Can I do my thesis work at a company?
Yes and no. That is, you are allowed to pick a topic that is/was proposed by a company. However, the main mentor of the project has to be a staff of the university and the project has to be a scientific one.
Working in collaboration with a company has many advantages (you get to know them, they get to know you) but it can also be problematic because more people need to agree on the topic (and finding one that is both scientific and useful for the company can be tricky). That being said, in the past years several students have done their graduation work in collaboration with a company and it went fine. Just keep in mind that the topic you choose to tackle has to have a clear scientific objective, just like other topics done at the university.
In the potential topics we propose, there are a few where a company (or a public administration department) is involved. You can also propose yours if you have already contact.
However, please do not contact directly companies that are not listed here, unless you already know someone there. The best way to graduate in collaboration with a company is to do it through a staff of Geomatics, she/he often has contacts with industry. Thus speak to a staff and ask if they have a good project with a company.
This document explains the rules and guidelines.
Project in a company == signing some paperwork from the TU Delft
If you have a project with a company, the company, you, and the administration of the faculty need to fill out and sign a form. This form should be signed by Erik Ootes, the manager education and student services at the faculty.
Is the graduation project an internship?
No. And you shouldn’t use the graduation project to gain experience in a company, this is just not the goal. If you want to gain experience in a company then there is the course Geomatics in Practice.
Can I be paid?
Yes, if you’re from the EU then it’s possible. If you’re not from the EU, then there are rules (maximum hours). Contact the Geomatics programme director for this.