Graduation – Geoinformatics Engineering

GRAduation

Thesis Project
To graduate, students must develop a thesis project, which is worth 15 of the 120 credits required. The project typically lasts between six and twelve months and includes writing a thesis on the research performed and the results obtained.

Relatore (supervisor) and correlatore (co-supervisor)
The project is assigned and supervised by a relatore (supervisor), who is also responsible for evaluating the work and approving the student’s admission to the graduation exam. A co-relatore (co-supervisor) may be involved to support the supervisor’s work.

Controrelatore (co-examiner or discussant)
A co-examiner may be involved in the thesis evaluation. He/she is external to the thesis supervision process and is asked to provide an impartial assessment of the thesis.

Graduation exam
The thesis must be presented to a committee during the graduation exam. The committee provides an additional evaluation that contributes to the final graduation mark.

The exam is followed by an official proclamation ceremony, during which the master’s degree is conferred and the diploma is presented.

Where to start from and when?

Supervisor/Topic
Students interested in starting their thesis project should look for a supervisor, typically from the study programme board. They can inquire about available thesis topics and choose the one that best aligns with their interests. In some cases, students may already have a topic in mind and then look for a faculty member who is able and willing to supervise the work.

It is recommended to begin searching for a thesis topic at the end of the first semester of the second year. Students can also find thesis topics on the “Thesis Bulletin Board,” which is accessible through the POLIMI online services.

What are the main steps to graduation?

Enrollment
Once the thesis project is completed, students must enroll through the on-line services in one of the four graduation sessions (first session in October, second session in December, third session in April, and fourth session in July).

Manuscript Upload
To proceed with the official evaluation, students must upload their manuscript to the POLIMI library.

Graduation Exam
Students must discuss their thesis during the final exam. They present their results in a public session and answer any questions from the graduation committee.

How is evaluation performed?

The evaluation begins with the supervisor’s formal validation of the manuscript uploaded to the POLIMI library.

Thesis classification
Depending on the quality of the work the supervisor classifies the thesis in one of the two classes: thesis without a co-examiner (or discussant) or thesis with a co-examiner. Because this depends on the student’s performance, the classification cannot be determined in advance. This classification reflects in the evaluation grade.

Thesis evaluation
Depending on the classification, the evaluation is carried out either by the supervisor alone or by both the supervisor and the co-examiner, according to predefined criteria regarding the thesis content and the manuscript’s writing. An additional evaluation is made by the graduation exam committee based on how the results are presented and defended during the final exam. A thesis without co-examiner can obtain from -1 to 4 extra points. A thesis with co-examiner can obtain from -1 to 7 extra points.

Graduation mark
The graduation mark ranges from 66 to 110. It is calculated by adding the credit-weighted average of the exam marks, expressed in a 66-to-110 scale, to the points awarded for the thesis project.

Honours
The Degree Committee may also grant honours (“lode”) as a special recognition of the graduate’s level of preparation, academic record, and the quality and originality of the thesis presented during the defence.

A template can be found on WeBeep.

More info on how to proceed

Repository of past theses