Postgraduate thesis

As part of the UNSW Master of Engineering Science and the UNSW Master of Engineering, students must complete a Research/Project/Capstone requirement made up of 18 UoC.

There are two options:

1. CVEN9050 Masters Practice Project A (6 UoC) + CVEN9051 Masters Practice Project B (6 UoC)
2. CVEN9451 Masters Project A (4 UoC) + CVEN9452 Masters Project B (4 UoC) + CVEN9453 Masters Project C (4 UoC)

Applying for option 2; CVEN9451/9452/9453

To enrol in CVEN9451 Masters Project A, you must first nominate a supervisor and topic. The instructions are as follows:

• refer to the Student Intranet for the list of topics and supervisors
• Once you have a nominated supervisor, you are required to complete the MS form as outlined in the Timetable page of the course.

Applications submitted prior to class registration date will not be processed. Please refer to Key Dates for further information. 

As part of the UNSW Master of Information Technology requirements, students must complete a Research/Project/Capstone requirement made up of 18 UoC.

There are three options:

1. COMP9900 Information Technology Project (6 UoC) + Disciplinary Knowledge Elective Course (6 UoC) + GSOE9010 or GSOE9011 Engineering Postgraduate Coursework Research Skills (6 UoC) 
2. COMP9991 Research Project A (6 UoC) + COMP9992 Research Project B (6 UoC) + Disciplinary Knowledge Elective Course (6 UoC)
3. COMP9991 Research Project A (6 UoC) + COMP9993 Research Project C (12 UoC)

Note: Only eligible students will be able to complete a research project option. Please see the Handbook for Research Project enrolment conditions.

This information is intended for all postgraduate students who will start Part A in the forthcoming term. Please follow the steps shown below:

Step 1: Go to: Moodle.  Enrol yourself as a student on the EET School Thesis/Project. Use self-enrolment key: EETTPstudent

Step 2: Login to Moodle portal : ‘EET School Thesis/Project’. The portal is set up to help students find a supervisor and a thesis/project topic to work on. You can view the research profiles of prospective supervisors and topics by clicking on the ‘Research Topics’ icon.

The topics list is only indicative and may not show all the topics available. Supervisors may have other new topics in mind, or you may want to propose your own topic that matches the supervisor’ interests and expertise. 

Once you’ve found a supervisor with a topic that suits your interests, you’re required to contact this person to discuss your intention. If you both agree to team up, ask the supervisor to email you to confirm approval of the topic title. You can then proceed to register.

Note: registration must be done as soon as approval is granted (within 1 week). Supervisors have the right to void late registrations.  

Step 3: From the home page, click the ‘Registration’ icon and then click ‘Select Supervisor.’ Find your supervisor name and click the action box to become a member. 

Step 4: From the home page, click the ‘Registration’ icon then click ‘Register Topic,’ ‘Add Entry’ and enter your details and topic title. 

Step 5: You must enrol in the appropriate thesis/project course code on myUNSW. Your program determines which project code you should enrol into. 

All Postgraduate thesis students can find a list of thesis topics will be posted on the Thesis A Moodle site. The student key to access the site will be sent out by the thesis co-ordinator to all students who will be taking thesis the following term. You should review the list and discuss the topics with the relevant supervisor to get an idea of what it entails. Students must include their CV and cover letter explaining their topic interests and relevant background in their email to the supervisor.

Once both the supervisor and student have agreed on the topic, a Thesis Nomination Form should be completed. This is submitted to the Thesis Coordinator and uploaded to the SOLA9451 Moodle site prior to the student commencing work on their topic. All students must have chosen a supervisor by 9am Monday week 1 of term.

You can develop your own thesis topic, if you can find a supervisor from within the School. This will require you to attach a one page description of the thesis topic and be signed by the supervisor to the Thesis Nomination Form.

The School also encourages students who wish to do an industry-led thesis topic. In this case the mentor from industry would be the student’s co-supervisor, however an academic staff member from the School must act as the supervisor of the thesis.

For an industry-led thesis, you must obtain approval from an academic of the School to supervise the topic. You should submit a signed letter from the industry representative and academic supervisor with a brief outline of the project with a Thesis Nomination Form.

All information needed for the deliverables of Thesis A can be found in the course outline which is available on the SOLA9451 Moodle site.

Each supervisor has a prescribed limit for how many students they will accept. A table will be posted to show how many students each supervisor will take and how many students they have so far. Once a supervisor reaches their limit, students will need to find an alternative supervisor. You are not guaranteed a project with a supervisor unless you have a signed form.

• Schedule your appointment with your supervisor
• Get your thesis nomination form signed by your supervisor