Overview
The deadline for proposals (student & supervisor portions) is May 16, 2023.
CISC 500/6.0, Undergraduate Thesis is a course meant for students who would like to do a more substantial research project than is feasible within the time constraints of CISC/COGS 499.
Calendar Description
Individual research project under the supervision of a School of Computing faculty member. Evaluation is based on an oral presentation and a written thesis. It is the responsibility of the student to make a research proposal and secure a supervisor prior to enrolling in the course.
LEARNING HOURS 240 (24I;216P)
PREREQUISITE Permission of the Department. Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 and Level 4 and registration in a COMP Major or BMCO, COGS, COMA, CSCI, or SODE specialization plan.
EXCLUSION No more than 6.0 units from (CISC 499/3.0; COGS 499/3.0; CISC 500/6.0).
Getting Permission
“Permission of department” means that you cannot enroll via SOLUS. Instead you must
- send your unofficial SOLUS transcript to the course coordinator for verification of the prerequisites
- find a supervisor
- write a research proposal satisfactory to your supervisor
- have them email the proposal to the course coordinator stating that they have agreed to supervise you
- requirement: supervisor writes one paragraph as to how the project requirements and learning meet definition of CISC 500
- email these two to the course coordinator by the deadline
You are solely responsible for finding a supervisor; if you are unable to do so, you must enroll in the appropriate 499 course for your degree instead (CISC 499 for the major, BMCO, COMA, and CSCI; COGS 499 for COGS; or an internship for those plans that allow them). The term “research project” means that a proposal primarily aimed at implementing a software system, with little or no research component, will not be acceptable.
Exceptional students in SODE (both options) may take CISC 500 but this does
not replace the other requirements for those plans (CISC 498 for Software
Development, CISC 496 for Game Design, or an internship).
Brief Research Proposal
The research proposal mentioned in the calendar description is a 3-4 paragraph description of the topic you intend to pursue. It should describe the general area of research, the specific topic within that area you intend to pursue, and a brief indication of how you plan to go about doing your research. Its audience is your intended supervisor and the course coordinator. The supervisor will use it to decide whether to supervise you, and the coordinator will ensure consistent course-wide standards.
As the calendar states, proposals are due before enrollment in the course.
For 2023-24 the deadline will be May 16th, 2023.
This is not the same as the detailed proposal that will be required as part of your coursework. That will require some initial literature search showing that you have studied prior work on the topic.
Supervisor Paragraph
Your supervisor writes one paragraph as to how the project requirements and learning meet the calendar definition of CISC 500. This is due with your proposal.
See the example proposals. This page is password protected. Please email coordinator for help.
Questions? Contact the
coordinator.
