BYTS3900 Bachelor Thesis Course description

The bachelor's thesis is the concluding course in the engineering programme. The students choose the topic for their theses and the work is carried out in groups. It will give students training in carrying out a large project independently and in using relevant methodology tools, and will be organised so that the students are able to use knowledge and skills from several fields.

The bachelor's thesis is normally carried out in cooperation with business and industry or other institutions. It must be grounded in real engineering questions that are relevant to the chosen programme option, and it can be related to design or contractor operations, or to a research or development project.

The bachelor's thesis is based on knowledge acquired through all five previous semesters.

Students must be registered in the third year of study and have completed at least 100 credits from the first and second years of study by 1 October before they can register for the bachelor’s thesis.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has good technical knowledge of the building and construction industry
• demonstrates engineering insight and an overall perspective, so that good solutions are chosen for reaching the project goal
• is familiar with available literature and ongoing research and development on the issue in question
• is capable of applying old and new knowledge to generate new knowledge and arrive at practical overall solutions

Skills

The student is capable of:

• carrying out an engineering task and addressing a practical or research question, in an independent and systematic manner
• defining a research question, the scope and goal of the project, and planning progress
• mastering appropriate methods and tools
• using relevant academic theory and literature correctly
• describing the thesis, analysing results and discussing them to arrive at a conclusion
• clearly communicating the objective of the thesis, findings and conclusion, both orally and in writing

General competence

The student:

• masters working in a team on planning and executing a project
• demonstrates independence and initiative, creativity and innovation

• assesses technological solutions in a life-cycle/environmental, social and financial context
• has information literacy skills: knows why it is necessary to seek out quality-assured sources of knowledge and why citing sources correctly is important.
• analyses and quality assures results and demonstrates an ability to reflect

In this course, students will acquire basic knowledge in chemistry and thermochemistry. Students will also gain insight into the resource problems society is facing and how to solve them. They will also see a clear connection between environmental assessments and chemistry.

No requirements over and above the admission requirements.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student is capable of

• describing the structure of atoms and molecules
• understanding chemical equations and stoichiometry
• explaining the periodic table
• explaining the physical properties of gases
• explaining chemical bonding and the molecular structure of solids (metals, semiconductors, polymers, crystalline substances)
• defining the first, second and third laws of thermodynamics
• defining energy concepts, internal energy, enthalpy, entropy and Gibb’s energy
• understanding chemical equilibria (gas equilibria, precipitation, acid-base equilibria)
• describing electrochemistry (galvanic cells, corrosion and electrolytic cells)
• describing environmental aspects (use of resources, emissions, waste etc.)
• describing life-cycle assessments and environmental labelling
• describing standards for environmental work

Skills

The student is capable of

• carrying out simple chemical calculations in stoichiometry
• carrying out calculations using the equation of state for ideal gases
• defining energy concepts, internal energy, enthalpy, Gibb’s energy and entropy
• performing simple electrochemical calculations, such as calculations of cell potentials and simple calculations of current, and consumption and production of chemicals by electrolysis
• performing simple calculations of reactants and products present in chemical equilibrium

• carrying out LCA assessments

General competence

The student is capable of

• communicating with chemists on topics relating to chemistry and environment
• searching for specialist literature and compiling reference lists in accordance with the applicable template

Lectures, project work, teacher-led exercises and exercises carried out with the help of student assistants. Some of the lectures will be guest lectures on environmental subjects.

The following coursework is compulsory and must be approved before the student can sit the exam:

• 8 of 12 electronic tests in Chemistry, time consume is stipulated to one hour pr test
• 2 of 4 elektronic tests, time consume is stipulated to one hour pr test

The purpose of the required coursework is to give students a basis for the written exam.

Individual written exam in 3 hours, counts 100 %

Examresults can be appealed