To be admitted to the final examination for obtaining the Master’s Degree in Pharmacy, the student must have acquired all the credits required by the Study Plan, except for those assigned to the final examination, and must be up to date with the payment of university tuition and fees. A student who has obtained all the credits required by their study plan may obtain the degree regardless of the number of years of enrollment at the University.
To obtain the Master’s Degree, the student must submit an application to the Student Administration Office, countersigned by the supervisor, through the Director, at least six months before the start date of the first available graduation session.
When submitting the application, the student must indicate the thesis supervisor, chosen from among the professors of the University of Messina, and the topic of the thesis. Substitute lecturers and instructors holding a teaching contract in the academic year in which the application is submitted may also act as supervisors.
The final examination for obtaining the Master’s Degree consists of the public defense of a thesis based on original work carried out by the student. The thesis should preferably be applied, design-based, or experimental in nature, allowing the Committee to assess the student’s cultural and scientific maturity as well as the quality of the work performed.
The student and the Supervisor may be assisted by a Co-Supervisor in preparing the thesis. The Co-Supervisor may be a professor from another university, including a foreign one, or a professional figure external to the University, including one of another nationality. In the latter case, when submitting the thesis application, a statement signed by the Supervisor must be provided attesting to the scientific and/or professional qualifications of the Co-Supervisor in relation to the dissertation being examined. The specific task of the Supervisor and any Co-Supervisor is to coordinate the student’s activities in preparing the thesis in relation to the number of academic credits assigned to this activity.
The thesis, which may be written partially or entirely in English, must bear the Supervisor’s signature and be submitted by the candidate to the relevant administrative offices at least seven days before the final examination. At the same time, the student must deposit a one-page summary of the thesis, in both paper and electronic format (MS Word or PDF), with the Department’s Academic Office, which will forward it to each member of the Examination Committee attached to the notice convening the final examination session.
The Committee for evaluating the final examination is appointed by the Director upon proposal of the Degree Program Coordinator. The Committee consists of at least seven members, the majority of whom must be tenured professors of the University who teach in the Department. Members of the Committee may include tenured professors, substitute lecturers, contract lecturers, researchers, established adjunct professors, and assistants in the phase-out academic role, including those from other Departments of the University, provided that Article 24, paragraph 2 of the Academic Regulations is respected. Professors from other universities and experts from research institutions may also be members of the Committee.
To pass the final examination, a minimum score of 66/110 is required. The maximum score is 110/110, with the possible awarding of honors (cum laude). The final degree grade is the sum of the base score and the thesis evaluation score.