Internship and final thesis

internship & Thesis

Internship, final thesis and graduation

INTERNSHIP & THESIS

According to the structure of the Physics of data Master’s degree, the last semester of the second year should be devoted to the internship (8 credits) and the final thesis (22 credits). Please note that:

The thesis activity requires 550 hours (corresponding to 22 ECTS), to be completed in approximately 4.4 months*
The internship activity requires 200 hours (corresponding to 8 ECTS), to be completed in approximately 1.6 months.

* For this estimate we have considered a workload of about 6 hours per day.

The thesis must be written and discussed in English.

The student will present and discuss the results of this research activity before a committee appointed by the Director of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

If successful, the student is proclaimed a Master of Science in Physics of Data. It is possible to complete the master’s degree in a shorter time than the normal duration of the degree course (two years).

No minimum amount of credits is formally required in order to start working on the internship and final thesis. Nevertheless, it is recommended to attain a solid background before focussing on the internship and final thesis.

Thesis Commission

Prof. Samir Suweis for “Biological Systems” information

Prof. Manlio De Domenico for “Data Science” and “Complex Systems” information

Prof. Federico Chiariotti for “Machine Learning” information

Prof. Ilaria Siloi for “Quantum” information

Prof. Tiziano Zingales for “Astrophysics and Cosmology” information

First option: thesis related to the internship experience	Second option: thesis NOT related to the internship experience
In this case the thesis will consist of a report on the activity carried out during the internship. It should focus on the physical concepts and methods treated in the Study Programme and applied in the internship setting. This option requires the presence of an external internship supervisor (i.e. staff member of the company or research institution) and an internal thesis supervisor (i.e. professor of the University of Padua). The project will be evaluated by both internal and external supervisors. The students are required to reach out to both figures to set the outline and structure of the project.	In this case, the thesis activity is undertaken upon completion of the internship. It regards a topic consistent with the educational path of the Master’s program in Physics of data. Upon completion of the internship, students are expected to devote approximately 4 months and a half to the preparation of a thesis on a topic of their choice, proposed by a professor of the Physics of Data master’s degree, who will act as the thesis supervisor. This option entails the presence of a thesis supervisor and a co-examiner, who is assigned by the Physics of data Thesis and Internship Commission.

For First option: How to calculate the final grade	For Second option: How to calculate the final grade
To obtain the final score the weighted average grade must be express as a score out of one hundred and ten and the following points must be added: 0-4 points awarded by the external internship supervisor 0-2 points awarded the internal thesis supervisor +1,0,-1 points awarded by graduation commission +1 point in case the degree is obtained within the prescribed time The criteria used to assign the score take into account the methodological rigor, the scientific originality of the degree project, the clarity of the presentation, and the level of autonomy demonstrated. In order to graduate “Cum Laude” the threshold of 113 points MUST be reached	To obtain the final score, the weighted average grade must be express as a score out of one hundred and ten and the following points must be added: 0-4 points awarded by the thesis supervisor 0-2 points awarded by an external referee +1,0,-1 points awarded by the graduation commission +1 point in case the degree in obtained within the prescribed time The criteria used to assign the score take into account the methodological rigor, the scientific originality of the degree project, the clarity of the presentation, and the level of autonomy demonstrated. In order to graduate “Cum Laude” the threshold of 113 points MUST be reached

How to formalize the thesis topic

This process consists in making the title of the thesis official and it should be carried out before starting the thesis work. At least four months prior to the graduation period of their choice, students are required to

contact the supervisor to identify a topic for the Master’s thesis
access the thesis portal of the Department of Physics and Astronomy (https://tesi.dfa.unipd.it/), select the study program and choose the thesis title that the supervisor has proposed (if it is not on the list yet, the supervisor must enter the proposal into the database and it will become available within one week, after the approval of the Physics of data Thesis and Internship Commission
wait for the notification of the attribution of the topic

Please note that this process does not substitute the registration for graduation, which must be carried out in Uniweb according to the instruction provided by the University (see https://www.unipd.it/en/graduation).

How to get started: step-by-step instructions

Feeling confused? For detailed instructions about how to get started, please visit:

https://stem.elearning.unipd.it/course/view.php?id=11161

(SSO credentials are needed)

How to register for graduation on uniweb

In order to graduate you must register for graduation on Uniweb by the deadline set for each graduation period.

For information and deadlines please visit: https://www.unipd.it/en/graduation

If the supervisor is an INFN or CNR researcher, please send an e-mail to didattica.dfa(at)unipd.it, as you won’t be able to register for graduation autonomously via Uniweb.

Final Thesis Upload

The final thesis must be uploaded to Uniweb.

The thesis file must meet these requirements:

> it must be the final version
> it must be a PDF/A file
> its maximum size can be 40MB
> it must be named according to this format: lastname_firstname.pdf (ex. Rossi_Mario.pdf)

While the upload function is available since registering for graduation, the file can be uploaded at a later time, as long as it is done by the deadline (the Graduation Calendar can be found here)