Master's Thesis

Master's Thesis

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.  

In addition to the registration via myStudies (course unit number 636-0805-00L),  the external page registration form must be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the start.

Note

• The registration must be done in the semester in which the thesis is started. Students starting in between semesters should register the thesis in the semester in which most of the work is completed. In a subsequent semester, the thesis does not have to be registered for again, and students may request a leave of absence.
• Students must fulfil all prerequisites to start the master's thesis:
  • The BSc programme must have been completed
    
  • Additional requirements courses must have been passed
  • A minimum of 64 ECTS must have been acquired, including all credits in the core course category
  • The research project or industry internship must have been completed and the credits acquired (16 ECTS)

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.

Duration

• The master's thesis duration is 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.
• Students may voluntarily extend their stay in the research group after submission of the thesis. However, the master’s thesis work and report, and consequently the assessment must only refer to the official duration.

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).

Report, Oral Presentation & Assessment

The master's thesis is concluded with an oral presentation and a written report.

• The written report is submitted to the supervising professor.
• 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.
• The Factsheet D-BSSE Master's Thesis Assessment Criteria provides an overview on the master's thesis assessment. Further criteria can be defined by the suprvising professor at the start of the project.
  
• A signed Declaration of Originality is a component of every research project/master's thesis, semester paper, or other qualifying paper written during the course of studies (including the electronic versions) and must be submitted with the thesis.
• 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 the written report.
• 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 needs to be found. Students can choose the same supervisor again or a different supervisor. A passed master's thesis cannot be repeated.

The master's thesis can be published in the Research Collection of ETH Zürich.

External thesis

The master's thesis is conducted at BSSE. Students wishing to pursue an external master's thesis must submit a well-reasoned request for approval by the Director of Studies, and must find a BSSE professor to act as internal supervising professor.

Note that an external thesis is not permitted in case of a previous external project (research project / industry internship).

Note the rules detailed on the BSSE intranet regarding NDAs/agreements for external projects.

Procedure:

• Submit the request form and project description to the (forms can be found under Documents & Templates)
• Upon approval by the Director of Studies and confirmation by the student administration, register the thesis in myStudies.

Remuneration

Students are not allowed to be paid for their master's thesis. Please refer to the respective ETH Directive (PDF, 23 KB)