Final exam

General information

• The final exam (thesis work) is 24 CFU.
• The student has to get in contact with one of the professors of the degree program (the supervisor). The student has to agree on a topic for the thesis work with the supervisor.
• After agreeing on the topic of their thesis with their supervisor, the student must submit the thesis application by following this procedure. The thesis application must be approved at least four months before the final degree examination.
• Students must register for the final exam they intend to graduate in through the Alice portal (note: this step is different from the previous one). Registration must be completed at least one month before the start of the exam. Le norme e le procedure sono definite con esattezza nella  page of the University of Pisa website concerning the final thesis exam.
• The schedule of graduation sessions is available on the University’s dedicated page.
• The thesis work is presented to a commission.
• Further information will be provided by email a few days before the final exam date (time and schedule of presentations).

Formal regulation

The thesis for the final examination is carried out under the supervision of at least two supervisors, at least one of whom must be a professor or university researcher affiliated with the Department of Information Engineering and belonging to the scientific disciplinary sector IINF-05/A.

The thesis topic is agreed upon with the supervisors. If the complexity of the topic requires it, it can be developed by a pair of students.

The thesis may be carried out in collaboration with an Italian or foreign company, or with an Italian or foreign institution. In such cases, the thesis supervisors must include an expert affiliated with the external organization. In order to ensure methodological consistency with the learning objectives of the Degree Programme, theses carried out in collaboration with organizations external to the University require prior approval by the President of the Degree Programme.

Before beginning the thesis work, students must submit a thesis application to the Degree Program Head, indicating the first two supervisors and the topic, according to the procedures established by the Degree Program.

The final exam procedures follow the following criteria:

1. The exam aims to assess the candidate’s ability to independently carry out: in-depth study of a design or research project, documented in a written dissertation; and presentation of the work completed in written and oral form.
2. The Graduation Committee, having assessed during the thesis defence the candidate’s level of autonomy and mastery of specific methodologies, determines whether the candidate has successfully passed the examination and assigns the final degree grade. The final degree grade is formally determined at the discretion of the Graduation Committee, which, in order to ensure consistency in assessment over time, adopts calculation rules that relate the final degree grade to the student’s average examination grade.
3. The following criteria are adopted to determine the degree grade (maximum is 110/110):
   • • the average is calculated by weighting the grades obtained in the individual courses on the basis of the relevant university training credits (weighted average on CFU);
   • honors grades are counted as 33/30;
   • the attribution of the grade 110/110 requires an average of no less than 27/30;
   • the awarding of the grade 110/110 cum laude requires an average of not less than 28/30.
4. To determine the final degree grade, the Graduation Committee converts the average examination grade, calculated as described above, into a base score out of 110 using the following formula: (average examination grade) × 3 + 22. The Committee may add up to a maximum of 6 points to this base score, based on the thesis supervisor’s assessment and on how the thesis work was developed, presented, and defended before the Committee.