This page gives an overview of Honours theses at CSE and describes the process of looking for a supervisor. This page is most relevant to you before you start your Thesis A (COMP4951 or COMP4961).
The section an overview of Honours theses at CSE describes how the theses are run for both the term and semester calendars, and what the transition arrangements are.
At CSE, there are 2 sets of thesis courses depending on the degree that you are enrolled in. The following table summarises the thesis courses under the term and semester calendars.
| Degrees | Term calendar | Semester calendar |
|---|---|---|
| B Eng (Hons) | COMP4951/2/3 Research Thesis A/B/C taken over 3 consecutive terms. 4 UoC per term. Total 12 UoC. |
COMP4930/1 Research Thesis A/B taken over 2 consecutive semesters. 6 UoC per semester. Total 12 UoC. |
| B Computer Science (Hons) B Advanced Computer Science (Hons) |
COMP4961/2/3 Computer Science Thesis A/B/C taken over 3 consecutive terms. 6 UoC per term. Total 18 UoC. |
COMP4940/1 Computer Science Thesis A/B taken over 2 consecutive semesters. 6 UoC for A and 12 UoC for B. Total 18 UoC. |
With the calendar transition, the thesis courses you will take depends on which term/semester you start your first thesis course, and which degree you are in. The table below summarises the arrangements.
| First thesis term/semester | B Eng (Hons) | B CS (Hons) or B Advanced CS (Hons) |
|---|---|---|
| 27T1 | You follow the term system (i.e., 3-part A/B/C thesis) and complete your thesis in 27T1 (A), T2 (B) and T3 (C) | |
| 27T2 | You follow the term system (i.e., 3-part A/B/C thesis) and complete your thesis in 27T2 (A), T3 (B) and 28S1 (C) | |
| 27T3 | You follow the semester system (i.e., 2-part COMP4930/1 A/B thesis) and complete your thesis in 27T3 (A) and 28S1 (B) | You can choose one of two options. Option 1 is to follow the term system (i.e., 3-part COMP4961/2/3 A/B/C thesis) and complete your thesis in 27T3 (A), 28S1 (B) and 28S2 (C). Option 2 is to follow the semester system (i.e., 2-part COMP4940/1 A/B thesis) and complete your thesis in 27T3 (A, 6UoC) and 28S1 (B, 12uoC) |
| 28S1 or after | You follow the semester system (i.e., 2-part thesis) and complete your thesis in 2 semesters | |
Structure of 3-part A/B/C Thesis Generally, the students use their time in Thesis A to understand the problem, do a literature review to understand the state-of-the-art, identify a research gap, and to come out with a plan for their proposed solution which they will implement in Thesis B and Thesis C. The students will then be using their time in Thesis B (10 weeks) and Thesis C (8 weeks) to work out their proposed solution which can include software, hardware and theory. Note that the last 2 weeks of Thesis C are reserved for writing the thesis report so the students should aim to complete their practical work by Week 8. This means the students have about 18 weeks to implement the technical work for their entire thesis.
Most of the students choose to work on a topic proposed by a supervisor. However, some students propose their own topics and some do a project in the industry. We will describe all these options here.
We maintain a database of thesis topics at the Thesis Management System (TMS). These topics are mostly proposed by CSE academics but there are also topics proposed by academics from the rest of UNSW. (Note that we allow any academic staff from UNSW to supervise our thesis students.) We recommend that you do a thesis topic that you are interested in and use the computing skills that you are strong in, so you should pay attention to the skills required. Given that doing a thesis is a one year commitment, you should always talk to the supervisor to understand the scope of the topic and the skills required befor committing yourselves. We suggest that you email the supervisor to ask for a short online meeting (e.g., 15 minutes) for you to get a better understanding of the project.
The application process on TMS requires logging in and you can only log into TMS from Week 0 in the term that you start your Thesis A. (We will use the expression "Thesis A term" to refer the term that you start your Thesis A.) This means that you cannot formally apply before your Thesis A term. However, you can make a supervision agreement with your proposed supervisor before your Thesis A term and apply for the topic in the TMS when you have access.
What if you have your own project idea? If this is the case, we recommend that you write up a proposal and approach potential supervisor to check whether they will be happy to supervise you. Your proposal should cover these points: motivation, scope (what you want to do and potential outcomes), the possible innovations or differentiation from exiting work, and a list of computing skills required. If you do not know potential supervisors that have expertise in your proposed area, you can ask the UG thesis coordinator for suggestions.
What if you want to do a project in the industry? If this the case, you should get in touch with the the UG thesis coordinator for advice. The coordinator will need to discuss with your proposed industrial supervisor before approving it. The coordinator will also appoint a supervisor from CSE.
We expect students to have a project by Friday of Week 1 in the term they start their Thesis A. We do encourage you to speak to potential supervisors early.
This version: 024/09/26 by Chun Tung Chou (UG Thesis Coordinator).