Doing your Masters
Many exciting Master's projects can be defined by applying state-of-the-art planning, scheduling, optimization and game-theoretical algorithms to real-world problems.
To do your Master's thesis project within the Algorithmics group, we require you to:
- meet the general requirements for doing a master in Computer Science: see the study guide and in particular the instructions in the BrightSpace course "Final Project"; for detailed instructions see the faculty page on Graduation (MSc) and the student manual called "Master’s Procedures: MSc Computer Science" found on BrightSpace
- have completed the highly recommended courses for Algorithmics, including at least the course Advanced Algorithms, Algorithms for Intelligent Decision Making, and the follow-up project: see the Booklet Course Guidelines Research Groups CS on Brightspace, and
- have your IEP (via MyStudyPlanning) approved.
How to get in touch with us about starting an MSc project within Algorithmics?
Once you have ensured that you have met (or are soon going to meet) the above conditions, please explore the sample of available master's projects on ProjectForum to identify which topics you're interested most, and which supervisor(s) are connected to these topics. Then contact only this supervisor with a message explaining your interests and summarizing your study planning, including the intended start date of your thesis project. A good time to do this is between 2 and 3 months before you'd like to start.
Hint: you can search on projects offered by a particular supervisor on ProjectForum.
Proposing your own project is not advised, but can be very exciting and motivating. Especially if your project idea involves a company, formulating a research proposal to which all parties agree can be quite a challenge and may sometimes take several months. As supervisors we will only supervise projects within our area of expertise that are sufficiently scientifically challenging. It is therefore important to find a supervisor whose expertise matches your interests.
If you are currently not studying in Delft but would like to study here, you will find TU Delft a stimulating academic and social environment. To apply for a MSc place, please read and follow the formal guidelines of Delft University of Technology.
Once started
If you do your Master's within the Algorithmics group, you may join a research project of one of the members, who will be your daily supervisor. You are also expected to join the Monthly Master's Meetings. See also:
- The BrightSpace page on MSc CS Thesis project EEMCS (see both the booklet and the student manual)
- EWI's manual for the MSc Thesis project
- various other relevant information, for example concerning afstuderen, examendata, formulieren and reglementen.
- Some very useful general advice for how to do research can be found on this page of our colleague Jan van Gemert.
- The Master Thesis LaTeX template from the TU Delft huisstijl (we recommend you write your thesis in LaTex) with instructions for doing your Masters and writing your thesis.
Start off with a literature survey leading up to a Master's Thesis Proposal.
Practical instructions
When you start doing your Master's project within Algorithmics, first arrange the following.
- Add all the activities of the Algorithmics group to your agenda. You can add it by right-clicking 'My Calendars' in the Calendar tab in Outlook, then 'add Calendar' -> 'from Address Book' and look for 'secr-alg-st-ewi'. We expect you to be there!
- Put yourself on the alg_masters mailing list to get updated on new activities.
- Be sure to attend the Monthly Master's Meetings (usually first Wednesday of the month -- see calendar).
- You are welcome to use the study places in our building, together with the other Master's students (when Covid regulations permit -- request using Mare).
- Join us for lunch every day at 12:00 (when Covid regulations permit).
- Some research tips when starting out.
- Make notes during the meetings with your supervisor.
- When you have finished your literature report, and when you have finished your Master's thesis, it is a good idea to make it available to the world. Therefore, add them to the education repository of TU Delft.