Thesis/Final examination | LAW | University of Parma

A Single-cycle degree programme requires the preparation and presentation of a thesis prepared under the guidance of a supervisor, possibly also in the context of a study experience abroad.

Characteristics of the final examination

The Final examination of the single-cycle degree course Degree Course in Law consists of:

a) in the writing of a written Degree thesis and its discussion before the Degree Examination Committee with the attainment of 21 ECTS credits; or

b) in the writing of a written Degree thesis and its discussion before the Degree Examination Committee with the attainment of 15 ECTS credits, subject to the completion of an internship in Italy or abroad, for the attainment of 6 ECTS credits; or

c) in the drafting of a written degree thesis and its discussion before the Degree Examination Committee, with the attainment of 15 ECTS credits, subject to passing an additional exam (chosen according to criteria of congruence with the Programme of Study), with the attainment of 6 ECTS credits.
In cases a, b, c, the dissertation may be curricular or research.

Curricular or research thesis - Type of thesis and its evaluation

CURRICULAR DEGREE OR RESEARCH THESES (students with a programme of study prior to the academic year 2017/2018 - degree courses closed to new candidates)
For the purposes of these Regulations, degree theses are subdivided into 'curricular theses' and 'research theses'.
A 'curricular thesis' is defined as a dissertation that addresses a circumscribed topic and is accompanied by a critical review of the literature and case law on the subject. In this hypothesis, the mark, proposed by the supervisor to the Degree Examination Committee, may not exceed three points, which are added to the arithmetic mean of the profit examinations taken by the undergraduate. To this end, the Student registry office shall make the arithmetic mean evident in the minutes forwarded to the Degree Examination Committee.
By 'research thesis', we mean the dissertation that requires a thorough and exhaustive treatment, expressing good independent working skills and critical reflection. In this hypothesis, the mark, proposed by the supervisor to the Degree Examination Committee, may not exceed seven points, which are added to the arithmetic mean of the profit examinations taken by the undergraduate. To this end, the Student registry office shall make the arithmetic mean evident in the minutes forwarded to the Degree Examination Committee.
The student may propose to the supervisor the type of thesis he/she prefers; it will be the supervisor's responsibility to direct the student towards the level of thesis that is most consistent, first and foremost, with his/her study possibilities and with the timeframe for submission to the degree examination envisaged. For the purposes of writing the dissertation, the candidate is invited to follow the guidelines provided by the supervisor and the dissertation preparation course. With the agreement of the Supervisor, a chapter of the thesis may be written in one of the official languages of the European Union other than Italian.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the previous paragraph, and only where the candidate's dissertation meets the requirements of substance and form, as well as being supported by a satisfactory discussion during the Degree examination, the thesis may be awarded eight points: a) in the event that the student presents himself/herself for the Degree examination with a mark, determined on the basis of the arithmetic average of the examinations previously taken, excluding any additional point referred to in the following paragraph, of 102/110 and, therefore, the awarding of eight points is justified for the purpose of obtaining the final mark of 110/110 (without declaration of honours); b) if the student presents a mark of 91/110, determined on the basis of the arithmetic mean of the exams previously taken, excluding any additional point referred to in the following paragraph, and, therefore, the award of eight points is justified for the purposes of obtaining the final mark of 99/110.
Having verified compliance with the conditions set out in the preceding paragraph, the Degree Committee may approve, by a majority vote of its Members, the possible award of eight points, requested, at the time of the Degree examination, by the Thesis supervisor. In the event of a tie, the vote of the President of the Commission prevails. Approval or non-approval of the application shall be noted in writing in the Graduation Minutes.
A student who obtains a law degree by the end of the fifth academic year will be awarded one point to be added to the final grade. To this end, the Student registry office shall make it clear on the report submitted to the Degree Examination Committee that the student will graduate by the fifth academic year.
The provisions of this article do not apply to students belonging to the 2017/2018 cohort (with Programme of Studies) and subsequent cohorts.
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CURRICULAR DEGREE THESES OR RESEARCH THESES (students with Programme of Study A.y 2017/2018 and later)
The provisions of this Article shall apply to students with a. Programme of Study. 2017/2018 and onwards.
For the purposes of these Rules, dissertations are divided into 'curricular dissertations' and 'research dissertations'.
Curricular thesis' means a dissertation that addresses a circumscribed topic and is accompanied by a critical review of the literature and case law on the subject. In this hypothesis, the mark, proposed by the supervisor to the Degree Examination Committee, may not exceed three points, which are added to the weighted average of the profit examinations taken by the undergraduate. To this end, the Student registry office shall make the weighted average evident in the minutes forwarded to the Degree Examination Committee.
By 'research thesis', we mean the dissertation that requires a thorough and exhaustive treatment, expressing high capacity for independent work and critical reflection. In this hypothesis, the mark, proposed by the supervisor to the Degree Examination Committee, may not exceed eight points, which are added to the weighted average of the profit examinations taken by the undergraduate. To this end, the Student registry office shall make the weighted average evident in the minutes forwarded to the Degree Examination Committee.
The student may propose to the supervisor the type of thesis he/she prefers; it will be the supervisor's responsibility to direct the student towards the level of thesis that is most consistent, first and foremost, with his/her study possibilities and with the timeframe for submission to the degree examination envisaged. For the purposes of drafting the dissertation, the candidate is invited to follow the indications provided by the Supervisor and the dissertation preparation course referred to in Article 16 of these Regulations. With the agreement of the Supervisor, a chapter of the thesis may be written in one of the official languages of the European Union other than Italian.
A student who obtains a law degree by the end of the fifth academic year will be awarded one point to be added to the final grade. To this end, the Student registry office shall make it clear, on the report forwarded to the Graduation Examination Committee, that the student will graduate within the fifth academic year.
A student who has been awarded at least 6 CFUs acquired abroad as part of one of the Department's internationalisation programmes will be awarded an additional point, which will be made clear to the Degree Examination Committee on the Degree Examination Record previously forwarded by the Student registry office.

Thesis supervisor

The supervisor of the dissertation may be a professor, in any capacity, who is the current holder of one of the courses taught by the second-cycle degree course in Law degree course.
The dissertation must be assigned in a Discipline, in relation to which the candidate has taken the relevant examination, valid for curricular purposes.
The Supervisor, in consideration of the particular scientific competence on the subject of the degree dissertation, may entrust the care of the undergraduate student to a Researcher or to the holder of a research grant in the same or related scientific-disciplinary sector, who may be present at the discussion before the Degree Examination Committee, and who shall inform the Academic office by e-mail in time for the formation of the Degree Examination Committee.
The supervisor of the thesis may also be a professor of another degree course at the University, with whom the student has taken an examination valid for curricular purposes, which is not taught in the Single-cycle degree course in Laws.
In the event that the same teaching, even if subdivided by alphabetical letter or by registration number, is held by more than one professor, each may be the thesis supervisor.

Conduct of the final examination

The Degree Examination Committee is appointed by the Director of the Department of Law, Politics and International Studies .
Degree examinations are public.
At the end of the presentation, the selection board discusses and deliberates, in secret, the final grade. When awarding marks, the Graduation Examination Committee must provide for evaluation:
- the overall marks and distinctions obtained by the graduate student in the curricular examinations; - the time taken to complete the studies and any other relevant activities; - the written work on which the graduate student's discussion before the Degree Examination Committee is based; - the student's argumentative and expository capacity, also with reference to the questions posed by the members of the Committee other than the Supervisor.
The Degree Examinations Committee may unanimously decide to award honours only in the following cases: the candidate's curricular career shows that he/she has obtained several honours, especially in examinations of fundamental subjects; the dissertation shows a high degree of accuracy in its drafting and results; the discussion before the Degree Examinations Committee has demonstrated the graduate student's high level of argumentative and expository capacity, also with reference to questions posed by Committee members other than the Supervisor.

Thesis preparation

The Degree Course periodically organises a thesis preparation course, aimed at providing students with the indispensable methodological criteria that must govern the drafting of the dissertation, as well as the notions necessary for the retrieval and selection of materials and the correct citation of the relevant citations.
The course takes place in February and September each year, and consists of two two-hour meetings.
The course is taught by a researcher or research grant holder from the Department of Law, Politics and International Studies on a rotating basis.
Attendance at the course is not compulsory, so that students who are unable to attend will be advised by the lecturer to make use of appropriate reference material, including computerised material (slides and video recordings), made available via the Degree Course website.

For the a.y. 2022/2023, the thesis preparation course will be will be held at the following dates:

21 October 2022: Prof. Francesco Bono ⇒ video recording of the meeting
28 April 2023: Prof.ssa Michela Petrachi ⇒ video recording of the meeting

⇒ Thesis preparation course, more details on the Central Library website

Meetings on thesis writing a.y. 2023/2024

In A.Y. 2023/2024, the Law Degree Program has organized a series of meetings on thesis writing with regard to specific subjects.

The meetings, taught by Lecturers or PhD students, will be held online, on Teams.

Below are the dates and links to access the individual event:

1) Civil law subject area

November 3, 2023, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Dr. Matteo Boselli, Ph.D., conducted a meeting on thesis writing in the Civil, Civil Procedural and Commercial Law.

>> Meeting registration

>> Supplementary material to the meeting

N.B. For doubts or clarifications, it is possible to contact Lawyer Boselli at matteo.boselli@unipr.it

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2) Criminal Law Area

November 17, 2023 h. 17.30

Doctoral student Dr. Giulia Pongolini will hold a meeting on thesis writing in Criminal Law, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

>> Meeting registration

>> Supplementary materials to the meeting

Doctoral student Dr. Debora Ginocchio, on the other hand, will give information on the thesis in Criminology, at 6:30/19:30 p.m.

>> Meeting registration

>> Supplementary material to the meeting

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3) Administrative law area

November 24, 2023 h. 17.30

Doctoral students Dr. Riccardo Cioni and Dr. Stefania Peduto will explain the writing of the thesis in Administrative Law (LINK to Teams). The seminar will be divided into two parts: the first part will provide information on the most relevant issues in the various subjects included in the area, including the so-called special administrative law, while the second part will be more operational.

>> Meeting registration

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4) Constitutional Law Area

December 1, 2023 h. 17.30 Doctoral students Dr. Pietro Ferretti, Dr. Mendillo Mario and Dr. Valerio Condemi will give advice on writing the thesis in Constitutional Law

>> Meeting registration

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5) Historical-philosophical areaDec. 15, 2023 h. 17.30

Prof. Federica Boldrini and Prof. Francesco Bono will give a talk on thesis writing about
Roman Law and History of Law: lecturers to be determined

>> Meeting registration

---- 6) Civil Procedure/Tax Law Area.

January 19, 2024 h. 17.30

Doctoral student Dr. Hajar Layoudi will give information on the thesis in Civil Procedure

>> Meeting registration

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7) International Law/European Union Area.

January 26, 2024 h. 17.30

Doctoral student Dr. Luca Romano will conduct a seminar on the thesis in International Law

>> Meeting registration

Dr Nicola Bergamaschi will give information on the thesis in European Union Law

>> Meeting registration

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8) Criminal Procedure and Prison Law Area.

Dr Ettore Crippa will give information on the thesis in Criminal Procedure and Prison Law

February 9 2024 h. 17.30

>> Meeting registration

Doctoral student Dr. Maria Fretto will give information on the thesis in Tax Law

>> Meeting registration

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9) Labor Law/Comparative Public Law Area.

March 8, 2024 h. 17.30

Doctoral student Dr. Maria Laura Grilli will hold a meeting on the writing of the thesis in Comparative Public Law (LINK to Teams)
Doctoral student Dr. Antonella Trovato will give information on the thesis in Labor Law (LINK to Teams)

Rules and advice for undergraduates

⇒ Final examination regulations see Articles 13-20 of the "Teaching Regulations of the Law School" N.B. For the regulations on final examinations for exhaustive degree courses in Law, please consult the guide for the previous academic year. 2011/2012.

⇒ Graduation theses (directions and model)

⇒ Graduation examination calendar and deadlines

⇒ Rules of conduct in graduation sessions

Guidance on writing the dissertation

⇒ Video tutorial for dissertation writing (Dr. Matteo Boselli)- italian version

N.B.: Before the final bibliography, a few, brief conclusions should be included, which may also include personal considerations and elaborations on the topic of the dissertation. The introduction is, on the other hand, only indicated in cases where the thesis topic requires a brief general overview, which cannot be carried out in the chapters.

Testo del video

Abbreviazioni citazioni Riviste

AlmaLaurea questionnaire

Graduating students must complete the AlmaLaurea questionnaire: ⇒ AlmaLaurea Questionnaire for Undergraduates

The questionnaire allows students to contribute, with their own judgement, to improving the University, to orienting future male and female students and to carrying out surveys to monitor how the professionalism of graduates fits into the world of work.