Thesis/Final examination

The final examination for the degree in Communication and Contemporary Media for the Creative Industries consists of an individual written paper, no shorter than 40 pages, framed within the framework of one of the planned course units, on a topic agreed upon between the student and a Professor. The latter, at its discretion and in agreement with the undergraduate, may involve a rapporteur. The student agrees with a Professor on the thesis topic and the type of paper to be written, choosing between a compilative thesis and a research/experimental thesis.

The following are included in the type of compilation thesis: a brief, summarised and reasoned report on a topic with a brief bibliography; a reasoned review of existing literature (with particular reference to national and international journals available from the departmental library); a theoretical investigation of the internship experience. In any case, the paper must be sufficiently rigorous and original.

The research/experimental theses are all works of a design, theoretical, methodological, historical or other nature, whose critical design or experimental conduction shows considerable rigour and originality.

Both types of theses can be carried out in any discipline, at the student's choice and in agreement with a Professor. The papers should be approximately 40-50 pages long; in the case of projects, they should be accompanied by at least 20 pages of illustration of the project and an adequate bibliography on the subject dealt with.

In writing the paper, students should follow the editorial rules that will be published on the course website, unless otherwise indicated by the supervisor, relating to the specific discipline.

The discussion of the paper includes a brief presentation by the supervisor who introduces the candidate and expresses his or her assessment of the paper. The candidate then presents his/her thesis briefly and answers any questions from the Committee or rapporteur (if present). The Committee determines the final mark in agreement with the supervisor and rapporteur (if any).

Papers must be written in Italian.

Additional points are provided for Erasmus students (1) and students who are completing the course within the prescribed time (1). These points will be awarded ex officio. There are also 0 to 5 points to be awarded by the Committee depending on the quality of the candidate's paper and presentation.

Learning how to do bibliographic research

The University of Parma offers a useful online course (in Mooc format) to learn how to search for information and scientific literature online. Its name is Infodocpass and it is structured in two modules:

  • Infopatent: searching for information online
  • Bibliopatent: the basics of document search