Optional in stage
First term
Second term
Not organised
This year
Next year
Alternating years
External
Prerequisites
Identical coursesMaster's Thesis ECS (B-KUL-H02D6A)
English
405 
Both terms
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contractCannot be taken as part of a credit contract
N. Aims
The master's test is the program component which is most strongly targeted towards achieving the end terms of the program as a whole, as they are formulated in the didactic reference framework. The master's test addresses these issues to their full extent. In particular, the goals of the master's test are that students should acquire the ability to
- formulate research goals,
- determine trajectories that achieve these goals,
- collect and select information relevant to achieve the research goals,
- interpret the collected information on the basis of a critical research attitude, and
- report on the results of the research in a concise and intelligible way, both in written form and in oral form.
In the ECS-option, an additional aim is that the students obtain practical skills in developing A.I.-systems.
Previous knowledge
Students should be able to comprehend and critically evaluate research papers related to the topic of their master's test. Some required knowledge on basic techniques, methods, systems developed in A.I. is introduced in introductory courses in the beginning of the first semester in order to support the better understanding of such papers early in the academic year. Other more advanced issues in A.I. may only be offered later in the program, when the specific courses on these topics start.
The majority of the thesis work is assumed to take place during the second semester of the academic year, when students have built up sufficient prior knowledge on the field.
Is included in these courses of study
- Master of Artificial Intelligence (Leuven) (Specialisation: Engineering and Computer Science (ECS)) 60 ects.
Activities
15 ects. Master's Thesis ECS (B-KUL-H02D6a)
Content
Students take active part in research related questions within one of the sub-domains of A.I. In particular, students select one of the research projects offered by the involved research units. They work independently, but guided by the staff of the research unit, to perform the research work required for the selected project.
In the ECS-option, the thesis-project should involve the development of or the experimentation with a small-scale AI-system. Part of the master's thesis should consist of a critical positioning of the topic of the thesis-project within the broader setting of A.I.
In addition to the possibility of developing and writing a master thesis, the students also have the possibility to do a company project of 15 weeks or a project within a research institute, either in Belgium or abroad. The main activities of the internship are:
- prepare a detailed job description for the internship; this is done in collaboration with a staff member of the host institution (the supervisor) and has to be endorsed by a staff member of the MAI Faculty (the academic promoter).
- carry out the project which is specified in the job description under the supervision of a staff member of the host institution; send monthly progress reports.
- write a report which summarizes the results of the project work; it should have at least 20 pages (annexes not included).
- oral presentation and defense of the report.
Evaluation
Evaluation: Master's Thesis ECS (B-KUL-H22D6a)
Explanation
The Master’s Thesis is evaluated by a jury of at least 3 people: the promotor, the daily supervisor and one ore more assessors. This will occur on the basis of 3 aspects:
1. The process: the work done during the year (independence, critical sense, inventivity, creativity, grade of difficulty)
2. The product: the final project and/or the text (scientific contents, style, language, care, readability, structure)
3. The presentation and oral questioning (style, language, care, structure, completeness, use of time)