The thesis: steps to follow

The first step is to choose a lecturer to work with and agree together on the thesis topic. It is important that the topic is of interest to the student and consistent with the supervisor’s expertise.

A thesis topic and a supervisor may be identified either by directly contacting lecturers in the relevant research area or by consulting the following notice board (accessible using Alice credentials):

🔗 Notice board of available thesis topics

Once the topic has been chosen, it is necessary to establish how to proceed together with the supervisor: which activities to carry out, in what order, and with indicative deadlines. It is advisable to schedule regular meetings to monitor progress and clarify any doubts.

This is the longest phase: the planned project, experimental or theoretical activities are carried out, data are analysed, and results are collected. In parallel, the writing of the various chapters of the manuscript begins.

The thesis is a personal piece of work aimed at presenting and highlighting the research project carried out, through analysis, processing, and critical interpretation of the results, with the goal of building a solid and coherent argument.

At the core of a good thesis there is always a meaningful question or a well-formulated problem, which clearly explains from the outset why the topic is worth addressing and why seeking an answer matters. Demonstrating the relevance of the chosen topic is essential: it helps the reader understand the purpose of the work and guides the student throughout the development of the thesis.

For guidance on thesis writing, please refer to the

🔗 A Practical Guide to MSc Thesis Writing

When the first complete version of the thesis is ready, it is submitted to the supervisor for review. This is followed by a period of revisions, clarifications, and refinements until the final version is produced.

In this phase, presentation slides are prepared, contents are organised clearly, and rehearsals are carried out to ensure that the presentation fits within the allotted time and flows smoothly. When presenting the thesis work, it should be taken into account that not all members of the examination committee have a specialist background in the topic addressed. Consequently, they may not be able to follow the most technical parts of the presentation in detail. It is therefore the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that everyone can understand the nature of the problem addressed and the approach adopted to solve it. The available time should be devoted mainly to presenting the original aspects of the work and any empirical analyses, avoiding the exposition of well-known concepts.

Before the graduation day, it is essential to check the exact time of your discussion, the assigned room, the composition of the assigned subcommittee, and any technical instructions (uploading slides, use of the projector, etc.).

Finally, the thesis work is presented to the Graduation Committee: objectives, the work carried out, the results obtained, and conclusions are illustrated. This is followed by a brief discussion with the committee members. The candidate:

• has 20 minutes available for the presentation before the Committee, and
• may choose to give the presentation in Italian or English.