A. MSc dissertation Preparation Process
- Throughout the preparation of the dissertation, the postgraduate student is obliged, in order to check the progress of the work, to meet/communicate with the supervisor at regular intervals. Otherwise, the supervisor takes seriously the lack of cooperation with the student in the final grading of the dissertation. Students must submit to their supervisor, at regular intervals, parts of their work (or results of their research) for feedback. The delivery to the supervisor of a completed dissertation all at once is considered unacceptable and contrary to these regulations, especially if this happens a few days before the deadline for submitting the dissertation. In this case, the supervisor is obliged not to agree to the submission of the work, but only after any corrections that she/he has pointed out are required.
- After the final validation of the subject of the dissertation by the Assembly of the Department, the student has a deadline of six (6) months (full time) or 12 months (part time) to submit his dissertation. In the event that the student is unable to complete his Dissertation during this period, he must submit a relevant application to the Department Assembly, signed by his supervisor, stating the reasons for the delay, while requesting an extension time period of its preparation.
- It is possible, by decision of the Assembly of the Department, and after the recommendation of the Director of the MSc program after the respective documented consent of the Supervising Professor, to extend the time for writing and submitting the postgraduate diploma dissertation, generally with a maximum limit of three (3) months only in addition to the normal two-year study cycle. In the event that the graduate student delays the submission of his diploma beyond the aforementioned quarter, he will be charged €300 for each semester of delay during which he will finally submit it. In any case, the late submission of the diploma cannot exceed two (2) academic semesters after the regular cycle of studies, beyond which the student is expelled from the MSc program with the recommendation of the Director to the Department Assembly (total permissible duration of studies of five (5) academic semesters), which ultimately decides.
- Upon completion of writing the dissertation, the student submits an examination application to the Department’s Secretariat which is signed by the supervising professor, attaching his proposal and giving his approval for the evaluation process to proceed, certifying in this way that the specific dissertation has the possibility to be graded successfully (at least grade 5). In order for this application to be recorded by the secretariat, the student must have with him the copies of the diploma theses as evidence. The student prints his dissertation in three (3) copies which he hands over under his own responsibility, one to his supervisor and the other two to the Department Secretariat. The binding in this phase is simple (e.g. spiral, simple hot glue, etc.) because the student may be asked during the examination to make modifications.
B. Master Dissertation Evaluation Process
- The examination-evaluation of the diploma theses is carried out with public support of the work by the postgraduate student towards the end of the third (3rd) semester. The public support of the diplomatic works is ensured by the relevant announcements of the Secretariat under the responsibility of the Director of the MSc program (Notice boards and Department website). In exceptional cases, if there is an objective weakness or an important reason (illness, absence abroad, etc. ), it is possible to replace the supervisor or a member of the Three-Member Examining Committee after a decision of the Director of the MSc and the agreement of the Assembly of the Department.
- The examination and support program for the dissertation, as well as the three-member evaluation committee, are announced by the Department within approximately one week after the deadline for submitting the copies.
- Diploma theses are examined by a three-member examination committee consisting of the lecturer and two lecturers or a lecturer and an external invitee, faculty member or researcher from another University, who are recommended by the supervising Professor to the Director and decided by the Assembly of the Department
- The examination process includes the presentation of the work in the auditorium of the Department of Physiotherapy, in the presence of the examination committee, students of the Department of Physiotherapy, professors and the Academic community, in the context of an open process. The examination process includes a twenty (20) minute oral presentation of the work by the student and a thirty (30) minute examination by the examination committee. The supervision of the preparation of the presentation of dissertation by the student, is included in the supervisor’s obligations.
- The grading of the dissertation must strictly follow the guidelines/evaluation criteria listed in the next paragraph and every examiner is obliged to know these criteria.The recommendation of the examination committee includes a) the detailed grading of parts of the examination (e.g. essay writing, support, etc.), b) the introductory report completed by the supervising professor, and c) any changes that need to be made for the final delivery of the dissertation. The examination record is submitted to the Secretariat by the supervising teacher within 3 days.
- Following its approval by the Committee, it is compulsorily posted on the website of the Institutional Repository of the University of Thessaly http://ir.lib.uth.gr and the MSc.
- In the MSc Dissertation Guide the assignment, writing and examination instructions are listed in detail. The Guide is posted on the MSc website.