Thesis Project (12 ECTS) + TEBM (12 ECTS)

Semester: 1st

Code: 14331059

Coordinator: Rita Castilho (rcastil@ualg.pt)

The primary purpose of the curricular unit Thesis Project is to help students organize ideas, material and objectives for their Master’s Thesis. Also, by writing and orally presenting the proposal, they will also begin to develop communication skills. The main objectives of the Thesis Project are to demonstrate the following abilities:

  1. formulate a scientific question;
  2. present the scientific approach to solve the problem;
  3. interpret, discuss and communicate scientific potential hindrances or advantages of the particular method
  4. gain experience in writing a scientific proposal; and
  5. acquire the skills to present a scientific proposal orally.

The Thesis Project has the following stages of development:

  1. Choose the topic for your MSc Thesis Project in collaboration with your prospective main supervisor (IMPORTANT NOTE: A student can only have up to two advisors, and one of them must be a UALG professor or researcher with a PhD degree);
  2. Write the layout of the proposal taken into account:
  • Discuss the research questions, goals, approach you intend to take, methodology, data needed and time plan with your supervisors;
  • Define and read key literature.
  • Construct a logical outline for the project. Include analysis steps and expected outcomes
  • Fill in details of the project proposal. Write a complete proposal in the scientific proposal format.
  • Hand in the final version to your main supervisor(s) and additional supervisor for approval and grading.

Workload

1 h for the presentation and public discussion + 10 h of supervised work + 325 h of independent work + the 336 h of the TEBM workload.

The student will use the time assigned as "independent work" to research the state of the art, methods to be used in the thesis, write the report and prepare the presentation for public discussion.

Registration

Registration of the thesis project is mandatory. Please fill in the respective Google Form and submit it no later than last Friday of November.

Registration

Evaluation

The Thesis Project is evaluated by a report the student must deliver to her / his supervisor not later than last Friday of January. A copy of the report must be sent to fctmestrados@ualg.pt by email with the following subject: MBM Thesis Project Report.

The final grade will be calculated by a panel of evaluators (usually the coordinators of the MSc programme) and the thesis supervisors.

Thesis Project Proposal Layout

What the report should include:

  1. Up to 20-25 A4 pages in Times New Roman, font 12 pt, line spacing 1.5 (including references)
  2. title (it should be as short as possible, but with enough information to describe the contents of your proposal)
  3. name of the supervisors
  4. keywords (up to 5);
  5. the name of the institutions where you are going to do your thesis - the University of Algarve should always be mentioned, as it is the institution that confers the MSc degree;
  6. Abstract (one paragraph)
  7. Theme justification;
  8. State of the art;
  9. Objectives;
  10. Description of the tasks to be performed;
  11. Results you obtained so far, even if they are preliminary (optional);
  12. Gantt chart / timeline of the proposed tasks
  13. References