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 a Master's thesis project is a senior assistant or post-doc in the group.
Note
The Master's thesis must be supervised by a different professor than the research project or industry internship
Master's Thesis Project Registration
The thesis project must be registered prior to the start myStudies under projects/papers/theses.
Research Group Stay Registration
Please register your stay in the BSSE research group at least 2 weeks before the thesis start date.
- Submit the research group registration form to obtain server and group access
- Sign and upload ETH IP Agreement directly in the form
Leave of absence
The Master's thesis must be registered at the start, i.e. in the semester in which the thesis is started. If the thesis project spans over more than one semester, students may request a leave of absence for the second semester.
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
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 approval 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 a different ETH department must submit a well-reasoned request for the project in question.
How to proceed
Upon receipt of a thesis project offer, the following documents are to be submitted to the :
- Filled in and signed request form
- A one-page project description
Upon approval, the thesis is registered 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 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
Conducting the Master's thesis outside BSSE is subject to approval 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 project offer, students must find a BSSE professor to approve the project and agree to act as internal supervising professor.
Subsequently, the following documents are to be submitted to the :
- Filled in and signed request form
- A one-page project description
Upon approval, the thesis is registered 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 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
NDA / Project Agreement
External institutions may require the student and the supervising professor to sign a confidentiality agreement. Students are responsible for clarifying any NDA questions in advance and inform the supervising professor.
Note that ETH professors may refuse to sign any agreement other than the standard ETH template.
Templates
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 approval process for an external thesis project must be finalised before applying for a scholarship via the Student Exchange Office
Master Match
The D-BSSE Association of Scientific Staff VMB regularly holds a «Master Match» event, where current openings and projects are presented. The projects are shared on the D-BSSE intranet - students interested a (similar) project are welcome to get in touch with the contact person listed.