Diploma Thesis
To be eligible to take the final exam, the student must be up to date with tuition payments and have passed all the exams required by the Specialization School’s Regulations (specifically, the student must have passed 11 core exams and 3 optional ones, for a total of 14 out of 15 courses). Additionally, at least 45 days before the date set by the school for the diploma exam, the student must submit to the Administrative Office of the specialization schools:
- A stamped application form, completed on the printable form available at https://www.uniroma1.it/it/pagina/corsi-di-specializzazione;
- The thesis assignment sheet (to be collected at the Administrative Office), signed by the thesis supervisor (a professor of the school) and the school director, stamped by the school’s Academic Office, and showing clearly the thesis title. The thesis title must be final and will appear on the copy deposited at the office as well as on any certifications requested by the student. A copy of the form will be given to the Academic Office, while the original goes to the Administrative Office;
- Payment of the diploma fee, made via the payment slip downloadable from the Infostud system under “Tuition and Administrative Fees.”
The student should note that at least 30 days must pass between the last written exam and the diploma exam session, to allow the Administrative Office to prepare the necessary curriculum.
Furthermore, at least 10 days before the scheduled discussion date, the student must submit to the Administrative Office a CD containing the thesis, bearing the signature of the school director. The signature on the CD copy intended for the Administrative Office constitutes, from the supervisor, a declaration of maturity and completeness of the work.
The CD should summarize the work as follows:
- The copy should include tables and drawings numbered sequentially without interruption;
- The presented tables or drawings must be fully finished (including headings, graphs, text, and captions);
- The thesis must demonstrate that the usual methodological process has been followed, from survey to historical-technical analysis and project, with none of these three phases missing;
- The submitted tables should represent a significant selection of the work carried out, including survey, analysis, and project. It is reminded that the thesis is a personal work, as also emphasized by the EEC directive on the architecture profession; therefore, theses prepared by two or more students or co-authored works cannot be accepted.
The thesis topic will be agreed individually with the chosen supervisor, based on a brief preliminary work plan (also to avoid repetitions and to encourage collaboration on related topics). It should concern as concrete case studies as possible, preferably involving a potential public or private client (from state or municipal superintendencies to local and territorial administrations, from ecclesiastical authorities to associations working in conservation). The thesis involves drafting, according to the usual scientific methodology, a historical-critical research and an intervention project, possibly including a rough cost estimate and a study of structural, plant engineering, and, if necessary, legal aspects connected to it.
The drawings should be standardized to A1 format and accompanied by a historical and technical report, also addressing physical-environmental issues and including any computations, in A3 format. Besides the main supervisor, all school faculty members are available to support and guide candidates according to their expertise; this should foster a multidisciplinary and broader approach to the study. For this reason, it is advisable that, in agreement with their supervisor, the student also chooses two co-supervisors, internal or external to the school, to expand the range of expertise available.
It is also specified that a copy of all final diploma work, both written and graphic, must be stored on a CD and printed in A3 format in bound sheets (signed first by the supervisor and then by the School Director) to be presented on the day of the discussion to the Examining Committee and deposited at the School’s Academic Office.