Grading of theses

At the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering the written part of a thesis is evaluated considering the following aspects:

Form

Structure

How is the thesis structured? Are the chapters arranged logically?

Language

Is the terminology suitable? Can the thesis be read fluently? Are there many spelling mistakes?

Style

Are pictures and tables formatted consistently? Are external references cited correctly? Is the thesis formatted consistently and reasonably?

Content

Introduction and Basics

Is the aim of the thesis clearly defined? Are the basics presented in a complete and consistent manner? What kind of literature is used (up-to-date/outdated, general/particular)?

Materials, Methods and Results

Are the methods used in the thesis suitable? Is there a logical argumentation?  Are the obtained results compared with the literature? Are the presented results in the context with similar investigations? Is the evaluation of the results consistent?

Summary

Is there a concise summary? Is there a suitable outlook?

General

Abilities

Does the student work independently and with a structured approach?

Originality

Does the student implement his/her own ideas? Are the professional claims of the thesis meet? Are there any complicating conditions during the processing periode?