MATS3900 Bachelor Thesis Course description

The students shall apply knowledge and skills they have acquired in the study programme to a realistic engineering problem. They shall demonstrate the ability to further develop their knowledge and skills in theoretical and/or practical problem-solving. The students shall demonstrate a responsible and ethical approach in their professional expertise. The course builds on the first and second years of the study programme.

The course is based on the first and second years of study in the study program.

Prerequisite knowledge

Students must be registered in the third year and have completed at least 100 credits from the first and second years by 1 October before they are assigned a topic for their bachelor’s thesis.

Requirement for preliminary project

A project outline (separate form) must be approved by 15 November. It is the students’ responsibility to:

• form project groups consisting of four members
• contact an enterprise and agree on a collaboration for the bachelor’s thesis
• define a research question and a draft solution 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:

• is capable of using and further developing their knowledge and expertise from several of the subject areas in the bachelor’s degree programme to carry out a realistic engineering assignment

Skills

The student:

• is capable of planning and carrying out a large-scale project in the field
• is capable of leading project meetings and communicating solutions both orally and in writing
• has practical experience of the basic principles behind scientific work methods, including searching for, assessing and using specialist literature and writing a scientific report
• is capable of searching for and assessing relevant specialist literature and writing the theoretical part of a scientific report based on this material

General competence

The student:

• is capable of translating knowledge into practical solutions
• is capable, in an independent and systematic manner, of carrying out an engineering assignment based on a practical industrial or research-related issue
• is capable of communicating electronic engineering and information technology knowledge both orally and in writing, in both Norwegian and English
• masters both independent work and team work, including the planning and implementation of a large-scale engineering project
• demonstrates a responsible and ethical approach in their professional expertise

The assignment of bachelor’s theses is based on the guidelines applicable to the faculty and the study programme. The thesis is preferably written in cooperation with a business or research community. A supervisor from the study programme will be appointed. For projects carried out in cooperation with an enterprise or public agency, an external supervisor will also be appointed.

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

• two lectures (start-up and report writing)
• preliminary project (a project outline must be completed prior to 15th of November)
• one meeting with the course coordinator
• one oral presentation

Students may be required to write the thesis in English.

The assessment of the group bachelor’s thesis (4 students) will be based on the execution of the project, the report, the poster and the oral presentation.

• The execution, oral presentation with a poster in English count 40% and are assessed on the basis of the project’s degree of difficulty, the students’ planning and progress, initiative, assessment ability and independence, and the supervisor/client’s benefit from the project.
• The report counts 60% and is assessed on the basis of the students’ understanding of the issue at hand, the thoroughness of the documentation, the discussion, critical assessment, clear presentation, systematic structure, literary references and degree of independence in the writing process.

Only the grade given for the report can be appealed. The grade given for the execution and oral presentation cannot be appealed.

All parts of the exam must be awarded grade E or better for the student to pass the course.

All.

Grade scale A-F.

Two internal examiners. External examiners are used regularly.