24 ECTS credits
600 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4013277ENR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.
Content
The subject of the master thesis must apply to an area that relates to the diploma of Master in Computer Science and to the chosen specialization. The master thesis must present an original contribution to the research field. The content of the master thesis must fulfil the following criteria:
- the work incorporates a literature study as well as personal research: a mere inventory or description does not suffice;
- the work must be personal and original: plagiarism, in whichever form, is strictly forbidden.
Together with the master thesis an abstract in publishable form is submitted, and also a short text for inclusion in the usual lists of dissertations in the specialized Belgian journals (author, title, university, promoter, year, description of the subject in five to ten lines).
The students are free to select a relevant subject by themselves and to submit a title in consensus with a promoter. Additionally, a list of recommended subjects is published via tthe website of the department Computer Science and via the individual web sites of the research groups of the Department Computer Science.This part of the curriculum usually finds place in a research group that supports the specialization chosen by the student, although other research groups within or without the VUB can also be considered, including groups in commercial companies that conduct research.
The students are expected to be able to locate (bibliographic) sources in a thorough and focused manner, through the traditional channels as well as through the means supplied by ICT, and to compile a decent, correct and precise bibliographic literature list. Concerning the research, students must have an insight into the general research methods and techniques that are relevant and valid in Computer Sciences. Based on this previous knowledge and with some direction they should be able to distill their own research methodology, to refine it and translate it to their own research problem.
The student has to submit the following data (see the website of the faculty for forms and deadlines):
- the subject and the promoter of the master thesis;
- the signature of the promoter, by which he signals his approval of the subject.
The promoter is a member of the independent academic personnel and teaches a course in the specialization selected by the student. After explicit approval by the exams commission, the promoter can also be any other member of the academic personnel or somebody external to the university, holder of a doctor’s degree or appointed with a good motivation referring to his specific expertise.
Change of subject, change of promoter by the student, or abandonment of the promotership by the promoter is communicated in writing to the Dean. This has to be well-motivated.
The master thesis must be submitted in five copies at the secretaries’ office of the department of Computer Science, at the latest at the previously fixed deadline. More information regarding deadlines and guidelines concerning submission are available on the learning platform.
Study material
This is a course for which no generic structured material is available. In general, promoters will supply specific study material.
An information session about the forthcoming master thesis is organised at the end of every academic year.
Master Thesis in Computer Science
Competences
With the master thesis the student proves that he or she is able to personally bring an extensive research assignment to a good conclusion, in the form of an original scientific dissertation. This will also show his or her capacity to:
- get hold of scientific literature and data sources about his or her research theme, process them in an insightful manner and interpret them critically;
- in doing this, transcend the level of compilation and description, and work out a personal insight based on existing scientific insights;
- do individual research at the level of a beginning researcher. This implies an ability to independently (i.e. without too much direction) do personal and original research starting from a theoretic context and a central problem statement, to plan this research, execute it, and report on it in a reasoned, coherent and convincing manner.
This implies the following competences:
- Knowledge and insight:
An ability to obtain detailed knowledge and insight into the research theme of the master thesis.
- Application of knowledge and insight:
An ability to apply knowledge and insight that were obtained in earlier study in the context of the research theme.
- Judgement:
An ability to critically interpret existing research; to make choices about the methodology to be followed; and to critically interpret personal research.
- Communication:
An ability to report about the work done, in written form as well as through presentations, in a reasoned, coherent and convincing manner, for an audience of specialists.
- Learning abilities:
An ability to do independent research: to be able to tackle an open research problem by consulting and processing the right scientific literature, by choosing the applicable research methodology, and planning and executing the work.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Master Thesis determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Master Thesis category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Every master thesis is judged by the promoter and two jury members. The jury is composed by the promoter. In principle, the jury members should be members of the academic personnel of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and hold a doctor’s degree; or they can be appointed based on a specific expertise (one jury member can be appointed among experts external to the institution). Jury and promoter read and judge the master thesis independently of each other. Every student is required to defend his thesis orally. The oral defense is public. The student has 20 minutes to present his work.
The master thesis is judged as follows:
The promoter and the jury judge the master thesis independently of each other and prior to the oral defense, based on the following criteria:
- The technical-scientific contents:
o Literature study: does the literature study offer a clear and problem statement oriented overview of the existing literature; does the bibliography contain a sufficient amount of relevant publications, and are they treated in sufficient depth;
o Research: is the chosen research methodology adequate; is there a sufficient amount of system and depth; if applicable: has a proof of concept/software been developed and how are its quality and completeness;
o Results: how are the quality and relevance of the obtained results, keeping the difficulty of the problem statement in mind, in other words: is there a significant contribution to the research field; is the contribution sufficiently original.
- The written presentation of the work:
o Language: is the language clear, businesslike and scientific; is the language grammatically correct;
o Structure: is the master thesis structured in a comprehensible way; is the relevance of the subject motivated scientifically and socially; are the problem statement and the research questions formulated, put in context and motivated; is the used methodology sufficiently motivated; does the work contain a conclusion with an answer to the research questions and a reflection about the value of the contribution of the student;
o Layout: is the master thesis laid out with care; are the illustrations (photographs, drawings, tables, citations, graphical diagrams, …) of good quality and do they carry fitting captions; are the appendices introduced and commented on in a clear manner? ?
o Clarity of the text: is the exposition clear and easy to understand?
o Bibliography: are the bibliography and the references formally correct?
The promoter also judges:
- The personal commitment and attitude of the student during the execution of the research work:
o Were the planning and the use of time by the student adequate;
o Was there enough commitment, independence and initiative on the part of the student;
o Did the student show a good critical attitude and good problem solving abilities.
After the oral defense, promoter and jury also judge:
- The oral presentation of the work:
o Language: is the language clear, businesslike, scientific and polished;
o Attitude & presentation style: is the attitude of the student good and fitting for a scientific exposition; is the exposition clear and easy to understand; is it delivered smoothly; were the right audiovisual means applied;
o Structure: is the presentation well-structured; are the subject and the problem statement clearly formulated and motivated; is the followed methodology sufficiently motivated and explained; are the obtained results sufficiently commented on; does the presentation end with a conclusion with an answer to the proposed research questions and a reflection on the value of the personal scientific contribution;
o Defense: can the student answer in a fitting and correct manner to the questions posed to him and defend the methods he used;
o Use of time: can the student present his work during the time allotted to him. ?
It is impossible to graduate for the master program with insufficient marks (i.e. less than 10/20) for the master thesis (cf. exam regulations, art. 46.2).
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master in Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (only offered in Dutch)
Master in Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Multimedia (only offered in Dutch)
Master in Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Software Languages and Software Engineering (only offered in Dutch)
Master in Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Data Management and Analytics (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence
Master of Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Multimedia
Master of Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Software Languages and Software Engineering
Master of Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Multimedia for Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU)
Master of Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science: Data Management and Analytics