Thesis Info

Students enrolled in the Data Science SM have the option to complete a master’s thesis project to satisfy the research experience degree requirement. Anyone planning to write a thesis must:

1. find a faculty advisor, and
2. submit a thesis proposal. If help is needed to brainstorm about potential advisors contact any of the faculty advisors (Daniel, Pavlos, and Weiwei).

Master’s Thesis Proposal Guidelines

Timeline

Thesis proposals are due in mid-April of each year. Proposals should be submitted to mastersprograms@seas.harvard.edu, together with a note from the faculty advisor indicating that they agree to oversee the project. That note should not be a recommendation letter, simply a note confirming that they have agreed to advise your thesis project. 

Proposal Contents

Master’s thesis proposal should address each of the following topics:

1. Title: The title of your project.
2. Advisor: List the faculty member who will be supervising your project. Projects must be advised or co-advised by a faculty member or lecturer.
3. Abstract: A one-paragraph summary of your project that succinctly describes the problem and the proposed methodology.
4. Motivation and Background: Discuss your reasons for choosing this project, especially mentioning any background, research interests, or future plans that may have influenced your decision.
5. Goals: Discuss the goals of the project and the expected outcomes.
6. Scientific Justification: Describe why this project is scientifically interesting and innovative.
7. Literature Review: Provide a short summary of other relevant work in the area this project addresses.
8. Methodology: Give an overview of the methodology, software and technologies you will use. Describe the computational elements and techniques to be used in the project. Projects should be mainly computational.