Thesis FAQs

On this page you'll find our most frequently asked questions from students enrolled in thesis courses managed by the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS).

If you can't find an answer to your query below, please refer to EECS Thesis Information page or contact thesis_enquiries@eecs.uq.edu.au.

2026 Updates

REIT7820 is a new 2-unit single semester postgraduate thesis course that is being offered from Semester 2, 2026 onwards. Together with REIT6811, this will provide students with 4 units of research, as required by their degree. Supervisors will automatically be assigned to the course, so students will not be required to find their own supervisor and project.

Should you be enrolled in REIT7841 (4 unit) or REIT7820 (2 unit)?

4-units: If you want an individual topic and expanded research experience and are possibly look at doing further research after graduation, then 4-unit projects are suitable (e.g. REIT7841).

2-units: For students in 16-unit or 24-unit Masters programs: if you are doing REIT6811 in S1 (or have already completed it), you may enrol instead in the new 2-unit REIT7820, starting in S2 2026.

This option is particularly recommended for one-year Masters programs.

REIT7820 runs at a less intense pace over 1 semester and dovetails cleanly with REIT6811. REIT6811 (S1) plus REIT7820 (S2) together provide 4 units of research credit, equivalent to the year-long 4-unit thesis projects.

In REIT7820, you will be assigned to a broad thesis theme (no need to find a specific topic or supervisor) and the course combines structured, workshop-style learning with strong research components and individual assessment.

How do I change to the new rules for 2026?

You can follow the 2026 program rules, you do not need to ask permission. Enrolling in REIT7820 will indicate that you have changed to the 2026 Program requirements. You must be certain to follow all 2026 rules, you cannot mix and match. If you want peace of mind you can email enquiries@eait.uq.edu.au to inform them you intend to follow the 2026 rules.

Please note, if you commenced your studies prior to 2026 and you wish to complete REIT7820, you must complete an additional 2 units from either compulsory courses, discipline electives or advanced discipline electives to ensure you meet the overall unit requirement for your program.

Which Master's students can switch to REIT7820?

Does the 2026 Program have enough research content?

Can I do an 8-unit thesis?

Generally students planning to pursue a PhD we usually take a 4-unit thesis, however under exceptional circumstances they may be allowed to do an 8-unit thesis. You will need to check your program to see if REIT4881/REIT4882/REIT7881/REIT7882 are available to you.

There are conditions that must be met for acceptance:

Typically, students will have a GPA of 6 or higher.
Be aware that the workload is twice that of a #4 thesis, and work that would receive a 7 in a regular thesis is likely to receive a 5 or lower in an #8 thesis.
You must find a supervisor who is willing to supervise an #8 thesis.
You need to apply to the course coordinator for permission with your thesis topic and agreement from the supervisor (email thesis_enquiries@eecs.uq.edu.au).

Finding a project

Q: If a student has not secured a project, will the School allocate a project after the semester begins?

A: If you have not secrued a project, you should go to the EECS Project Database and put in your preferences to secure a project. You can find the link to the Project Database on the EECS thesis website. https://eecs.uq.edu.au/current-students/thesis-coursework-information

Q: I have expressed my interest in a project and the supervisor has accepted my request. What about the other projects I expressed interest in?
A: When you have accepted a project, you should write to all the other supervisors you have approached to withdraw your expression of interest.

Q: When I enrol in REIT7820, do I need to go to the Project Database to find a project?

No! You can enrol directly into REIT7820 (you don’t need to go via the Thesis database).

In REIT7820, you will be assigned to a broad thesis them (no need to find a specific topic or supervisor) and the course combines structured, workshop-style learning with strong research components and individual assessment.

REIT7820 runs at a less intense pace over 1 semester and dovetails cleanly with REIT6811. The two courses together provide 4-units of research credit, equivalent to the year-long 4-unit thesis projects.

Can MInfoTech and MIntDes students take Studio 3 instead of Thesis?

Master of Information Technology (32-units) and Master of Interaction Design (32-units) have Practitioner Options (as alternatives to Thesis). For Practitioner Options, students take DECO7380 in S1 (Design Computing Studio 3 Proposal) and DECO7381 in S2 (Design Computing Studio 3 Build). Students work in structured teams of 6 and can choose their own team members if they like. This is an alternative to REIT7841/REIT7842.

Who owns thesis IP (including industry)

Notionally, undergraduate thesis students own the IP for their project. However, if you join an existing UQ research project, you will need to assign your IP to UQ. For industry‑sponsored projects, IP arrangements must be negotiated with the industry partner before the project begins. In many cases, if an NDA is required, it will also cover IP rights.

You can consult with EAIT Employability

Project Plan - Ethics

If your research does not involve humans, animals, or their data then you don’t need to apply for ethics; else you do need to consider ethics

If your research involves humans but

is low or negligible risk and;
does not include vulnerable groups (such as children) or animals and;
the project is purely for research training, i.e. it is just for your thesis and there is no chance that you will publish

Then follow these steps:

Complete an ethics training session, eg see the video under “Past events / Ethics training for data scientists” https://www.uq.edu.au/research/research-support/ethics-integrity-and-compliance/human-ethics/training
Obtain consent from anyone involved (it can be verbal)
Disclose to participants what the data will be used for.

Else complete the UQ ethics process

https://www.uq.edu.au/research/research-support/ethics-integrity-and-compliance/human-ethics