OVERVIEW

The final exam involves the discussion, before a specific Commission, of a dissertation carried out on a topic agreed with a teacher (referent teacher), relevant to the interests, studies and experiences of the student, as long as it is pertaining to a subject in the master's study plan.

The thesis supervisor can be the professor of any of the study plan's courses, including the one that was selected, as long as the course chosen alignes with the CdS's cultural profile. In the case that the supervisor is not a member of the CCS, the co-supervisor is required to be one.

The master's degree thesis must be distinguished by the topic's originality, the method and/or the results obtained, as well as by a rigorous research method, complete and up-to-date bibliographical references, in-depth knowledge of the subject, and critical analysis capacity. It can be interdisciplinary and accompanied by a multimedia presentation. 

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The final exam consists of a written paper, which represents the first real experience needed in order to evaluate the results of the knowledge acquired in the curricular path. The training objective is the opportunity to formulate and discuss the scientific results of research with original characteristics.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The final exam must reveal:

• mastery of critical and methodological tools
• familiarity with the bibliography relating to the subject matter
• knowledge and ability to analyze the problems posed by the subject matter
• argumentative ability
• expressive ability with appropriate use of the technical lexicon.

PREREQUISITES

To be admitted to the final exam, the student must have passed the exams of all the courses included in the study plan and obtained the credits relating to the other educational activities provided for by the system.

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The graduation exam consists of presenting and discussing the final paper in front of a special commission.

The Commissions, which are composed of professors, researchers, or contract lecturers, have at least five members, including the President, and are appointed by the Director of the Department to which the degree course belongs. The vast majority of members must be full professors and researchers. The President is responsible for the proper conduct of the test, particularly with regard to: the use of assistive tools; the provision of adequate time for the presentation and discussion of the report, as well as the collegiality of its evaluation; and the appropriateness of the behavior of all those present.

The President will confirm the presence of the candidates by appeal at the start of each session and establish the order of discussion. Each candidate will be given enough time to demonstrate his or her ability to express their work in a concise and effective manner, as well as to answer the Commission's questions.

The graduation session calendar (including deadlines), enrollment procedures, and graduation procedures are all available on the CdS website in the "Undergraduates" section.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The final grade summarizes the student's entire career, taking into account the student's achievement of the Degree Course's educational objectives.

The final grade is determined by the sum of three factors:

1. curricular media;
2. career evaluation of the student;
3. final exam evaluation.

Specifically:

The curricular average (expressed in hundredths and rounded down below 0.500 thousandths and upwards above 0.500 thousandths) is the average weighted on the CFU of the marks reported for the didactic activities included in the candidate's study plan that include a final mark, and it is sent to the Commission by the student secretariats along with the career.

For the evaluation of the student's career, the Commission can assign 1 point if the candidate is in the process of graduating and 1 point if he has participated in an international mobility program for study purposes during which he successfully passed curricular exams for at least 12 CFU for a study period equal to one semester and at least 18 CFU for a study period equal to two consecutive semesters; the maximum overall score that can be attributed for the final exam is 3 points (quality of the final paper; ability to present and discuss the paper, answering the questions formulated by the Commission).

The final grade is determined by a single rounding of the score resulting from the sum of all previous elements. Rounding is performed:

• by default, where the decimals are less than 5;
• in excess, where the decimals are greater than or equal to 5.

The possible addition of honors to the final grade of 110 out of 110 is granted by the Commission only with reference to the evaluation of the final paper.

If the final grade is greater than 66/110, the degree exam is passed.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Calendar of discussions is published on the School website and in the "Notices" section of the CdS website about a week before the start of the session.

On the day scheduled for the discussion, before the start of the session, the student must deliver a copy of the paper directly to the Graduate Commission, which the recent graduate is required to collect upon proclamation and signing of the minutes. The documents that have not been collected cannot be subsequently requested from the University, which assumes no responsibility for their conservation.