ME-HTE Thesis

The duration of the final (MSc) project is 35 EC.

Students will preferably contribute to the on-going research of the PME Department. In some cases an assignment with a industrial partner can be accepted. Always check your coach or coordinator first.

Main requirements
The assignment should offer possibilities to gain and sharpen MSc/ 'ingenieurs' (EN: Engineer) skills. This basically leads to the following requirements on an assignment and the environment in which it takes place:

• The assignment must offer the possibility for a structured problem solving approach on academic level. This implies that the student has to address a 'grand problem' and not a series of small engineering problems, each of one standing mainly on its own. The problem must allow for a problem solving cycle which includes analysis, synthesis and where possible realisation and evaluation. On specific aspects, detailed analyses have to be made, for instance by means of (numerical) modelling and analysis, experimentation etc. The emphasis is of course different in each assignment.

• The assignment includes a problem analysis phase. The typical starting point of an assignment is a first problem definition; the problem analysis phase should give clarity on what and where the real problems are and which problems are going to be addressed in subsequent phases

• In the solution generation phase there should be some freedom as well. Assignments which have from the early start on a defined detailed solution direction from which the student may not deviate are usually not suitable for MSc projects.

• The topics must be within the area of the research topics of PME and preferably follow the focus area chosen. For proper coaching and for being able to establish good links with the company involved, we are looking for subjects that match with the interest and coaching capabilities of our staff members.

If a student undertakes the graduation project at a company, a graduation agreement should be signed. In this respect, the template of the TUD-ME graduation agreement should be used, which is available at the following link: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/student/me-student-portal/education/related/student-forms/msc-forms/.