MS Tutoring

The ETH D-MAVT department offers a tutoring system for Master's students in our program. For those students who select our lab as their MS tutor, they often have common questions and so this page collects our answers to these questions. We have broadly categorized them into

General FAQs

Q: I would like for you to be my M.S. Tutor, or I was assigned to you by the department. What do I have to do now?
A: Here are a set of steps I recommend (some of which you probably have already done):

1. Here is a general link to the MS Program requirements to familiarize yourself with the basic elements. MS Tutors are mostly here to (a) guide the selection of the coursework (e.g., the Core Courses) in a given topic area related to our research area, and (b) to help you identify and discuss possible labs/professors with whom you can do your MS Semester project and MS Thesis. Other aspects of the program (e.g., the Internship requirement) are typically handled only by the student.
2. Take a look through the Course Catalogue and put together an initial set of courses that you think align with your interests and those of my expertise. We will use this as a starting point for discussion. 
3. Now you can send me an email with your planned courses, or you can just directly submit the Learning Agreement in myStudies and I can send comments that way, which is slightly faster and more efficient than email, but either communication method is fine.
4. You will ultimately need to construct Learning Agreement in myStudies that mentions the specific courses you would like to take. Here are instructions on how to upload the learning agreement into myStudies.

Q: I have selected my course plan and given some thought to the Semester or Thesis projects, but I still have questions. Is there a time we can meet to discuss?
A: Yes, after completing those above steps you can send me an email roughly outlining the questions/topics you would like to cover in a meeting, and then I can direct you to the appropriate booking link and anticipated time depending on your proposed agenda/topic list.

Acceptable Courses

Q: As I am selecting the number and timing of my planned courses, are there any factors I need to keep in mind?
A: As an MS Tutor, I usually check to make sure that the proposed courses add up to the # of required ECTS credits, which you have probably already done, but this is good to double-check. I also usually check to make sure one semester is not particularly overloaded (i.e., that the ECTS credits are reasonably distributed). This is mostly for the mental health of the student so that things don't get too overwhelming at any one time.

Q: What kinds of courses should I select or do you typically approve?
A: Usually, students who select me as a tutor do so because they are interested in the intersection of Machine Learning with Design, Manufacturing, Simulation, or Robotics. As such, I typically recommend a set of MS coursework covering those areas, though, obviously, the specific ones depend a bit on what you want to specialize in and what courses you have already taken in your Bachelor's program. In general, many of the courses in D-MAVT, D-INFK, and also the Applied Math courses (e.g., in the Computational Sciences and Engineering MS program) make sense.

Exchange Semesters

Q: Can I do an exchange semester at a different University during my MS program?
A: Sometimes as part of their ETHZ Masters experience, some students will want to do an exchange semester (i.e., taking MS courses) at other institutions. I am generally OK with this, however, you should check with the D-MAVT department coordinators about the specific program you are applying for and they will be able to provide you with advice on the specific program and whether it makes sense or is acceptable. If you and the D-MAVT administration decide that an exchange semester makes sense, then please see examples of the "Acceptable Courses" to get a general sense of the type of courses that would be acceptable. Obviously, the exchange school will not have identical courses, but something close to that would make sense and generally be fine with me. If you are in doubt, please either send me an email or update the Learning Agreement online and I can send comments or approvals back through the online system.

MS Thesis or Semester Projects

Q: If you act as my MS Tutor, then is there any restriction on where or with whom I can do my various semester or thesis projects?
A: No, you can do your Semester Project or Thesis Project with other faculty members. The only thing the MS Tutor needs to do is approve the subject and the supervisor for both the Semester Project and Thesis and ensure that the MS Coursework aligns well with and prepares the student for the planned projects.

Q: If I wanted to do either my Semester Project or MS Thesis in your group, is this possible and if so what projects do you have?
A: Yes, we usually do have a small handful of options for either. I can send a link to possible projects to you via email or you can check out possible options on external page SiROP if we have posted some on there (although that may not contain all possible options and we are still awaiting SiROP approval so nothing is up there yet).

Q: The company with whom I did my internship wants me to continue working with them and potentially do an MS Thesis project. Is this possible?
A: Please discuss this first with the D-MAVT administration, as there are many factors to consider (e.g., timing, IP, scope) etc., and they can assess whether or not it might be viable. If they say that from their administration side, it looks acceptable then we can meet after that to discuss the technical scope to see if this is also in line with ETHZ standards.

Internships

Q: Who coordinates the internship and what role does the MS Tutor play?
A: This is led by the student and MS Tutors typically have limited-to-no involvement in this aspect of the MS program. If you have specific questions about this, we can always chat about it or direct you to other resources, but the MS Tutor may not be much help here.