Master's Thesis
The master's degree programme concludes with a 35-week Master's thesis project completed in a BSSE research group. The thesis project concludes with a written report and oral presentation.
The following prerequisites must be fulfilled to start the Master's thesis:
- All additional requirements courses must have been passed
- A minimum of 64 ECTS must have been acquired, including
- All credits in the core course category
- All credits from either the research project or the industry internship
The Director of Studies may allow exceptions regarding the required 64 ECTS if cogent grounds are submitted at the proper time. Note that no exception can be made regarding the other prerequisites.
The Master's thesis is conducted in one of the research groups at BSSE - the supervisor is a professor at BSSE.
Students contact the research group they are interested in directly to agree on a project and the start date. Usually, the contact person for research projects is a senior assistant or post-doc in the group.
Before the start of the Master's thesis
- Upon agreeing on a project and the sttart date, the Master's thesis must be registered in myStudies under projects/papers/theses
- Additionally, students must register their stay in the research group at least 2 weeks before the start to obtain server and group access
- Students are required to sign the ETH IP Agreement and submit it with the research group registration
Research group registration
Note
- The supervising professor of the Master's thesis must be different from the research project or industry internship
- The registration must be done in the semester in which the thesis is started. In a subsequent semester, the thesis does not have to be registered for again, and students may request a leave of absence.
By the Master's thesis deadline, students submit the following documents to the supervising BSSE professor:
- Master's thesis written report
- Signed Declaration of Originality
The oral presentation concludes the Master's thesis.
The Master's thesis is concluded with a written report and an oral presentation.
Written report
- The written report must be submitted to the supervising professor by the thesis deadline
- The report must adhere to common scientific and academic standards
- Details are to be discussed and agreed upon with the supervising professor. There are no department specific rules, criteria regarding the written report. It is suggested to ask the supervising professor for a good sample report beforehand and afterwards for feedback to improve own writing skills for future reports/theses.
Oral presentation
- The oral presentation may be held within a reasonable timeframe after submission of the written report
- The supervising professor and the student jointly agree on a date for the oral presentation
- Note that feedback from the oral presentation may not be used or integrated in any way into the written report
Assessment
- The D-BSSE Master's Thesis Assessment Criteria provide an overview on the Master's thesis assessment
- Further criteria can be defined by the suprvising professor at the start of the project
- The Master's thesis is a graded semester performance
- A failed Master's thesis can only be repeated once. If the Master's thesis is repeated, a new research topic must be found. Students may choose the same supervisor again or a different supervisor. A passed Master's thesis cannot be repeated.
D-BSSE Master's thesis assessment criteria
Download D-BSSE Master's thesis assessment criteria (PDF, 149 KB)The master's thesis can be published in the Research Collection of ETH Zürich.
The Master's thesis has an alloted duration of 35 weeks full-time. Thereof, 3 weeks are reserved for writing the report and 2 weeks for compensation of public holidays, sick leave and other unplanned short-term absences. In case of late submission, the master's thesis is failed.
The Director of Studies may approve an extension of the submission deadline if cogent grounds are submitted at the proper time. A written request must be submitted to the in time, including the necessary supporting documents (e.g. medical certificate).
Students may voluntarily extend their stay in the research group after submitting their thesis. However, the Master’s thesis work and report, and consequently the assessment must only refer to the allotted duration.
Usually, the Master's thesis is started after the third semester, once all other required study achievements have been fulfilled. The start date can be arranged on an individual basis.
Conducting the Master's thesis outside BSSE is subject to permission by the Director of Studies. Students are resposible to submit the respective request in good time. Requests cannot be considered if they are not submitted in time.
Students who wish to complete the Master's thesis at an external University must submit a well-reasoned request for the project in question, and must find a BSSE professor to act as internal supervising professor.
How to proceed
- Upon receipt of a thesis offer, students must find a BSSE professor to approve the project and agree to act as internal supervising professor
- The filled in and signed request form must be submitted to the
- A one-page project description is mandatory and must be submitted with the request
Upon approval
- Register the project in myStudies under projects/papers/theses
Note
- An external thesis will not be granted in case of a previous external project (external research project or industry internship)
- An external Master's thesis is generally self-organised by the student
- Students should allow for sufficient lead time for the organisation of the thesis project and the onbarding/registration processes
- Additionally, students are responsible for clarifying any project agreement or NDA requirements of the external host institution in advance
Financial support from the Student Exchange Office
The Student Exchange Office offers scholarships for certain projects. Students completing a project outside BSSE may check their eligibility and apply for financial support via their website.
Note that the registration of the external project in myStudies must be finalised before applying for a scholarship via the Student Exchange Office.