Types of theses

As discussed in Parts of a thesis, at both Bachelor and Master levels at Chalmers, the type of thesis written varies from department to department and even within departments.

You can see examples of the typical types of thesis written at Chalmers and the departments which tend to use this type of thesis in table 1 below. Be aware that this is a generalization and it is quite possible that you will work with other kinds of theses in these departments.  The types of thesis are ordered from producing something new (experiment) to working with existing material and improving it (examine).
Table 1: Different types of thesis at Chalmers

Some types of thesis Examples of Department

Distinguishing features and possible structure

Experiment Materials and manufacturing
Structural engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Structural engineering
Product and production development
Mathematical Sciences
Signals and Systems
Chemical Engineering
Focus on doing experiments to investigate / try something new
Theoretical Background – Experiment – Results – Discussion – Conclusions
 
Design and implement (product or program) Materials and manufacturing
Structural engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Product and production development
Focus on designing and implementing a new product or program
Definitions – Methodology – Theory – Design model – Lab – Implementation – Tests -Results and Analysis – Conclusions
 
Examine Civil and environmental engineering
Technology management and economics
Focus on investigating how an existing theory applies to various situations or case studies
Definitions – Theory – Method – Findings – Analysis

Definitions – Applications – Implementation – Case study – Analysis