Course detail

Master Thesis Project - Methods and Results

FSI-ZDPAcad. year: 2025/2026

Third subject preparing students for independent professional, scientific or creative activities leading to the successful elaboration and defence of a diploma thesis. Attention is paid mainly to research planning and its empirical and analytical phase in the case of research diploma theses or conceptual and preliminary product design in the case of development diploma theses. Emphasis is placed on mastering basic scientific methods and engineering procedures. The course is followed by the subject Diploma Project - results and discussion.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

5

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

prof. Ing. Martin Hartl, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Machine and Industrial Design (ÚK)

Entry knowledge

  • Ability to compile a critical overview of the current state of knowledge and to formulate a research problem, goal and question,
  • ability to elaborate a research or development project methodologically correctly,
  • knowledge acquired during the bachelor's and master's studies, which are relevant to the selected topic of the diploma thesis.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Conditions for obtaining credit:

  • active participation in seminars (min. 20 out of 40 points),
  • elaboration of research plan, data collection and analysis or conceptual and preliminary product design (min. 20 out of 40 points),
  • debate associated with the discussion (min. 10 out of 20 points).

 

Lectures: attendance is mandatory and controlled by the teacher.

Exercises: participation is mandatory and controlled by the teacher.

A maximum of two absences are allowed in total. In case of long-term absence, compensation for missed classes is in the competence of the subject guarantor.

Aims

Graduates will be able to methodically plan and implement research or to make a conceptual and preliminary design of the developed product.


  • Ability to formulate a hypothesis and determine a research method.
  • Ability to specify customer requirements and product parameters.
  • Ability to design and analyse alternative product solutions.
  • Ability of critical thinking.
  • Presentation skills.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Basic literature

DYM, Clive L., Patrick LITTLE a Elizabeth J. ORWIN. Engineering design: a project-based introduction. 4th ed. Hoboken: Wiley, c2014. ISBN 978-1-118-32458-5. (EN)
EGER, Ludvík a Dana EGEROVÁ. Základy metodologie výzkumu. 2. přepracované a rozšířené vydání. V Plzni: Západočeská univerzita, 2017. ISBN 978-80-261-0735-4. (CS)

Recommended reading

HENDL, Jan. Přehled statistických metod: analýza a metaanalýza dat. 4., rozš. vyd. Praha: Portál, 2012. ISBN 978-80-262-0200-4. (CS)
OLECKÁ, Ivana a Kateřina IVANOVÁ. Metodologie vědecko-výzkumné činnosti. Olomouc: Moravská vysoká škola Olomouc, 2010. ISBN 978-80-87240-33-5. (CS)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme N-KSI-P Master's 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory
  • Programme N-PDS-P Master's 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

7 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

prof. Ing. Martin Hartl, Ph.D.

Syllabus

Research diploma thesis:

  • Methodology of science and scientific method.
  • Explanatory scientific methods.
  • Methods of statistical analysis.

Development diploma thesis:

  • Products and goods.
  • Product development process and its participants.
  • Prescriptive model of the design process.

Exercise

26 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

prof. Ing. Martin Hartl, Ph.D.

Syllabus

Research diploma thesis:

  • Conceptual phase of research.
  • Research planning.
  • Empirical and analytical phase of research.

Development diploma thesis:

  • Problem definition (customer requirements specification).
  • Conceptual design (parameter specification).
  • Preliminary design (determination of shapes, dimensions and materials).