Diploma through the eyes of a student at MSTU im Bauman

I have long thought whether to write about it, but still could not resist and want to share thoughts.

The choice of topics was quite a difficult process. It would seem, think up a topic or take it from the teacher and go ahead. In practice, there are many disputes and misunderstandings. About our department has already written a post , I will not repeat, but I will say that this is how it is so far. All the same teachers, all the same subjects and all the same thoughts, but is it worth it ...

So back to the diploma selection process.
In my opinion a diploma can be of two types of projects:

• Diploma of Theoretical Value
• Practical Diploma

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As a working student, I preferred the second option and, after talking with the teacher, I stopped at the second option. First of all, it was interesting for me to make a finished product that can be sold.

I proposed the development of an electronic menu system. The idea was to install monoblocks with touch-screens on the tables in restaurants and display the menu there. In addition, add new features, such as ratings, booking tables without human intervention, fingerprint authorization (to get rid of endless discount cards and have more information about customer preferences). It seemed to me (and still it seems) that this is a good topic. The economic part of the diploma is obvious, and the development is quite voluminous and technological.

But it was not there. The teacher said that it was weak, and it had nothing to do with my work (I work at Megafon) and strongly recommended that I find something at work.

Thinking another week (and time was starting to tighten), I came up with another topic. Unfortunately, I cannot describe it now (it has value as an idea). There is more development, more technology, and the service is completely new. I could not find analogues in the world, but I could be wrong. In Russia, they definitely do not have.

It would seem that the topic is stronger, I do it at work, but the answer is the same. I fall into a stupor. I do not understand at all what work they want from me. The diploma is an engineering (not a master), according to teachers this is not a scientific work as such. Frustrated, I went to look at other topics and I found there ...

• Distributed information collection system on microcontrollers
• Web system "personal account"
• Web portal of a travel company
• Search engine indexing unit

These are just a few examples. It became completely incomprehensible to me, what is my topic “weak”? From me they want a lot of clever words in the subject behind which there will be emptiness. A project that will be folded and forgotten.

After viewing the diplomas, I begin to understand the full scale of the problem of Russian education. The gap between the institution and the work is huge. I am sure that most employers do not need such systems. Most of the topics are abstract, which are obviously worse than their counterparts (it’s impossible to overtake companies that have long been engaged in something for a year alone). There is almost no element of novelty anywhere.

And what remains for the student? To write nonsense, which the teacher suggests or write a deliberately “weak” diploma.

I would really like to know the opinion of habrayuzerov.
What goal should pursue graduation project, in addition to evaluation of course?
If there are teachers, your attitude to this issue is very valuable.

I apologize if this post, I offended someone (for example, the owners of these topics).