GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY

In order to obtain thesis assignment graduating students:

• Access to the Punto Blu "Graduation Application procedures"function; fill out the Thesis title submission section via web by specifying:

- thesis title

- thesis language

- thesis advisor’s name;

• print out  2 copies of the form for submitting the thesis title which is partially filled out by using the thesis title submission print form function;
• contact their Advisor who complete the form by specifying any second Advisor (referring to a different Department than the one of the Advisor) and discussant;
• go to the Secretary's Office of the School of Law (Via Roentgen 1 1^st floor E3 room FM01) to hand in the two copies of the form filled out (in order to have it inserted in the IT procedure).

Students who have not carried out the graduation reservation yet can cancel the title entered via Punto Blu by using the function Graduation>Graduation Application procedures>Cancel Thesis Title

Graduating students:

• make the graduation reservation via Punto Blu, by selecting the "Graduation Reservation" option. Students must respect the deadlines and timelines indicated on the Graduation Calendar that will be available later in year.
  
  Students do not need to have passed all the exams in the program structure in order to make the graduation reservation. In fact, it is advisable to make the graduation reservation in advance than the submission of the thesis.
  
  When making the "Graduation Reservation" the procedure checks the regular administrative and financial status of the student and that:
  - the thesis title has been submitted;
  - students have paid the graduation fee (through the MAV sent by the University to the permanent/temporary address);
  - the student have an academic qualification valid for the enrolment at the University.  
  

Students' regular administrative status implies:

•  enrolment in the 2010-2011 a.y. for those students who intend to graduate within the first session of 2012 (April).
  

Students who intend to graduate after the first session of 2012 (generally the first session is held in April) must enroll for the 2011-2012 a.y. 

• View:
  • Their thesis title
  • The educational activities yet to be passed
  • Their grade point average.
    
• Specify:
  • Any changes of the address where they wish to receive the diploma at;
  • The address where thesis should be delivered
  • Any update of contact numbers to assure their availability in cases of issues in the thesis upload during the thesis submission phase.
    

Via the yoU@B student diary, after having made the graduation reservation students must fill out the following forms:

- the placement form which goes into a "CV Book" that will be sent to Bocconi contacts for recruitment purposes. These contacts include companies, public and private organizations as well as professional studios.
- the evaluation of university experience questionnaire. This questionnaire makes up part of a national survey and is designed to discover the perceptions of students who are about to graduate with reference to their overall university experience.

Graduating students, after interacting with their Advisor for writing the thesis:

- access the Punto Blu function "Thesis Title - Information Completion" and enter their abstracts (the abstract summarizes the thesis topic in a fixed number of predefined lines, around 250 words) and authorizes or not the thesis consultation.

-  download and print the approval form in 2 copies through the Punto Blu function "Print Approval". This form includes thesis title, thesis advisor’s name, Thesis Advisor’s Department of reference, discussant, thesis abstract, authorization/non-authorization to the thesis consultation;

-  fill out and sign the declaration of conformity (the declaration asserts that the CD ROM's contents conform to what has been written by the student and approved by the thesis advisor);

-  submit the thesis approval form to the thesis advisor.
The thesis advisor will check the accuracy of the abstract, make any corrections to the thesis title and sign the form.
-  hand in 2 copies of the signed approval form in duplicate to the Secretary's Office of the School of Law.

-  Submit the CD ROM of the thesis according to the format specifications indicated in  this chapter

- collect and sign the authorization form for printing and distribution;

The Thesis must be handed in, in electronic format on CD-ROM and not protected from password (reading, modification, print and so on).

The Thesis must be handed in a single file, PDF format and the name of the file will be TS, followed by the student ID number e.g., if the student ID number is 1234567, the name of the file is TS1234567.pdf. Students are requested to include a white sheet after the title page of the thesis, in order to obtain a correct formatting of the PDF document/file.

3.Students must attach a label to the CD-ROM cover, including, clearly printed and in BLOCK LETTERS: student ID, surname/family name and name and month of the graduation session.

Formatting specifications suggested:

• Paper size: cm 29X21 (A4);
• Right and left margin: 2.5 cm;
• Lines per page : from 26 to 30 lines;
• Recommended font: Arial/Tahoma/Verdana;
• Front size (body): 12 points;
• Pages numbered;
• Title page carrying on it, in the following order:

-Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi

-Faculty
-Degree Program  
-Thesis' title
-Advisor
-Any second advisor

-Discussant
-Combined Bachelor and Master of Science Thesis of: name, surname and student ID
-Academic Year

• The thesis must start from the right page (odd), because it will be back-and-front printed.
  

It is not possible to include any personal detail (name, student ID...) in other sections of the thesis (headings or notes at the bottom of the page) other than the front page.

It is not possible to use the Università Bocconi seal on the cover sheet or within the Thesis.

After the period for submitting the thesis has closed, the  Graduation, diplomas and Certifications office will determine whether or not the student meets all the criteria to graduate.
In particular, the following checks are carried out:

• the procedure contains the abstract and approval from the thesis advisor;
• the thesis has been submitted;
• all educational activities included in the study plan are registered (except for the credit points for the thesis);
• there are no pending obligations with the ISU Office;
• there are no outstanding obligations with the Library.

The thesis is evaluated by the Degree Board of which the advisor is a member.
The Boards are appointed by the Rector or by one of his delegates, and are presided by a tenured Professor (1st or 2nd level) who can also take on the role of thesis advisor, and a second advisor and/or discussant of one or more theses which are subject to assessment.

The Boards are made up of professors, researchers and professionals who are experts on the thesis topic and on the other educational activities included in the student's academic career.
The Boards consist of at least 5 members including:

• the thesis advisor;
• a second thesis advisor, only if appointed;
• the discussant;
• at least 3 other professors (2 if a second advisor is present).

In order to submit and present their theses before the Board, graduating students must have earned all the credit points foreseen by the program structure, with the exception of those which are awarded for the thesis.

The thesis can be defended in either Italian or English. The graduation (thesis presentation) includes:

• the student's oral presentation (approximately  20 minutes);
• the defence, which includes answering questions and discussing issues raised by the members of the Degree Board. Those theses considered to be excellent will involve the participation of the discussant.

On completion of the presentation the candidate exits and the Board determines the student's graduation grade. Then, in the student's presence, the Board will proclaim that the student has graduated and announce the graduation grade.

The overall classification is expressed out of 110.

Students pass the final exam if they obtain a grade of at least 66.

The graduation grade takes into account all the educational activities included in the graduating student's academic career. The grade point average (GPA) is calculated by the weighted mathematical average on the credit point values of all marks expressed out of 30 and converted into a mark out of 110. Up to 6 points (out of 110) may be added to this score based on evaluation of the thesis and the student's overall curriculum.

With reference to the "GPA" it should be noted that:

• in calculating the graduation grade a mark of 30 "cum laude"is expressed as 31;
• a maximum of 2 additional exams are taken into consideration (in cases where students have passed more than 2 additional exams, the 2 best results will be used);
• for exams passed at other Italian or foreign universities with a mark that is not expressed out of 30, the marks are converted to a mark out of 30 on the basis of a specific conversion table.

The thesis is evaluated on contents, presentation and defence.

The contents of the thesis are evaluated on clarity and accuracy of the written work as well as the student's ability to summarize. The points awarded are based on the complexity of the topics covered, the thoroughness and depth of analysis, literature cited, methodology applied and quality and accuracy of empirical analysis. Originality and degree of innovation are also important factors. In addition, the adequacy of the conclusions reached is also assessed.

The presentation is evaluated on the ability to express oneself clearly, plan and organize a well- structured presentation, apply critical reasoning and analytical skills, and respond appropriately to the questions and issues raised by the Board.

A high GPA does not guarantee that the student will receive a high score for the thesis. On the other hand, a comprehensive and original thesis can be awarded a high score regardless of the student's GPA.

The Board calculates the rounding of the graduation grade; if the decimal point is equal to or higher than 5 then the score is rounded up, whereas if the decimal point is lower than 5 it is rounded down.

The Board can unanimously award "lode"(cum laude) to students who satisfy the following conditions:

• the Degree Board evaluates the thesis as"excellent";
• students have a curriculum that is considered excellent i.e. students who have passed at least two exams with a grade equal to 30 cum laude (some particular international experiences such as participation in the Themis or Moot programs can be compared to a 30 cum laude);
• graduation grade of at least 110;

• lack of any disciplinary action.