The final examination (thesis) is a written report on a topic related to your Course but different from the topic of the internship, allowing you to expand your knowledge in various areas of physics.
The workload of the thesis is 6 CFU, equivalent to 150 hours of study.
The thesis should generally not exceed 30 pages and is written in Italian, in which case the title and summary can optionally be in English. To write your thesis in English, submit a motivated request signed by your supervisor to didattica.df@units.it for approval by the Academic Board. Theses written in English must include title and summary in Italian.
The thesis is prepared with the support of a supervisor (Relatore) who is a lecturer of the Department. The supervisor may also be an external expert who is not a lecturer of the Department but their appointment must be approved by the Board of Studies. To choose an external supervisor, fill in the Modulo per Relatore Esterno and send it to didattica.df@units.it before applying for graduation in Esse3. If the Academic Board approves your request, in the absence of an internal co-supervisor, it will also appoint an internal counter-supervisor.
Remember that you must email the PDF version of your thesis to didattica.df@units.it at least 8 days before the start of the graduation session. The file size must not exceed 15 MB.
Thesis Defence
The degree is awarded after presenting and discussing the thesis before an Examination Board consisting of at least three members, in compliance with the University's Academic Regulations. Time limits are as follows:
- Presentation: 15–18 minutes
- Discussion: 5–7 minutes
At the end of the discussion, the Examination Board assigns a score to be added to the final degree grade.
Degree Grade
The Examination Board calculates the degree grade based on criteria that include:
- Weighted average of grades (expressed out of 110)
- According to your graduation session:
- 5 points for graduating by the September session of the 3rd year
- 3 points for graduating by the December session of the 3rd year
- Up to 4 points awarded by the Board for the final examination
- 0.2 points for each honours (lode), up to a maximum of 2 points
With a unanimous decision, the Board may also award honours (lode).
Further information
Detailed information on the thesis and final examination, the composition of the Examination Board and grading criteria are in the Academic Regulations.
Sessions and deadlines
- Summer session
Submission of online graduation application: from 22/04/2025 to 12/05/2025
Deadlines for the session from 25/07/2025 to 28/07/2025:
- Passing the last exam: 10/07/2025
- Cancelling the graduation application (online only): 10/07/2025
- Changing the thesis title (online only): 10/07/2025
- Sending the PDF version of the thesis to didattica.df@units.it: 17/07/2025
Deadlines for the session from 18/09/2025 to 19/09/2025:
- Passing the last exam: 03/09/2025
- Cancelling the graduation application (online only): 03/09/2025
- Changing the thesis title (online only): 03/09/2025
- Sending the PDF version of the thesis to didattica.df@units.it:10/09/2025
- Autumn session
Submission of online graduation application: from 25/08/2025 to 12/09/2025
Deadlines for the session from 17/10/2025 to 20/10/2025:
- Passing the last exam: 02/10/2025
- Cancelling the graduation application (online only): 02/10/2025
- Changing the thesis title (online only): 02/10/2025
- Sending the PDF version of the thesis to didattica.df@units.it: 09/10/2025
Deadlines for the session from 12/12/2025 to 15/12/2025:
- Passing the last exam: 21/11/2025
- Cancelling the graduation application (online only): 21/11/2025
- Changing the thesis title (online only): 21/11/2025
- Sending the PDF version of the thesis to didattica.df@units.it: 04/12/2025
- Extraordinary session
Submission of online graduation application: from 07/01/2026 to 23/01/2026
Deadlines for the session from 13/03/2026 to 16/03/2026:
- Passing the last exam: 26/02/2026
- Cancelling the graduation application (online only): 26/02/2026
- Changing the thesis title (online only): 26/02/2026
- Sending the PDF version of the thesis to didattica.df@units.it: 07/03/2026