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how-to-write-a-masters-thesis [2022/03/21 11:14]
lopatkova [Survivor Advice:] |
how-to-write-a-masters-thesis [2022/03/21 11:47]
lopatkova [Submitting the Thesis] |
| The exact dates of everything that happens at the [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/|Faculty of Mathematics and Physics]], such as beginnings and ends of semesters, deadlines for courses and exams enrollments, deadlines for theses submissions and theses exams, is strictly bound by an official [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|Academic Calendar]] of the faculty. Look out for the exact deadlines of the required actions in the current version. | The exact dates of everything that happens at the [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/|Faculty of Mathematics and Physics]], such as beginnings and ends of semesters, deadlines for courses and exams enrollments, deadlines for theses submissions and theses exams, is strictly bound by an official [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|Academic Calendar]] of the faculty. Look out for the exact deadlines of the required actions in the current version. |
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| With that in mind, let's say that a typical master's curriculum takes two academic years (four semesters). Master's thesis writing is officially a three-semester course, consisting of three subsequent (!) semesters each of which you must subscribe to in the [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|Study Information System (SIS)]], in the appointed deadline. //ML: ALE to není oficiámní požadavek a často si studenti zapíší všechny tři kurzy až najednou na konci čtvrtého semestru (což je zejména důležité **pro LCT studenty**).// | With that in mind, let's say that a typical master's curriculum takes two academic years (four semesters). Master's thesis writing is officially a three-semester course, consisting of three subsequent (!) semesters each of which you must subscribe to in the [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|Study Information System (SIS)]], in the appointed deadline. //ML: ALE to není oficiámní požadavek a často si studenti zapíší všechny tři kurzy až najednou na konci čtvrtého semestru; navíc v akad. kalendáři je doporučení vybrat si diplomku až v listopadu 2. roku (což je zejména důležité **pro LCT studenty**).// |
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| | //ML: However, this ideal timetable is not applicable in all case, especially, e.g., for LCT students who spend one year abroad - LCT students typically select the topic **at the beginning of their second year**, i.e. during October (note that those doing their second year at another university still must find a co-supervisor from Prague.// |
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| That generates roughly the following course of action: | That generates roughly the following course of action: |
| * **2nd year winter semester**: Again, don't forget to enroll for the second of the master's thesis courses. In this semester, some serious coding usually happens. If you haven't started in the previous semester, you will probably design experiments, guided by your supervisor. You will implement code for these experiments, run it on the computational grid. If your thesis is more practical one, you may implement an application. This semester is very busy and if your topic was chosen well, it is usually (at least mildly) fun :) At the end of semester, you will be granted credit for the course. | * **2nd year winter semester**: Again, don't forget to enroll for the second of the master's thesis courses. In this semester, some serious coding usually happens. If you haven't started in the previous semester, you will probably design experiments, guided by your supervisor. You will implement code for these experiments, run it on the computational grid. If your thesis is more practical one, you may implement an application. This semester is very busy and if your topic was chosen well, it is usually (at least mildly) fun :) At the end of semester, you will be granted credit for the course. |
| * **2nd year summer semester**: Finishing the experiments, polishing your application. But mostly, the writing. I will say more about the actual writing later in the following sections. Again, hopefully, you will be credited and will pass the third and last of the master's thesis courses at the end of this semester. | * **2nd year summer semester**: Finishing the experiments, polishing your application. But mostly, the writing. I will say more about the actual writing later in the following sections. Again, hopefully, you will be credited and will pass the third and last of the master's thesis courses at the end of this semester. |
| * **End of study**: Prior to being //ML: allowed to submit your thesis and// admitted to final exams, one has to have successfully cleared any other pending duties of the master's study, such as passed the mandatory exams and collected credits in sufficient amount, according to the specifications of your study programme. PRESUN NIZ <del>The master's programme is finished by taking a final exam, which consists of two parts: | * **End of study**: Prior to being //ML: allowed to submit your thesis and// admitted to final exams, one has to have successfully cleared any other pending duties of the master's study, such as passed the mandatory exams and collected credits in sufficient amount, according to the specifications of your study programme. In other words, you have to finish all your courses and get necessary credits before you are allowed to submit your diploma thesis and/or registered for the state exam. |
| | * **State Final Exam**: The master's programme is finished by taking a final exam*, which consists of two parts: |
| - Master's study defense (''obhajoba'' in Czech): requires submitting the electronic (PDF) and the paper (hardcover) version of the thesis in the appointed [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]], enrolling for the exam in the [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|Study Information System (SIS)]] (again, the in the official [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]]) and obviously, showing up for the defence. More about the actual thesis defense later. | - Master's study defense (''obhajoba'' in Czech): requires submitting the electronic (PDF) and the paper (hardcover) version of the thesis in the appointed [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]], enrolling for the exam in the [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|Study Information System (SIS)]] (again, the in the official [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]]) and obviously, showing up for the defence. More about the actual thesis defense later. |
| - Master's state final examinations (''státnice'' in Czech): requires [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|registering]] for the examination in the required [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]] and showing up for the examination. Also more on the examination later.</del> | - Master's state final examinations (''státnice'' in Czech): requires [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|registering]] for the examination in the required [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]] and showing up for the examination. Also more on the examination later. |
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| <del> So each of both parts is offered separately in the [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|Study Information System (SIS)]], each of them must be enrolled in the required [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]] and they can be taken jointly or separately in three possible terms throughout the year: ''summer'' (June), ''autumn'' (September) and ''winter'' (February). Please note that the deadline for registration differs for each of the terms. There is a preferred way, when everything went well, and that is the summer final examination after the 2nd year's summer semester, taking both the defense and examination, which places the registration for both examinations and the submission of the thesis somewhere to **[[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|May]]**. </del> | So each of both parts is offered separately in the [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|Study Information System (SIS)]], each of them must be enrolled in the required [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]] and they can be taken jointly or separately in three possible terms throughout the year: ''summer'' (June), ''autumn'' (September) and ''winter'' (February). Please note that the deadline for registration differs for each of the terms. There is a preferred way, when everything went well, and that is the summer final examination after the 2nd year's summer semester, taking both the defense and examination, which places the registration for both examinations and the submission of the thesis somewhere to **[[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|May]]**. |
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| //ML: However, this ideal timetable is not applicable in all case, especially, e.g., for LCT students who spend one year abroad - LCT students typically select the topic **at the beginning of their second year**, i.e. during October (note that those doing their second year at another university still must find a co-supervisor from Prague.// | |
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| ==== Survivor Advice: ==== | ==== Survivor Advice: ==== |
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| When the student plans their classes for the academic year (and has them registered in SIS), they should also register for the three pseudo-courses reflecting their work on the thesis: NSZZ023 Diploma Thesis I, NSZZ024 Diploma Thesis II and NSZZ025 Diploma Thesis III. At the end of the summer semester they will (hopefully) get the credits (in SIS) from their supervisor. This is not directly connected with the fact that the thesis will be (can be) defended. The credits just reflect the fact that the student has invested significant time and effort into doing the research and preparing the thesis. The supervisor will not be able to award the credits if SIS does not know that the student wants them, i.e. if the student has not registered for these pseudo-courses! While the registration can be completed just before the submission of the thesis, it may complicate the situation because the assistance of the student office is needed, the staff may be out of office (vacation time!), you may be traveling from the other end of Europe, trying to find all the people and get all the signatures within one afternoon etc. | When the student plans their classes for the academic year (and has them registered in SIS), they should also register for the three pseudo-courses reflecting their work on the thesis: NSZZ023 Diploma Thesis I, NSZZ024 Diploma Thesis II and NSZZ025 Diploma Thesis III. At the end of the summer semester they will (hopefully) get the credits (in SIS) from their supervisor. This is not directly connected with the fact that the thesis will be (can be) defended. The credits just reflect the fact that the student has invested significant time and effort into doing the research and preparing the thesis. The supervisor will not be able to award the credits if SIS does not know that the student wants them, i.e. if the student has not registered for these pseudo-courses! While the registration can be completed just before the submission of the thesis, it may complicate the situation because the assistance of the student office is needed, the staff may be out of office (vacation time!), you may be traveling from the other end of Europe, trying to find all the people and get all the signatures within one afternoon etc. |
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| The master's programme is finished by taking a final exam, which consists of two parts: | |
| - Master's study defense (''obhajoba'' in Czech): requires submitting the electronic (PDF) and the paper (hardcover) version of the thesis in the appointed [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]], enrolling for the exam in the [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|Study Information System (SIS)]] (again, the in the official [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]]) and obviously, showing up for the defence. More about the actual thesis defense later. | |
| - Master's state final examinations (''státnice'' in Czech): requires [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|registering]] for the examination in the required [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]] and showing up for the examination. Also more on the examination later. | |
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| //ML: However, this ideal timetable is not applicable in all case, especially, e.g., for LCT students who spend one year abroad - LCT students typically select the topic **at the beginning of their second year**, i.e. during October (note that those doing their second year at another university still must find a co-supervisor from Prague.// | |
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| PRESUN NIZ: So each of both parts is offered separately in the [[https://is.mff.cuni.cz/|Study Information System (SIS)]], each of them must be enrolled in the required [[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|deadline]] and they can be taken jointly or separately in three possible terms throughout the year: ''summer'' (June), ''autumn'' (September) and ''winter'' (February). Please note that the deadline for registration differs for each of the terms. There is a preferred way, when everything went well, and that is the summer final examination after the 2nd year's summer semester, taking both the defense and examination, which places the registration for both examinations and the submission of the thesis somewhere to **[[https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/academic-calendar/|May]]**. | |
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| ===== Working on the Thesis ===== | ===== Working on the Thesis ===== |
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| * Download the [[http://www.mff.cuni.cz/studium/bcmgr/prace/vzor-dp.zip|official LaTeX template]] and take this as an opportunity to learn LaTeX (or brush up your LaTeX skills). Please please be it LaTeX and not a WYSIWYG editor (Word, Libreoffice, ...). It's just so easy to get beautifully typesetted text and mathematical formulas with LaTeX and so easy to ruin things otherwise. Also, get BibTeX for managing your references. You'll find yourself having to resist less urge to through it all away when you have to reindex your references in Word for the 50th time. Your future self will thank your current self if you put just a little work into setting up your thesis in LaTeX. | * Download the [[http://www.mff.cuni.cz/studium/bcmgr/prace/vzor-dp.zip|official LaTeX template]] and take this as an opportunity to learn LaTeX (or brush up your LaTeX skills). Please please be it LaTeX and not a WYSIWYG editor (Word, Libreoffice, ...). It's just so easy to get beautifully typesetted text and mathematical formulas with LaTeX and so easy to ruin things otherwise. Also, get BibTeX for managing your references. You'll find yourself having to resist less urge to through it all away when you have to reindex your references in Word for the 50th time. Your future self will thank your current self if you put just a little work into setting up your thesis in LaTeX. |
| * Read my [[how-to-write-a-masters-thesis-typesetting|advice on typesetting]], with good practices and frequent errors. | * Read my [[how-to-write-a-masters-thesis-typesetting|advice on typesetting]], with good practices and frequent errors. |
| | * Here you can find the formal faculty requirements of the thesis https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/internal-affairs/regulations/dean-s-directive-no-1-2015 |
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| {{:courses:masters-thesis:beautiful_typesetting_joke.png?300|}} | {{:courses:masters-thesis:beautiful_typesetting_joke.png?300|}} |
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| ===== Submitting the Thesis ==== | ===== Submitting the Thesis ==== |
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| | https://www.mff.cuni.cz/en/students/bachelor-and-master-thesis/guidelines-for-writing-a-master-thesis#Submission |
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| Don't fall in the ''PDF/A'' trap! The electronic system requires all submitted PDF in PDF/A format and there is an automatic check for PDF/A. Allow yourself enough time to find out how to convert your PDF into PDF/A (like, not in the last two hours before deadline midnight). Some good advice on PDF/A, unfortunately only in Czech, can be found [[https://mj.ucw.cz/vyuka/bc/pdfaq.html|here]]. | Don't fall in the ''PDF/A'' trap! The electronic system requires all submitted PDF in PDF/A format and there is an automatic check for PDF/A. Allow yourself enough time to find out how to convert your PDF into PDF/A (like, not in the last two hours before deadline midnight). Some good advice on PDF/A, unfortunately only in Czech, can be found [[https://mj.ucw.cz/vyuka/bc/pdfaq.html|here]]. |
