Master's Degree in Advanced Physics and Applied Mathematics

Academic year 2024-25

You can also consult this information for the academic year 2023-24.

General information about Master's theses

The Master's Thesis (TFM) comprises the production of an original academic work specifically written for this purpose, where students must individually apply the skills acquired throughout the programme under the supervision of one or more tutors. Depending on the profiles for each curriculum, the thesis shall enable the assessment of students' professional, educational and/or initial research abilities.

The information below covers each of the stages in TFM academic and administrative management in accordance with the Agreement of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies Management Committee whereby the internal regulations for writing and assessing master's theses at the University of the Balearic Islands are approved and which came into force in the 2020-21 academic year.

Master's Thesis Registration

Students must register for the TFM subject within the registration or extended registration deadlines set by the CEP before being able to move on to the next stages in the process. In turn, each degree may set the conditions and requirements to be fulfilled by students for registration on the TFM (where applicable, these requirements shall be stated in the TFM course guide and in the specific information section for each programme).

The maximum number of registrations to pass the TFM subject is four, plus one additional registration which shall be granted by the Centre for Postgraduate Studies management team upon approval by the master's supervisory team.

Where the viva defence of the master's thesis cannot be held in the same academic year as the initial registration year, an annual and consecutive registration may be granted for academic tutoring to undertake the viva defence. The registration for academic tutoring shall count as a second registration and, where students do not pass the TFM after the tutoring period, any subsequent re-registrations shall count as ordinary registrations.

In any event, where students undertake the TFM viva defence and are given a fail mark, they must request an ordinary re-registration and cannot request a registration merely for academic tutoring.

Assigning Proposals and Tutors

Each programme shall publish the list of proposals or general areas where students registered for the programme TFM may undertake their work. The proposals or areas shall state one or several lecturers who can act as tutors.

The proposals shall be assigned in line with the procedure established for each programme (where applicable, this procedure shall be included in the specific information section for each programme) and it is the responsibility of all tutors to ensure the academic quality of the TFMs.

Undertaking Theses at Collaborating Organisations

Theses may be undertaken at collaborating organisations that have signed an agreement with the UIB (agreement template). The thesis topic must be submitted beforehand to <convenis.postgrau@uib.cat>.

Students who undertake their theses at a collaborating organisation shall be selected in accordance with the terms for the relevant selection procedure set out in the agreement appendix, and as per available spots at each organisation.

The collaborating organisation will appoint a programme coordinator for the entire duration of the stay. The coordinator shall ensure students receive a suitable welcome and training, as well as appropriate management over their academic activities.

In turn, the UIB will appoint a tutor to ensure the academic quality of the thesis.

Ownership of any intellectual or industrial property rights arising from the thesis shall be governed as per the relevant current regulations. Where applicable, what is set out in the agreements signed with public or private institutions which have provided funding or contributed to the implementation of these agreements shall also apply.

Registration of the Master's Thesis Project

Registering for the TFM represents a learning contract between students and the tutor(s).

Once the TFM proposal is assigned to students, they shall formalise the registration of their master's thesis project within the deadlines set for each degree programme (please see the specific information section for the programme) via the following application: https://postgrau.uib.es/tfm which enables students to monitor their request.

Please bear in mind that the registration application should:

  • State the provisional project title (without the use of capital letters except where necessary)
  • State the tutor(s) name and surname(s), as well as their correct e-mail address (this should be checked carefully as this is the communication method where tutors shall accept tutoring of the TFM to finalise registration of the project)
  • Include an attached thesis script in PDF format not surpassing 100MB.

Submission of the Master's Thesis

TFM submission is deemed to be a thesis assessment request made by students.

The TFM may be submitted within the deadlines set for each programme (please see the specific information section for each programme) as long as the students' registration application has been accepted and they have paid the registration and admin fees.

Submission comprises a two-step process. Firstly, students must submit an assessment request over the following application: https://postgrau.uib.es/tfm, where they will be able to monitor the entire process. 

You need to take the following into account when filling in the form:

  • The thesis report must be attached in PDF format as per the regulations set for each programme (and not surpass 100MB in size)
  • The thesis cover must follow the format for the
          Master's Thesis Cover [en]
          Portada del TFM [ca]
          Portada del TFM [es]
  • Where the thesis contains appendices in other formats (audio, video, etc.) that cannot be included in the PDF report, these shall also be attached to the electronic request form
  • Students must also fill in the TFM distribution licence to state whether they accept their work being available as open access or not in the institutional repository for public consultation.

The second necessary step to complete TFM submission comprises depositing the thesis in PDF format (in exactly the same manner as mentioned in the previous point) in the task section that the TFM supervisor has enabled for this purpose in the programme's TFM subject area on Aula Digital. The thesis shall be checked through plagiarism detection tools and a report produced and made available to each tutor and panel member when accepting the TFM submission, as well as in the assessment process by the panel. 

Master's Thesis Viva Defence

The TFM presentation and defence must be a public event where students make an oral presentation before a minimum three-person panel comprising the chair, secretary and one further member. Once the presentation is finished, the panel will open a Q&A session on aspects linked to the thesis.

The TFM viva defence shall be run within the deadlines set for each programme (please see the specific information section for each programme). In order to undertake the TFM viva, students must have passed all other necessary credits to be awarded the degree. Notwithstanding the above, students may defend their TFM with a maximum of one subject still to be passed, where this is allowed by the specific regulations for the TFM on the programme published on the respective website (please see the specific information section for the programme).

The programme may designate one or several TFM panels. Where the programme designates a specific panel for each TFM, this must be done within a maximum deadline of ten working days from the official submission date of the thesis. Once the designation is notified, the chair of the panel (or head of the TFM or programme management) shall convene the other members, tutor(s) and student to present and defend the thesis within ten working days at most.

In exceptional circumstances where the TFM contains information that could be deemed confidential, the presentation and viva procedure may be modified as per what is set out in article 10 of the Regulations for writing and assessing master's theses at the University of the Balearic Islands. In order for the TFM specifications subject to data or results protection processes to apply, students or tutors must make a reasoned request addressed to the CEP at the time of submission.

Master's Thesis Assessment

Each programme shall establish its TFM assessment criteria, which shall be made public every academic year and be taken into account by the panel when grading the TFM (please see the specific information section for each programme). Once the TFM presentation and viva are finalised, the panel shall deliberate on students' attainment level and then award a mark for the thesis, which shall be included in students' academic records.

Resources on Academic Plagiarism, Turnitin and AI.

Web resources from the UIB library: Definition, regulations and other topics related to plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Integridad académica y plagio (Academic integrity, plagiarism and how to include the ideas of others into our work): Author: González Teruel, Aurora - Date: 2019 - (Educational Innovation, University of Valencia) Video on YouTube

Information about accessing Turnitin reports: UIB Turnitin Webinar.

Unlocking the Power of Generative AI Models and Systems such as GPT-4 and ChatGPT for Higher Education: PDF

Resources for Master's Thesis Tutors

Since the first step to check for plagiarism comes from those tutoring theses, tutors are recommended to review the 'Resources on Academic Plagiarism and Turnitin' section on this website.

Guide for master's thesis tutors [ca]

Specific information about theses for the Master's Degree in Advanced Physics and Applied Mathematics

Specific information is detailed in the TFM course guide [es]. You can also consult the Assessment Rubric.

Below you can check the TFM Guidelines.

Coordination

The master's supervisory team will be responsible for coordinating the academic management of the TFM.

Assigning Proposals and Tutors

The general areas where master's theses can be carried out are, on the one hand, those of the five specialities of the degree programme (Relativity and Astrophysics; Geophysical Fluids; Materials Physics; Quantum Systems; Applied Mathematics). On the other hand, as it is possible to pursue a general non-specialised pathway, working on Experimentation, Computation and Numerical Simulation, as well as on other aspects of Physics and Applied Mathematics is also an option.

Each academic year the teaching staff may introduce proposals for specific topics in the Aula digital online classroom space, although these will not constitute a closed list. Students may propose the topic and tutor(s) that best suit their interests and goals within the general areas  indicated above, even if the topic is not featured in the initial topic list on Aula digital. Ultimately, the TFM project proposals submitted by the students stating the topic, the provisional project title and the tutor(s), shall be approved by the Academic Committee and the master's supervisory team.

As the main body responsible for managing TFMs, the master’s supervisory team shall intervene to resolve any cases of students unable to find a suitable thesis topic or tutor.

UIB lecturers and/or researchers attached to the departments and research centres that support the master's programme may be TFM tutors. If the main tutor does not have a contractual relationship with the UIB, a co-tutor who does shall be assigned. The number of co-tutors may not exceed three.

Master's Thesis Assessment

In order to be able to present the TFM and undertake the viva defence, the student needs to have passed (with the corresponding closed records) the rest of the courses that complete his/her training (36 ECTS credits).

Each thesis viva panel shall comprise three lecturers designated by the Academic Commitee, including the main tutor of the thesis. The aspects to be assessed by the panel are:

  • Thesis completion and development
  • Content and formal aspects of the written report
  • Oral presentation and defence of the thesis in the panel's Q&A session

Each academic year the Master Studies Council shall approve the TFM Assessment Rubric, which will include further details on the aspects to be assessed and the corresponding percentage weights for the final grade.

The general UIB regulations shall apply in regard to any other TFM management aspects. These guidelines may be revised, and eventually modified each academic year by the Studies Council of the Master's Degree in Advanced Physics and Applied Mathematics.

Defended Master's thesis

Link to the institutional repository (DSPACE)

  • Pressió i vent contrafactuals per a les dades del Nord Atlàntic
  • Anàlisi de la capacitat de detecció de brisa marina dels productes CERRA i aplicació a dades de projeccions climàtiques EURO-CORDEX
  • Analysis and Improvement of a Zero-Shot Image Dehazing Method
  • Calibratge i Anàlisi d'un Model d'IA per a l'Estudi d'Imatges Submarines a l'OBSEA
  • Characterization of extreme wave events at Cala Millor beach (Mallorca Island)
  • Detection of salinity fronts from satellite observations
  • Information-theoretic metrics for higher-order interactions on graphs
  • Lensed Gravitational Wave Ringdowns as a Probe of General Relativity
  • Magnetohydrodynamic mode coupling in shear flows: effect of ambipolar diffusion
  • Teoría de punto fijo aplicada a ecuaciones funcionales
  • Testing gauge waves using the Harmonic Almost Killing Equations through the Z4 formalism
  • Variabilidad espacio-temporal del oleaje a escala local: el caso de playa de Muro
  • A New Amplitude Model for NSBH Coalescences
  • A study on waveform requirements for the LISA space mission with current inspiral-merger-ringdown models
  • GPU-Accelerated Searches for Long-Duration Transient Gravitational Waves from Newborn Neutron Stars
  • Gravitational lensing of gravitational waves: A study of waveform systematics
  • MESOSCALE OCEAN STRUCTURE RECONSTRUCTION THROUGH DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE FaSt-SWOT PROJECT
  • On wave energy dissipation along a seagrass field
  • Reservoir Computing on Quantum Circuits
  • Coastal extreme sea levels in the Caribbean Sea induced by tropical cyclones
  • Effect of acoustic oscillations on non-equlibrium state of magnetic domain walls in cubic Ni-Mn-Ga single crystal
  • Elastic and Anelastic Magnetomechanical Phenomena Close to the Premartensitic Transition in Ni-Mn-Ga
  • Gravitational wave memory: comparing numerical relativity and analytical waveform models
  • Room Temperature Ageing Effect in Ni-rich Ni-Ti Shape Memory Alloys
  • Transition maps on cross-sectional planes defined by linear flows
  • Beyond the Stationary Phase Approximation: an alternative approach to model gravitational waves from precessing compact binaries in the Fourier Domain
  • Desarrollo de un programa de resolución numérica de las Ecuaciones de Einstein en el Formalismo 3+1
  • Observational characterization of Balearic Islands meteotsunamis at an unprecedented high spatial resolution
  • Searching for post-glitch signals from pulsars with gravitational wave detectors
  • Thermal non-equilibrium in coronal loops
  • Alfvén wave heating in partially ionised thin threads of solar prominences
  • Aproximación regional a la inundación y erosión de las playas de Baleares en el siglo XXI
  • Calibración del radar meteorológico y derivación empírica de relaciones Z-R para un episodio de lluvias torrenciales en la Comunidad Valenciana
  • Compleció de vídeo a partir de la distribució espaciotemporal de patches
  • Determinació de les característiques de modes normals a partir de simulacions numèriques mitjançant l'anàlisi CEOF: Absorció ressonant
  • Eina estadística per a la integració de la càrrega de vehicles elèctrics mitjançant energia solar fotovoltaica, impacte energètic i econòmic en els aparcaments públics de Palma de Mallorca
  • Mejorando los resultados de la estimación de parámetros para los primeros tres períodos de observación de LIGO-Virgo mediante la adición de armónicos más altos
  • Recoil of Binary Black Hole systems and the multipolar structure of gravitational wave signals
  • Surface ocean currents by using drifting seabirds in the Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean)
  • Testing waveform models for the LISA and Einstein Telescope gravitational wave detectors
  • Inferencia bayesiana para observaciones de ondas gravitacionales procedentes de fusiones de agujeros negros utilizando un nuevo modelo de señal.
  • Magnetic field determination of chromospheric spicules using the Weak Field Approximation
  • Multiple Time Dimensions: An Alternative to “Dark Energy”
  • Predicting meteotsunamis in Ciutadella: BRIFS model evaluation for recent events and potential of ensemble forecasting
  • Towards a Reformulation of the Hough Method for Continuous Gravitational Wave Searches
  • Chiral Majorana modes in quantum anomalous Hall junctions
  • Design and data validation of a low-cost tethered balloon sounding system
  • Estudi de les característiques de l'embat a la conca de Palma amb el suport d'imatges satel·litàries
  • Forecast sensitivity analysis of the November 7th 2014 medicane
  • Mesoscale oceanic convergence and divergence: Quasi-geostrophic theory, analytical modeling and observations
  • Takens' Theorem: Proof and Applications
  • "Interacció de línies de turbonada amb orografia en simulacions numèriques idealitzades"
  • Caracterització òptica d’un captador solar PV mitjançant tècniques de traçat de rajos
  • Gravitational lensing effects on detection of gravitational waves
  • Análisis multifractal de correlaciones en series temporales de sistemas económicos
  • Characterization of the Hough all-sky search for continuous gravitational wave signals using LIGO data
  • Diurnal moist convection in Mallorca under sea breeze conditions: idealized numerical experiments
  • Following up the First Detection of Gravitational Waves with Numerical Relativity Simulations
  • Re-entrant Spin Glass transition phenomenon studied by means of linear and nonlinear magneto-mechanical internal friction in Bulk Metallic Glasses
  • Reversible Villari effect and magnetic transitions in policrystalline Dy.
  • "Idealized numerical study of the pollutants dispersion over the sea-breeze cycle in the island of Mallorca"
  • "Influence of physical and boundary factors on snow episodes over the Balearic Islands"