15 ECTS credits
375 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4016127FNR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
The master thesis must be an original contribution to the discipline of (applied) computer science. This can be a contribution to research, or an computer solution to a complex, not necessarily clearly circumscribed assignment or problem statement in a specific field in which computer science can be applied. The content of the master thesis must fulfil the following criteria:
- the work incorporates a literature study as well as a description of the personal contribution, and a motivation for the methodology used to realise the work: 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.
The master thesis may be combined with the Internship (Stage Toegepaste Informatica). The master thesis (possibly in combination with the internship) is preferably carried out in cooperation with or in an (international) company or organization.
The student is free to choose a company and a relevant subject, but the subject must be approved by a VUB promoter. The promoter is a member of the academic personnel and teaches a course in one of the programs in Computer Science: Bachelor in Computer Science, Master in Computer Science, Master in Toegepaste Informatica, or Master in Applied Computer Science. However, there will also be a list of topics available on the website of the department (cw.vub.ac.be).
Additional information
The student has to submit the following data to the department in the beginning of the academic year (forms are available - deadline are communicated via the learning platform):
- the subject and the promoter of the master thesis;
- the signature of the promoter, by which he gives his approval of the subject.
The promoter is a member of the academic personnel and teaches a course in one of the programs in Computer Science: Bachelor in Computer Science, Master in Computer Science, Master in Toegepaste Informatica, or Master in Applied Computer Science. 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 PhD 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 Chair of the exam commission of the program. This has to be well-motivated.
The thesis can be combined with the Internship "Stage Toegepaste Informatica". The master thesis (possibly in combination with the internship) is preferably carried out in cooperation with or in an (international) company or organization.
The thesis can be written in English or Dutch.
The master thesis must be submitted in enough copies at the secretaries’ office of the department of Computer Science, at the latest at the previously fixed deadline. More information regarding the number of copies, deadlines, and other guidelines concerning submission are available on the learning platform.
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.
With the master thesis the student proves that he or she is able to personally bring an extensive computer science assignment or problem 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 master thesis 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 applied research. This implies an ability to independently (i.e. without too much direction) work out and implement a solution for a complex, not necessarily clearly circumscribed assignment or problem statement with a large, open solution space, using the state of the art of different disciplines or specific areas of disciplines, and where necessary supplementing that with recent research results;
- to report about this work 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 different disciplines or specific areas of disciplines of the master thesis.
- Application of knowledge and insight:
An ability to apply knowledge and insight that were obtained in the study and in the context of the different disciplines or specific areas of disciplines of the master thesis.
- Judgement:
An ability to critically interpret the state of the art in technology and scientific literature; to make choices about the methodology to be followed; and to critically interpret personal work.
- 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 professionals, either in English or Dutch.
- Learning abilities:
An ability to independently work out a solution to an extensive assignment or problem statement: to be able to tackle the problem by consulting and processing the right scientific literature, by choosing the applicable methodologies and technologies, 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 PhD degree; or they can be appointed based on a specific expertise (one extra 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 (in English or in Dutrch). The oral defense is public.
The student has 20 minutes to present his work. An additional 5 minutes is provided if the the student has combined the internship with the master thesis to present the work of the internship.
The thesis will be checked for plagiarism.
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 (50%):
o Difficulty of the problem/assignment:
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 Methodology: is the chosen (research) methodology adequate; is this done is a systematic manner and with sufficient depth;
o Quality, completeness of the proof-of-concept/software/experiment;
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 meaningful contribution to the research or application domain; is this contribution sufficiently original.
- The written presentation of the work (15%):
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; is the problem statement formulated, put in context and motivated; is the used methodology sufficiently motivated; does the work contain a conclusion with an answer to the problem statement 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 work (20%):
o Was there enough commitment;
o Did the student show a good critical attitude and good problem solving abilities.
o Were the planning and the use of time by the student adequate;
o Was the student independence;
o Did the student react well on feedback.
After the oral defense, promoter and jury also judge:
- The oral presentation of the work (15%):
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 professional 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 problem statement and a reflection on the value of the personal 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 an insufficient mark (i.e. less than 10/20) for the master thesis (cf. exam regulations, art. 46.2) or in case of plagiarism.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Applied Computer Science: Default track (only offered in Dutch)