The curricula of the Master programs in the Computer and Information Technology domain include a thread which develops the research skills over the four semesters. The structure of this thread, with the corresponding courses and procedures, is presented in the following.
1st Semester
- Students follow the Research Topics course which corresponds to their respective Master program.
This course discusses general subjects related to scientific documentation, research and publishing, along with research topics of current interest in the field.
Evaluation will be performed by the corresponding course instructor.
- Up to the end of the semester, students will establish a particular research direction for their Dissertation Thesis and a Dissertation Supervisor from the staff members having a PhD degree.
2nd Semester
- Each student follows the Introduction to Research course, taught by the corresponding Dissertation Supervisor.
The main objective of this course is to provide the required framework for the individual research activity implied by the Dissertation Thesis and to support the discussion of the main aspects related to the Dissertation Thesis development with the supervisor.
To graduate this course, each student will write a Literature Review Report in the field of the Dissertation Thesis:- The report contains a presentation and discussion of a relevant set of recently published papers, with emphasis on the main issues and challenges in the field, as well as the motivation, main objectives and a contents draft for the proposed Dissertation Thesis.
- The content of this report is recommended to be further used when writing the Dissertation Thesis.
- This report will be authored according to these specifications and will be sent in electronic version to the Dissertation Supervisor upon the end of the semester.
- Receives and evaluates the Literature Review Report from the student.
- Issues a grade for the overall semester activity at the course and a grade for the evaluation of the report; the final grade at this course resulting as the average of these two grades.
3rd Semester
- Each student follows the Directed Thesis Research course, taught by the corresponding Dissertation Supervisor.
The main objective of this course is to provide the required framework to carry on the individual research for the Dissertation Thesis under the guidance of the supervisor.
To graduate this course, each student will write a Dissertation Proposal, which will further be sent in electronic version to the Dissertation Supervisor upon the end of the semester.
Evaluation at the Directed Thesis Research course will be performed by each Dissertation Supervisor:- Receives from and discusses with the student the Dissertation Proposal. If necessary, a special presentation session can be organized, to discuss the proposals of the entire team of Master students with the same supervisor.
- Issues a grade for the overall semester activity at the course and a grade for the evaluation of the report; the final grade at this course resulting as the average of these two grades.
4th Semester
- Each student performs an internship stage, consisting of research activities mainly in the area selected for the Dissertation Thesis, within the department research labs or other institutions and companies in the field, according to the guidance of the Dissertation Supervisor.
- According to Art.14 of the Regulations on the general education process for the Master study programs in the UPT, the Master students must author and publish a scientific paper in the area of their Dissertation Thesis, under the guidance of the supervisor. The scientific paper can be published in one of the following two ways:
- As author or co-author, in a scientific journal or at a scientific conference, with editorial committee and review process.
This is the recommended option, as it clearly certifies the results of the research at the Dissertation Thesis and, on the other hand, has a special positive impact at the Master graduation exams.
- Presentation of the paper at the Scientific Communication Session for Students (SCSS), hosted annually by DCTI in June.
- As author or co-author, in a scientific journal or at a scientific conference, with editorial committee and review process.
- Students develop and write the Dissertation Thesis over the entire semester, under the guidance of their supervisor. The thesis will then be published and presented to a Graduation Board, during the Master graduation exams.
Detailed information regarding these graduation exams, as well as about writing and presenting the Dissertation Thesis, are available at this location.