Introduction
The final exam, worth 18 ECTS, represents an important educational opportunity to complete the Course of Study.It requires the writing of an original thesis followed by its public discussion before a Degree Committee specifically appointed and composed in accordance with current legislation and the University's teaching regulations. The written thesis should concern a research topic inherent to the themes that characterise the Master's Degree Course and it must be written by the student under the guidance of a supervisor and possibly a co-supervisor, including a foreign one.
Final exam
In order to be admitted to take the final exam for the achievement of the SCMSD, the student must have acquired all the ECTS required by the Student Course Catalogue, with the exception of those assigned to the final exam, and be current with the payment of university fees and contributions.
The student who has earned all the ECTS required by his / her study plan can obtain the Degree regard less of the number of years of enrollment at the University.
To obtain the Degree, the student must submit an application to the Student Secretariat, signed by the Supervisor, via the Director, at least 6 months before the star tof the first graduation session. To this end, the date of the entry protocol will prevail. For students on mobility this last requirement will be certified by the contact person for international mobility.
The final exam for obtaining the Degree consists in the public discussion of the thesis, related to an original work done by the student. The thesis should preferably be of an application, design or experimental nature, from which the Commission can assess the cultural and scientific maturity as well as the quality of the work performed.
The student and the supervisor can avail themselves of the collaboration of a Co-Supervisor in the preparation of the thesis. The Co-Supervisor can be a professor of another university, even abroad, or be a professional, even of another nationality, outside the University. In the latter case, when submitting the thesis application, a certificate must be produced signed by the Supervisor regarding the scientific and / or professional qualification of the Co-Supervisor in relation to the dissertation being examined. The specific task of the Supervisor and any Co-Supervisor is to coordinate the activities of the student in the preparation of the thesis in relation to the number of ECTS provided for this activity.
The thesis, written entirely in English, accompanied by the Supervisor's signature, must be presentedby the candidate to the competent administrative offices at least 7 days before the final exam. At the same time, the student must deposit a summary of the thesis of the width of a page, in paper and electronic format (MS Word or PDF), at the Department's Educational Secretary which, in turn, will forward it to the individual examination Commissioners attached to the call for the final test session.
The Commission for the evaluation of the final exam is appointed by the Rector on the proposal of the Degree Course Council. The Commission is composed of at least seven members, with the participation of a representative of the professional association; the majority is made up of full professors from the University who are teaching staff in the Department. Role professors, substitute professors or contract professors, researchers, tenured professors and assistants of the role to exhaustion, can be part of the Commission even if they are from another Department, as long as they are in compliance with Art. 24 paragraph 2 of the University Teaching Regulations. Teachers from other universities and experts from research institutions can also be part of the Commission.
As a rule, the President of the Commission is the Director or Coordinator of the Degree Program or, alternatively, the full professor with the longest seniority in the role. It is up to him to guarantee the full regularity of the performance of the exam and the adherence of the conclusive assessments to the general criteria established by the Degree Program.
The minimum score of 66/110 is necessary to pass the final exam. The maximum score is 110/110 with possible attribution of honors.
The degree exam score is equal to the sum of the basic score and the evaluation score referred to in the following paragraphs 12 and 13. The basic score is given by the weighted arithmetic average compared to the ECTS and converted in one hundred and ten (communicated by the Student Secretary) of all educational activities with a mark expressed in thirty, provided for in the candidate's study plan, with rounding of tenths to the nearest higher or lower unit; thirty marks with honors are awarded with a value of 31.
For the attribution of the points for the curricular vote the Commission has at its disposal up to a maximum of 4 points, which can be assigned by adopting the following criteria: - International mobility with ECTS acquisition. - Conclusion of ongoing studies; the score is awarded in the event that the last exam was taken within the session of December and the Degree is obtained by the last useful session of the last year of the course; - Acquisition of at least two honors in basic and distinctive learning activities; - Extracurricular training and orientation internships at companies or research institutions.
For the attribution of the thesis evaluation mark, the Commission has up to a maximum of 7 points available and can be assigned by adopting the following criteria:
- the quality of the thesis work;
- the extent of the commitment made in the completion of the paper;
- the student's knowledge of the topics of the thesis and the main reference bibliography and ability to link them to the themes that characterize the course of study;
- the ability to express the topics of the paper in a fluid manner and to draw conclusions consistent with the results obtained;
- the ability to summarize, in a timely and exhaustive manner, the work performed and the results achieved, within the time allotted for the exhibition;
- the ability to answer the questions posed by the Commission in an easy and relevant manner.
Honors can be assigned, on the proposal of the Supervisor and with the unanimous judgment of the Commission, only for the theses that are in the opinion of the Commission of high quality.
The performance of the final Degree exam is public and there is a public proclamation of the final result as well.
The modality of the final exams requires the presentation of the thesis, also using multimedia support, and a discussion also with questions addressed to the student.
The time allowed for presentation and discussion must be the same for all candidates and for all graduation sessions, regardless of the number of candidates.
At the end of the final examination the Graduation Commission communicates the mark.
The student who intends to withdraw from the final examination for obtaining the Degree must make it known to the Commission before the President closes the thesis discussion.The proclamation takes place with a short public ceremony, immediately after the conclusion of all the final exams, or in the following days. The place, date and time of the proclamation ceremony will be communicated to the Teaching Secretariat of the Department by the Coordinator together with the communication of the date of the final exam.
The final exams for obtaining the Degree are divided into at least three calls.
Diplomas are handed out on the occasion of collective ceremonies on the dates indicated in the Teaching Calendar.