024 22.04.2024. 214.11 KB
Calendar for the FInal Examination - Autumn semester 2024/25 (import it to your own calendar for the most important deadlines) 22.04.2024. 7.79 KB
Flowchart for students who plan to register for the Final Examination in January 2025 or later 22.04.2024. 215.89 KB
MSc Thesis Consultation deadlines 25.04.2024. 536 KB
Thesis review form - for supervisors 22.04.2024. 18.98 KB

THESIS TOPIC REGISTRATION FORM

Thesis topic registration form needs to be submitted through Neptun:
Administration / Requests / Available request forms / IK - Thesis Registration Form (MSc)

Students are required to fill in the following data:

  • Student’s data
  • Study programme
  • Supervisor’s data
  • Title of the thesis
  • a max 1 page long description of the topic so that the difficulty and complexity of the task undertaken by the students can be clearly seen and measured.

Before submitting the Thesis Topic Registration Form, please contact the supervisor to discuss the topic and to check his data.

Supervisors can be lecturers and also researchers who are not employed by the University, but they are required to obtain an MSc degree in the relevant field. It is important that all students needs to ask an internal supervisor. Beside the internal supervisor, an external supervisor can lead his/her work as well.

The topic and the supervisor of the student's thesis will be approved by the leader of the programme, specialization.

Choosing thesis topic is required to be indicated in at least six month before the Final Exam period. (ARS section 77 (4a)).  

Deadline for submitting the Thesis Topic Registration Form is:

  • 15 October in case of taking the Final Exam in June
  • 15 May in case of taking the Final Exam in January

Extended deadline for submitting the Thesis Topic Registration Form for an administrational fee (late fee) are the following:

  • 16-29 October in case of taking the Final Examination in June
  • 16-29 May in case of taking the Final Examination in January

On this form students are required to choose 3 subjects related to their thesis. Students has to know all the concepts and methods of the 3 chosen subjects on the Final Examination.

The student can change the topic of the thesis, until utmost in four months before the Final Exam but between changing the topic and the beginning of the final exam period at least 4 months must pass. (ARS section 77 (8a)).

Deadlines for submitting IK-Request for changing the thesis topic:

  • 1 February in case of taking the Final Examination in June
  • 31 August in case of taking the Final Examination in January

In case of inappropriate Thesis Topic Registration Form, the supersivor will send the request back for modification.

Students can choose a thesis topic by themselves, by contacting their previous lecturers inquiring whether he/she would accept their supervision.

The IK-Request for changing the thesis topic can be submitted only if:

  • either the topic OR the supervisor has changed since the submission of the Thesis topic registration form. In case both – the topic AND the supervisor – has changed, the student has to submit another IK-Thesis topic registration form.
  • an IK-Thesis topic registration form has been submitted and accepted beforehand

THESIS CONSULTATION

The MSc in Computer Science students have to complete Thesis Consultation subject. It proves that they have regularly consulted with their supervisor and got to the point where their work is complete at least 60-70%.

MSc in Computer Science students have to register for the Thesis Consultation subject during the registration period in Neptun in case they intend to finish their studies (obtain absolutory/pre-degree certificate) in the current semester. The Thesis consultation subject is published in Neptun with the supervisor as lecturer.

You are required to following steps:

  • Check whether the Thesis consultation subject is published and available in Neptun with a subject code indicated in your curriculum (check your curriculum) with your supervisor as lecturer.
  • Register for the subject in case you intend to complete your studies (obtain absolutorium) in the current semester.
  • In case the Thesis consultation subject is not available with the correct subject code with your supervisor as lecturer, please contact your supervisor, ask him/her to publish the subject as soon as possible.

The fulfillment of the Thesis Consultation subject is recorded in Canvas system. The Thesis consultation grade is administrated in Neptun by the supervisor.

Consultation has to fulfilled in order to obtain the required amount of credits of the Thesis Consultation subject and the Thesis itself.

Deadlines for Thesis Consultation


FORMAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE THESIS

Physical requirements of the thesis:

  • Paper: white, size A4
  • Font size: 12 points
  • Rows: line-adjusted, 1,5 line spacing
  • Margin: inside: 2,5 cm, outside: 2,5 cm, bottom: 2,5 cm, top: 2,5 cm
  • Page number: continuously from the contents to the bibliography. Marked with Arabic numbers.
  • Main chapters of the thesis (Heading 1) are required to start on a new page.
  • Length: app. 50 pages

ENCRYPTION OF THE THESIS

Section 80 (ARS, section 79 (6))

The thesis may only contain information warranting its confidentiality in justified cases. If the thesis can be interpreted without the information warranting its confidentiality, (e.g. personal data can be anonymised), then there is no reason to include such information. (ARS, section 80 (2))

The thesis is to be classified as confidential (encrypted) if it
a) contains business secrets,
b) contains classified information,
c) contains a patent or an invention,
d) contains the personal data of a third party,
e) concerns the University’s business interests. (ARS, section 80 (4))

Documents required for requesting the encryption:

  • IK - Encryption of the thesis in Neptun with the attachment of
  • Statement of consent request form filled, signed and stamped by the head of the involved company or involved person. This document is required to be attached to the Neptun request in pdf format and available on the website of http://csbsc.elte.hu/requests/

The task of the supervisor is to assist the student in the elaboration of the thesis according to paragraph (2) and in the establishment of the justification of its classification as secret. The task of the student is to obtain the necessary permits and consents for the confidential thesis before submitting them. (ARS, section 80 (3))

The confidentiality of the thesis is to be announced by the Student or ordered by the supervisor or the chair of the final examination committee. (ARS, section 80 (5))

The confidential thesis shall be submitted with the protection provided by an electronic password, which may only be revealed to those entitled to the classified information in question. (ARS, section 80 (6))

Only the evaluation committee, the supervisor and the student, and in the case of a teacher training programme, the professional methodology instructor may be present at the defense of a confidential thesis. (ARS, section 80 (7))

Deadline for submitting the encryption documents:

  • 1 November in case of Final Exam in January
  • 1 April in case of Final Exam in June

After the approval of the Neptun request form by the vice-dean, the student will receive an encryption certificate. This has to be uploaded together with the thesis into Neptun. In case of encryption after the thesis is uploaded in Neptun, the „confidential” chekcbox has to be ticked in.


REGISTRATION FOR FINAL EXAMINATION

The fact that examinees wish to take their Final Examination in the particular Final Examination period has to be registered by Education Office. (ARS, section 382, ad section 81 (6))

Registration for Final Examination can be submitted through Neptun:
Administration / Requests / Available request forms / IK – Registration for Final Examination (MSc)

Deadlines for submitting the Registration for Final Examination form:

  • 1 November in case of Final Exam in January
  • 1 April in case of Final Exam in June

SUBMISSION OF THE THESIS

Deadline for submitting thesis in Neptun:

  • in case of taking the Final Examination in Janurary: 1 December
    Extended deadline is not available.
  • in case of taking the Final Examination in June 2024: 15 May
    Extended deadline can be requested after discussed it with the supervisor until 29 May for an extra administrational fee (late fee). Request is required to be submitted until 15 May.
  • in case of taking the Final Examination in June 2025 and later: 1 May
    Extended deadline is not available.

Only one file can be uploaded in pdf or zip format. The uploaded file has to contain the following documents in addition to the thesis and the programme:

In case you can’t print and sign the documents listed above, fill them in electronically and add the following abbreviation after your name: sgd.

For uploading data files bigger than 200 MB please follow these steps:

  1. Upload in zip file: the Thesis Topic Declaration, the Thesis, the source-code of your programme (concerning your own work), the Statement of Originality the Encryption request (if applicable).
  2. Upload the whole thesis programme onto Onedrive, available via your inf mailing system.

At the end of the Statement of Originality, please indicate that the whole thesis programme is available on Onedrive and give access to the head of the Final Examination Committee. He/she will forward the documents towards the other members of the Committee.

Please note! The deadline to upload applies for the documents uploaded on Onedrive (the date of upload is visible on Onedrive as well). We do not accept modifications or alterations after the deadline. It goes for the same for the documents uploaded in Neptun and for those files, what due to the size of the program were made available via a link.

Submitting Thesis in Neptun

After logging in Neptun click on Studies > Degree Thesis/Thesis application menu.

Here you can upload your thesis by clicking on „Upload degree thesis”.

Add the final title of the thesis, some keywords (3-5 words that will make searching easier) and the short summary of the thesis (max. half page).

After this you can upload and save the thesis itself in pdf or zip.

Save the file in the following name and format: NAME_NEPTUNCODE_THESIS.PDF OR .ZIP

Choose the correct file, wait until the uploadis ready. (You will not receive a system message to wait.) Once the uploaded is ready, the name of the uploaded file will be listed.

Click on “Save file”.

Check that the system has really saved all the uploaded documents (via View degree thesis)

The Thesis file can be exchanged until the deadline for upload.

In case you would like to exchange the uploaded file: delete the first file, than upload the new, correct file.

In case of an encrypted thesis, don’t forget to tick in „Confidential” option.


GUIDELINES FOR MASTER’S THESIS EVALUATION

The supervisor evaluates the thesis submitted by the student within

  • 3 weeks if the thesis was submitted by the standard submission deadline (15 December or 15 May);
  • 2 weeks if the thesis was submitted by the extended submission deadline (29 December or 29 May).

Thesis Review Form, which shall contain the supervisor's statement whether the thesis is suitable for defence or not, shall be uploaded into Neptun within the above time frame.

Evaluation Criteria for the MSc Thesis

The guidelines below will be applied as of the Final Exam in January 2023.

I. Definition of research scope and goals

  • The thesis must clearly indicate the topic(s) related to the subject(s) defined by the specialisation as well as the research goal(s) of the thesis within that topic. If the topic is related to a topic of another specialisation, it shall be named.
  • The thesis discusses the engineering and/or scientific importance and relevance of the research done in order to prepare the thesis.

II.        Development of the topic

  • The thesis demonstrates the student's mastery and understanding of the relevant conceptual and theoretical background of the chosen topic.
  • The thesis describes the steps of the elaboration of the topic.
  • The thesis references and makes use of appropriate scientific and technical literature and other relevant sources of information.

III. Methods

  • The student has chosen appropriate engineering and/or research methods.
  • The chosen methods are appropriately explained in the thesis.
  • The thesis explains why and how the chosen methods help to achieve the goals.

IV. Results and contribution

  • The thesis analyses the results of the engineering and/or research process, and presents justified conclusions drawn from the results.
  • The thesis shows that the results obtained provide solutions to the problems studied and answer the research questions raised in the goals.
  • The thesis also discusses how valuable the results are for the engineering and scientific community and for the organization where the work was done.
  • The thesis presents the contribution of the results to technology and scientific or engineering knowledge in the topic area.

V. Presentation, language and structure

  • The thesis is coherent and complete.
  • The student’s contribution to the results is clearly evident in the thesis.
  • The overall appearance of the thesis is appropriate, and the given guidelines have been followed.
  • The text is logical and readable, and its style is suitably formal and objective for an academic thesis.
  • There are no grammatical, spelling or other linguistic errors that make reading difficult.

VI. Process of preparing the thesis

  • The student has sought guidance and followed the advice received.
  • The thesis has been written independently by the student.
  • The student has conducted his/her work in accordance with the expected engineering and research practices and ethical guidelines.
  • The thesis process did not significantly exceed the planned schedule or deadlines.

Evaluation of the Thesis

The evaluation, as well as the grade, are based on the thesis as a whole. However, performance on any one criterion may have a significant impact. The grade for the thesis depends on how well it meets the criteria defined above: unsatisfactory, satisfactory (with significant flaws and shortcomings), good (with minor flaws and shortcomings) or excellent.

Guidelines to the Grades:

  • unsatisfactory (fail) (1): The thesis fails to meet one or more evaluation criteria.
  • satisfactory (pass) (2): The thesis is not a fail, but it is evaluated as satisfactory on four or more criteria.
  • average (3): The thesis is evaluated as satisfactory on up to three criteria and as good or excellent on the other criteria, but the number of excellent marks is lower than the number of satisfactory marks.
  • good (4): The thesis is regarded as good according to all six evaluation criteria; or if there is a criterion on which it is evaluated as satisfactory, then there is another one according to which it is excellent.
  • excellent (5): The thesis meets all the six evaluation criteria as good, and there are at least two criteria according to which it is evaluated as excellent.

 

Criteria

Grade
(unsatisfactory, satisfactory, good, excellent)

I.

Definition of research scope and goals

 

II.

Development of the topic

 

III.

Methods

 

IV.

Results and contribution

 

V.

Presentation, language and structure

 

VI.

Process of preparing the thesis

 

 

Grade

 


PREQUISITES FOR THE FINAL EXAMINATION

  1. Registration for the Final Examination in Neptun.
  2. Before the final examination students have to obtain a pre-degree certificate (absolutory/absolutorium)
    1. Fulfil all the subjects of the curriculum
    2. Fulfil the Thesis consultation subject
    3. Fulfil internship (has to be administered in Neptun)
  3. Submit their thesis recommended by the supervisor for defence.
  4. Have no debt/liabilities in Neptun and towards the university/library

FINAL EXAMINATION

The fact that examinees wish to take their Final Examination in the particular Final Examination period has to be registered by Education Office. (ARS, section 382, ad section 81 (6))

The Final Examination consist of the defence of the thesis and the oral examination: the subject material related to the 3 chosen subjects, registered on Thesis Topic Registration Form (or Thesis Topic Description in case of taking the Final Examination in June 2024). Students has to know all the concepts, methods and connections of the 3 chosen subjects.

 If the thesis is evaluated as insufficient/failed (1), the student must rewrite his/her thesis. If either part of the Final Examination i.e. the defence of the thesis or the oral examination related to the 3 chosen subjects is evaluated as failed, the student may not retake it within the same exam period.

In accordance with Section 383/A of the ARS, the final grade of the final examination in Master’s programmes in Computer Science and Computer Science for Autonomous Systems is derived from the average of the grade of the degree thesis, and of the defending of the degree thesis together with the oral exam. The grade of the degree certificate shall be the average of the cumulative average (weighted rade point average) of the subjects completed during the programme and the final examination score.

In case students enrolled in September 2022 or later

In accordance with Section 383/A of the ARS, the final grade of the final examination in Master’s programmes in Computer Science and Computer Science for Autonomous Systems is derived from the average of the grade of the degree thesis, and of the defending of the degree thesis together with the oral exam. The grade of the degree certificate shall be the average of the classic average of the subjects completed during the programme and the final examination score.