Final thesis

1. What is the Bachelor’s Thesis?

The bachelor’s thesis is an original and in-depth research project on a specific topic, chosen by the student in agreement with a supervisor.

It plays a crucial role in the academic journey, as it represents the opportunity for students to demonstrate the level of competence they have achieved in the subject area and to apply the knowledge acquired throughout the degree program.

In addition, the thesis allows students to develop essential skills such as writing a structured and clear academic text and critically analyzing sources.

For the Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges program, the final thesis is worth 3 ECTS credits. The thesis is assessed with a grade that can add from 1 to 3 points to the final graduation mark, which is based on the weighted average of all course exam grades.

2. Applying for a Thesis

2.1. Thesis Request

In order to start working on the thesis, the student must first meet the eligibility requirements outlined in section 2.2.

Once requirements are met, the student should identify a topic to be developed in the thesis. The topic must be specific, well-defined, and aligned with the SUSBUS study program. When choosing a thesis topic, students are encouraged to consider the subjects they most enjoyed during their studies and the areas in which they performed best. Selecting a topic that reflects personal interests and passions makes the work more engaging and rewarding, and usually results in a clearer and stronger final thesis.

After identifying a topic, the student contacts the faculty member considered most suitable to supervise the chosen subject, sending an email request for supervision.

The details of the thesis project — including the outline, work plan, and defense arrangements — are agreed directly with the supervisor. The final product must be a written report. The length of the thesis should be discussed with the supervisor. However, considering that the thesis is assigned 3 ECTS credits (and each ECTS corresponds to about 25 hours of individual student work), the final output should reflect the expected workload.

2.2. Administrative Procedure

To be admitted to the final degree exam, students must:

Be up to date with all tuition fee payments.
Have successfully completed all the credits required by the study plan, except those allocated to the final thesis.

The graduation application must be submitted online here.

For the application to be accepted, students may have no more than two exams pending. An exception applies to the July graduation session, where students may still have up to three pending exams.

Exams already completed but not yet officially recorded (e.g., Erasmus recognition) are not counted as pending. In such cases, students must indicate this in the “Notes” field when submitting the application.

All pending exams must be completed by the official deadlines indicated in the graduation calendar.

3. Final Grade and Proclamation

(according to the procedure approved with amendments by the School Council on 04.03.2014)

3.1. The Final Examination Committee

The Committee, appointed by the Dean of the School, is validly constituted with the presence of at least three members, the majority of whom must be tenured faculty of the University of Florence. The Final Examination Committee is composed of the Chair of the Degree Program, or a delegate appointed by them, who serves as the Committee President.

The Committee, having conducted the candidate’s discussion, assigns the evaluation of the final examination and thereby determines the candidate’s graduation grade, proceeding at the same time with the official proclamation. The degree is conferred on the date of the Graduation Cerimony when the Committee proclaims the candidates who have successfully passed the final examination (see point 3.3 below).

3.2. Calculation of the graduation grade

The final degree grade is defined by the Final Examination Committee.

The final degree grade is expressed out of 110 and is determined by the sum of three components, all expressed on a scale of 110: the average, the constant, and the bonus.

The final grade is equal to this sum, provided it does not exceed 110. If the total is greater than 110, the final grade will be capped at 110.

Honors (cum laude) may be awarded in exceptional cases to candidates with a final grade of 110, if the Committee unanimously agrees. However, honors cannot be granted if the average grade (as defined in Paragraph 2) is below 106.

The average is the integer resulting from rounding the weighted mean (on a scale of 110) of all course grades expressed in thirtieths (or converted into thirtieths).

Each grade is weighted by its ECTS credits. For calculation purposes, a grade of 30/30 with honors is counted as 33/30.

Rounding rules:

Round down if the decimal is less than 0.5.
Round up if the decimal is equal to or greater than 0.5.

The constant is equal to 0 points. The bonus is linked to the positive evaluation of various curricular elements and corresponds to the sum of the scores listed below: A, B, C (in section A, the minimum score is 1 point; in sections B and C, the minimum score is 0).

A – Final examination assessment
This score is assigned by the Committee based on:

the overall preparation demonstrated by the candidate during the discussion,
the quality of the thesis,
the effectiveness of the presentation.

Scoring scale:

1 point = sufficient
2 points = good
3 points = excellent

B – Timely completion of the Degree Program

1 point if the final exam is passed within the autumn session of the fourth year after enrollment.
2 points if the final exam is passed within the autumn session of the third year after enrollment.

Note: For students enrolled directly in the third year due to possession of another university qualification (shortened academic career), no bonus can be awarded under this criterion, as it cannot be determined.

C – Additional curricular elements

This score is based on one of the following two alternative options (CA an CB), to be chosen when submitting the graduation application:

CA. High average grade

1 point if the average (as calculated in Paragraph 2) is between 95 and 99
2 points if the average is 100 or above

CB. Strong commitment and excellent participation in the internship (1 or 2 points)

This score may be assigned by the academic internship tutor, or by the responsible member of the accreditation committee, based on a written assessment of the candidate’s performance.

The same scoring conditions also apply to activities recognized as substitutes for the internship, provided that the relevant accreditation has been granted.

4. Graduation Ceremony

Graduating students must arrive on the day indicated in the Graduation Calendar at the Aula Magna, Building D6, Polo di Novoli, at least 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Entrance is from the side of the Aula facing the Porter’s Lodge.

Upon arrival, students will be welcomed by staff from the School of Economics and Management, who will explain how the ceremony will take place.

Staff will check the attendance of each candidate, who will then be seated.
Family members and friends may enter the Aula from the opposite side of the building, only after all candidates have taken their seats.
In the case of elderly or disabled guests, please inform the Porter’s Lodge of Building D6 in advance so that they may be allowed to enter before the general audience.

The ceremony begins with a welcome address by the President of the Graduation Committee. The President customarily invites a distinguished guest to the ceremony, who delivers a keynote address to the graduating students.

Graduates will then be called one by one (with names displayed on the projection slides). Each graduate will:

Walk down the stairs on their left.
Stop in front of the President of the Committee, who will officially proclaim the degree.
Shake hands first with the President, then with the other two members of the Committee, and with the guest speaker.
Sign the graduation register.
Collect the envelope with the invitation from the Villa Favard Association.
Return to their seat by the stairs on their right and remain seated until the end of the ceremony.

Important:

The graduation ceremony is a festive occasion for graduates and their families. Celebrations are welcome, but they must respect both people and facilities.

We kindly ask graduates to inform their families and friends of the following rules:

Avoid vulgar chants or fireworks/petards.
Do not leave bottles or other items on benches or in the areas around the ceremony halls.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation

5. Useful link from the School Website

Last
update

29.08.2025

First cycle degree in
Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges