According to the Decision of the Senate of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.) no. 78656/23.06.2023, “Approval of the Regulation of Postgraduate Study Programmes of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.)” (Government Gazette 4084/B-23.06.2023), the following apply:
Article 9 – Study Programme – Assessment of Knowledge (Postgraduate Dissertation)
For the preparation of a Postgraduate Dissertation (M.Sc. thesis), where applicable, the Coordinating Committee, following an application by the candidate submitted on specified dates, in which the proposed title of the dissertation, the proposed supervisor, and an abstract of the proposed work are provided, appoints the supervisor and constitutes a Three-Member Examination Committee for the approval of the dissertation, one member of which is the supervisor.
The right to supervise dissertations is granted to academic staff of the categories described in Article 83 of Law 4957/2022:
a) Members of the Academic and Research Staff (D.E.P.), Special Teaching Staff (E.E.P.), Laboratory Teaching Staff (E.D.I.P.) and Special Technical Laboratory Staff (E.T.E.P.) of the Department or other Departments of the same or another Higher Education Institution (H.E.I.) or Higher Military Education Institution (A.S.E.I.), with additional engagement beyond their statutory obligations if the Postgraduate Programme (P.G.P.) charges tuition fees.
b) Emeritus Professors or retired members of D.E.P. of the Department or other Departments of the same or another H.E.I.
c) Collaborating professors
d) Special-appointed lecturers
e) Visiting professors or visiting researchers
f) Researchers and specialised functional scientists of research and technological bodies under Article 13A of Law 4310/2014 (A’ 258) or other research centres and institutes in Greece or abroad.
Members of the Three-Member Examination Committee must have the same or a related scientific speciality as the subject matter of the P.G.P.
The preparation of the Postgraduate Dissertation is governed by the A.U.Th. Code of Academic Ethics. Every creator or co-creator of any intellectual work has the right to be cited and recognised as such, enjoying both the economic and moral rights deriving from the work. By exception, if the original intellectual creation (“work”) is the final output of a remunerated research project assigned by an external body, the economic rights of the creator(s) may be limited according to the terms of the contract under which the project was commissioned, while moral rights remain with the creator(s), subject to the necessary contractual restrictions for the exploitation or financial use of the produced intellectual work.
For the presentation of the Postgraduate Dissertation, a positive recommendation from the Three-Member Examination Committee is required. If the defence of the M.Sc. thesis is public, the Coordinating Committee of the P.G.P. sets a specific date and venue.
After the defence, a record is drawn up indicating the individual grade assigned by each member of the Three-Member Examination Committee, the average grade, and any comments or observations. Once approved by the Committee, it is mandatorily posted on the relevant School’s website. If the assessment of the dissertation is negative, the postgraduate student may resubmit the work after incorporating the suggested improvements within a timeframe set by the Examination Committee. If the second assessment is also negative, the postgraduate student loses the right to be awarded the Master’s degree.
In exceptional cases, where there is an objective inability or serious reason, it is possible to replace the supervisor or a member of the Three-Member Examination Committee, as well as to change the topic of the dissertation, following a decision of the Departmental Assembly.
The relevant Postgraduate Study Programme Regulation specifies, among other things, the type of dissertation (theoretical, applied, experimental), its length, font, style of writing, number of copies to be submitted, and any other details regarding its structure, as well as the timeline for corrections.
The grade of the Master’s Degree (M.Sc.) is calculated based on the weighted average of the courses of the P.G.P. and the Postgraduate Dissertation (weighting is based on the ECTS credits of the courses and the dissertation) and is calculated to the second decimal place as follows:
The grade of each course and of the dissertation (where applicable) is multiplied by its respective ECTS credits, and the sum of these products is divided by the minimum number of ECTS credits required to obtain the M.Sc. degree.
The formula is as follows:
M.Sc. grade = (Grade of course 1 × ECTS course 1 + Grade of course 2 × ECTS course 2 + … + Grade of postgraduate dissertation × ECTS dissertation) / Total number of ECTS
Article 28 – Plagiarism
When submitting any postgraduate work, the postgraduate student is obliged to state whether they have used the work and views of others. Copying is considered a serious academic offence. Plagiarism is considered the copying of another’s work, as well as the use of another’s work, published or unpublished, without proper reference. Quoting any source of documentation, even from the candidate’s own studies, without proper reference may lead to a decision by the Departmental Assembly for expulsion. In the above cases—and following a reasoned recommendation by the supervising professor—the Departmental Assembly may decide on the student’s expulsion. Any misconduct or violation of academic ethics is referred to the P.G.P. Coordinating Committee for assessment and recommendation to the Departmental Assembly for appropriate action. Misconduct also includes copying or plagiarism, and more generally any violation of intellectual property provisions by a postgraduate student in coursework or the preparation of the postgraduate dissertation.
Note: The terms “student”, “students”, “professor”, “professors” refer to all genders.