Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics

A kötelező előtanulmányi rend az adott szak honlapján és képzési programjában található.

In order to obtain the M.Sc. degree, the student must write a thesis. The thesis must prove that the candidate is capable of working independently as a Business Information System engineer, is proficient in and can apply engineering methods, can interpret the task assignment, as well as evaluate and analyze the chosen solution. The goal of the first semester is a review of the literature, proposal of alternative solutions, modeling and/or the design of the system and progress with the implementation in proportion to the available time.

The thesis topic can be chosen from the topics offered by one of the departments of the Faculty (the department responsible for the student’s specialization, if possible), with the approval of the department head.

A topic offered by another faculty, university, or a company (business organization) can be accepted only if the head of a department competent in the topic supports it and assigns a departmental advisor. The external advisor must be an expert with a university diploma or master’s (M.Sc.) degree and must be approved by the department head. The thesis topic shall be chosen and the thesis shall be written so that the work of the candidate can be evaluated without releasing information that violates the interests of the company (business organization). In exceptional cases, leading companies and business organizations in research and development can offer classified thesis topics. The student shall be aware of the classified nature of the topic when it is assigned.

The thesis topic addresses a business-related computer science problem, with special emphasis on the fields covered by the core subjects and the specializations. This includes (but it is not limited to) the fields of business modeling, expert systems, decision support systems, business continuity planning, information system development, knowledge base design, data- and knowledge-base management, formal languages in modeling, information strategy planning, project planning and management, standard development solutions, information system re-engineering, adaptation of integrated enterprise resource planning systems, electronic and mobile business, business applications of web technologies. Further, topics in system development, corporate-/organizational-level application integration, intelligent electronic and mobile solutions, information systems aspects of business continuity, IT-supported organization development, inter-organization applications, infocommunication services, geoinformatics, integrated enterprise resource planning systems, data- and text mining, trend analysis and visualization, decision support, development methodologies, database management, process management, risk management, change and configuration management, application portfolio management, artificial intelligence, IT audit, and teamwork support may also be available.

Thesis work can be carried out abroad as well, in any language of instruction at BME: Hungarian, English, French, German, and Russian. In this case, the topic and the tasks shall be confirmed in advance by a department competent in the field, similarly to the case of industrial theses. The thesis must meet the Hungarian requirements. The foreign advisor must write a short report about the candidate’s work and the thesis, and this report shall be submitted to the final examination committee. The thesis written abroad needs to be defended at the final examination, just like theses written in Hungary.

Two or more students can work on a joint thesis topic, provided that the work and the results of each contributor can be unambiguously separated. In the task assignment, tasks to be solved individually, as well as those to be solved by other students working on the joint topic needs to be clearly stated. In case of joint topics, it is possible to declare only subtasks as classified. Thus only the theses completing such subtasks will be treated as classified.

In case of joint thesis topics, the subtasks that were not solved individually must be clearly highlighted, considering that it is not possible to assign joint tasks for the second semester of the thesis work.

Independent work with guidance from the advisor.

a. During the semester:

The student passes the subject if he/she completed the preparatory work and is ready to register for the subject M.Sc. Thesis 2.

Assessment during the semester

·         The advisor continuously monitors the scheduling, the work progress, and the contribution of the student. The student must regularly report the work progress to the departmental advisor, even if the work is carried out outside the department.

·         The written report must be submitted 5 workdays prior to the oral report. It must span about 30 pages.

·         By the end of classes, students report the progress in at least 10 minutes long presentations, at sessions held on dates previously agreed upon.

·         Further, written reports must be uploaded to the thesis portal of the Faculty.

Midterm grade

A faculty committee consisting of at least 3 thesis advisors gives a midterm grade, based on the recommendation of the student’s advisor and by considering the following aspects:

·         the professional value of the work;

·         the student’s attitude towards the work and the degree of completion of the task;

·         the evaluation of the report;

·         the level of documentation.

Students fail if:

·         the project was largely neglected;

·         the task assignment was not submitted;

·         the tasks for the semester were not completed in an acceptable quality by the date of the report;

·         the written report was not submitted or the oral presentation was not delivered by the due date.

Late submission of the written final report is possible until the end of the supplementary assessment period.

Thesis work is carried out under the guidance of either a departmental advisor or an external advisor. In case of external advisors, a departmental advisor must also be assigned to the thesis work. Departmental advisors are full-time or part-time faculty members, research scientists, teachers (master teacher, teacher of engineering, teacher of technology, teacher of business, practical instructor), engineers, doctoral candidates, and Ph.D. students; external advisors must be experts with a university diploma or master’s (M.Sc.) degree and must be approved by the department head. An external advisor is necessary only if the topic was not offered by the department or if it is beyond the expertise of all members of the department.

The student reviews and appropriately cites the literature needed to address the thesis topic, with the guidance of the advisor.