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Thesis Guidelines and Practical Information

Step-by-step List

This list summarizes the steps for carrying out a thesis project: what you need to do in order to start your project, what to think about while you are working, and how you conclude the project.

  • Check that you are eligible to start your thesis project

    • In order to start a MSc thesis project, you should have completed minimum 60 credits of course work.
    • A thesis project is full-time studies. The usual rules for work load apply: you cannot take more than one extra 7.5 credits course without approval from the programme director.

  • Find a thesis topic

    There are different ways in which you can find a thesis topic:

    • At a company or some other external organisation. Many companies offer thesis projects. Some  advertize them on the web, but you can also directly contact a company yourself.
    • With a KTH research group. KTH offers many thesis projects. Thesis projects are often advertized on the web (although there is no central place for it, so you need to look around at the different department web sites). You can also contact teachers directly and ask about potential projects.
    • Suggest a topic of your own. If you have some ideas that you would like to explore further, write a short plan where you describe your ideas, and contact a potential examiner (see below).

  • Find an examiner

    You must have an examiner for your project. The examiner is the teacher at KTH who is responsible for your project. The examiner will approve your thesis proposal, register your project, guide you through the project work, and do the final grading.

    If you are doing your project with a KTH research group, you will most likely have an examiner from that group.  If you are doing your project at an external organization, such as a company, you need to find a teacher at KTH who is prepared to be your examiner. The best way is to contact a teacher in a course that is related to your thesis topic, and ask if he/she can be your examiner. If you have difficulties finding an examiner, contact the programme director, who might be able to suggest a suitable examiner.

  • Register your thesis project

    Technically, the thesis project is a course, for which you need to register in order to participate, in the same way as for any other course.

    Your examiner will give you instructions for how to do this. At the ICT school, you register by submitting the degree project application form. For a TSLab MSc thesis, use course code IK223x (2G1021).

    If you are doing your project outside the TSLab department, there is one additional step: your project must be approved by the programme director, who should check that the topic is suitable for your programme. So if you want to do your project at another department (or if you are not sure which department it is), contact the programme director first.

  • Thesis workers mailing list

    Sign up for the thesis workers mailing list to stay updated about thesis presentations.

  • Register TSLab project web

    To register at TSLab, you need to establish your thesis work web site. We expect you to maintain a web site with information about you work during the thesis period. The web site should include the project specification, time plan, weekly progress reports and all deliverables.

    Register here.

  • Progress 

    While you are working on your project, make sure to keep your examiner updated about your progress, and submit draft versions of your report. It is your responsibility to keep the examiner updated, don't wait for the examiner to prompt you for status reports.

  • Seminar

The results of your work should be presented at a seminar, when you and your examiner have agreed that your work is ready for presentation.  There should be an opponent at the seminar, who should prepare questions and topic for discussions. In order to prepare for the seminar, you should do the following:
  • Agree with your examiner about a suitable date.
  • Find an opponent. Use the thesis workers mailing list for this.
  • Advertize the seminar on the thesis workers mailing list at least two weeks in advance.

  • Other Requirements

Besides completing your own project work, there are some requirements you need to fulfill in order to successfully complete your thesis:
  • Act as opponent at another student's seminar, where you prepare questions and topics for discussion in advance
  • Participate at two other student seminars, as an active listener
To document and keep track of your progress, use this checklist.

  • When the thesis is done, it should be submitted in printing as well as electronically. For the printed version, you should submit minimum four printed copies for archival purposes. The report should have a report number (TRITA number) and a KTH ICT cover. The routines for this are not yet established, so please check with your examiner for details.

    The report will be published electronically at DiVA, so you should submit an electronic version as well. The electronic publication of your thesis should be approved on the thesis application form.

    It is a strict requirement that your report should have the abstract in English and Swedish ("Sammanfattning").