Instructions

For assigning, developing and defending a thesis

Common arrangements
The Master’s degree program in which the student has entered is obligated to present him/her
the opportunity to develop and defend a thesis (diploma task).
Each Masters program and each thesis leader have the right to put additional requirements
towards the candidate for thesis development. Those additional requirements might be pointed
as common requirements for the Master’s degree program or to be written in the record for
assigning a concrete diploma task.

Thesis leading
Leading a thesis is done by scientific adviser (tutor), and if necessary a consultant is assigned
too. The tutor must be university graduate and must have a degree or rank. Exception from
this is allowed if the consultant has a degree or rank. The tutor or the consultant must be
employee of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics.

Assigning a thesis
A thesis is assigned after decision of the department council to a student who is properly
signed in the last year of study according to the study plan of the Masters’ degree program.
The thesis maker co-ordinates with the tutor and prepares assignment (about 1 page long)
which the tutor present on a department session.
The studies inspector and the student must be given a record for the thesis assigning.
A thesis is assigned not later than 4 months before the date for defending it.
This procedure is only administrative and does not restrict the possibility of the actual work
for developing the thesis to start earlier.

Changing the tutor

The procedure for assigning the thesis might be repeated by initiative of the tutor or the thesis
maker, after a decision of the department council that assigned the thesis. The record for
reassigning must contain and information about the distribution of labour between the
previous and the new tutor.
The thesis is assigned for a period of one year. If after this deadline the thesis maker hasn’t
presented the thesis for defending it, the tutor might propose the thesis subject and/or tutor to
be changed with decision of the department council.

Organizing thesis defending

Only students that have completed their study are allowed to defend a thesis.
The student applies request for thesis defending in the Student’s section of the faculty. The
request is signed and by the tutor.
The inspector from the Student’s section makes a report for the student’s status of the thesis
maker and assures that he has the right to defend a thesis.
The request and the report for the thesis maker status are handed to the department chairman.
Based on this is created an official report for making an order for defending a thesis.
The thesis maker must present the thesis ready not later than 2 weeks before the date for
defending it. The thesis must be framed according to the requirements of the department and
the additional requirements of the Masters’ degree program. The thesis presented, together
with its concomitant materials (annotation, appendixes, programs, demonstration examples,
etc.) must give and accurate idea for the work done by the thesis maker and for the results the
thesis maker received personally. The programs source codes created during the thesis
development are obligatory handed on magnetic carrier (CD or floppy disk). The faculty has
the right to freely use these materials for non-commercial purposes.
The date, place, and time for defending the thesis are published in advance on the defined
places.
It is recommended on the thesis defends to be invited specialists in the thesis area.

Order for defending the thesis

The thesis defend is accomplished by exam commission that includes at least three lecturers
with academic rank.
The commission chairman:
- Lets the tutor present the thesis
- Lets the thesis maker to shortly present the thesis (for not longer than 15 minutes)
- Lets the thesis reviewer present the review
- Lets the thesis maker to eventually respond to the review
- Opens and leads the discussion on the thesis (questions, opinions, comments)
- Takes the decision for the thesis rating (mark) together with the exam commission
members, while taking in mind the opinion of the tutor and the reviewer
As result from the thesis defend:
- Following the requirements the mark from the thesis defend is filled in the students
report (students booklet)
- A record for the defend is filled in three copies: for the inspector of studies, for the
inspector from the Students’ section, and for the department
- The exam commission chairman enters in the main book the thesis subject and the mark
from the thesis defend

Accounting thesis tutoring

Internally administrative matter only – if you wish: will translate them too. 

Formal documents related to assigning, defending and accounting a thesis

- Record from department’s session for assigning the thesis. If the tutor (consultant) is not
employee of the faculty – contact details must be pointed (workplace, address, phone, e-
mail)
- Request for defending a thesis signed by the tutor
- Report from Students’ section for the student’s status of the thesis maker, that assures
his/her right to defend a thesis
- Official report by the department chairman for publishing order for defend (following a
template). The report must be handed to the inspector on studies at least one week
before the date of defence.
- Order for thesis defence (following template). Prepared by the inspector on studies and
is approved by the Dean.
- Record for the defence.
- Report for paying the due reward for the tutor and the reviewer (following template) if
they are not employees of the Sofia university (Prepared by the department chairman).
- Order for paying the due reward for the tutor and the reviewer (following template) if
they are not employees of the Sofia university (prepared by the accounting office
following the official report by the department chairman).