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Processes and Descriptions Related to the Thesis
Topic Selection
Submission of Sample Chapter to the Supervisor
Submission of the Thesis
Registration for the Final Examination
Thesis Content and Formatting Requirements
It is advisable to approach the entire process by starting from the planned date of the thesis defense, and based on that, set your personal document submission deadlines accordingly.
The following summary is also provided to assist you in this planning.
Topic Selection for the Thesis
Topic selection is done in Neptun.
The supervisor approached by the student will announce the thesis topic, and the student applies for it.
Students should primarily choose their topic based on the College’s designated research areas:
[DGBC Research Plan 2022]
If a student wishes to select a topic not fitting into the Research Plan, the supervisor must request prior approval from the Scientific Council.
In Neptun:
Go to Studies / Thesis Application menu / Thesis Application button.
In the pop-up window, after selecting the appropriate period, click the List button to refresh the topic list for the selected period.
Locate the topic announced by your supervisor, then click the Apply button at the end of the row, and upload the required attachments in PDF format.
A one-page brief description of the thesis topic;
A one-page planned table of contents;
A one-page planned bibliography, listing at least 10 literary works, including at least one in a foreign language.
Bachelor’s Program (BA):
If the final examination is scheduled at the end of the spring semester (end of June), the deadline is the end of the previous October.
If the final examination is scheduled at the end of the autumn semester (end of January), the deadline is the end of the previous May.
Master’s Program (MA):
The topic must be selected one year before the defense, by the end of the exam period of the given semester.
Note:
In autumn semesters, the exam period usually ends around January 30.
In spring semesters, it usually ends around June 30.
Master’s Program (MA) Sample Chapter Submission Deadline
It is recommended that the candidate submit one completed chapter of their thesis as a sample chapter to their supervisor approximately six months prior to the thesis submission deadline. The supervisor will prepare a written evaluation of the submitted chapter.
A copy of the sample chapter and the supervisor’s written review must later be submitted to the College together with the final thesis.
Two months before the thesis submission (in January and September), a workshop discussion is held before a committee, with a thesis that is at least 70% complete in length.
The committee consists of the program director, the supervisor, and the potential reviewer.
The sample chapter must be submitted:
Bound or attached,
Without hard cover or leather binding,
Without a table of contents,
With a cover page labeled “Thesis Sample Chapter” (instead of “Thesis”),
And otherwise meeting the formal requirements of the final thesis.
Requesting Thesis Acceptance:
NEPTUN: Studies / Thesis menu / Request Thesis Acceptance button
Submitting the thesis is only possible if the student requests acceptance of the thesis via Neptun, and this request is approved by the supervisor through Neptun.
Only with the supervisor’s approval can the thesis and the required attachments and certifications be uploaded!
This step is equivalent to the supervisor’s approval found in the second part of the Consultation Certificate, required for admission to the final examination.
NEPTUN: Studies / Thesis menu / Upload Thesis button
Thesis: the thesis in PDF format
Thesis Attachment: the thesis in Word format (doc/docx)
Consultation Certificate (form)
Plagiarism Declaration (form)
Confidentiality Statement (form)
Library Electronic Repository Upload Declaration (form)
Thesis Abstract: Sample chapter (for MA program)
At the same time as submitting the thesis, the student must also register for the final examination!
The deadline for registration is the same as the thesis submission deadline!
IMPORTANT!
Alongside the digital submission, a physical (printed) copy of the thesis must also be submitted!
The process for registering for the final examination can be found at the following link:
https://www.tkbf.hu/hallgatoknak/tanulmanyok/vegzes/zarovizsga/
Thesis Content and Formatting Requirements
A thesis is a substantial, original, and unpublished written work submitted for the first time to the College. Through the creation of the thesis, the candidate must demonstrate both the ability to apply and further develop the knowledge acquired during the program, and the capacity to independently acquire, process, evaluate, and present new knowledge.
The thesis should reflect the candidate’s familiarity with the national and international scholarly literature on the subject and their professional judgment through analytical, critical, and summarizing engagement with the results.
Where possible, the thesis should rely on primary sources; it may also consist of a translated or edited primary text with commentary.
The thesis should present professionally valid new insights either in terms of factual discovery or interpretation, demonstrating that the candidate has mastered and is able to apply the conceptual tools and methods of Buddhist theology and its auxiliary disciplines.
In terms of form, it must meet the standards expected in professional publications within Buddhist theology and its related academic fields.
If the thesis involves a text translation or edition, it must be based on a primary source written in a language relevant to the original regions of Buddhism and accompanied by a commentary.
The commentary must include:
Information on the author, origin, and editions of the text,
Details about the genre and related works,
A summary of the topic addressed,
An analysis from a freely chosen interpretive angle,
In the case of a translation, an explanation of the translator’s approach.
The original text must also be included if a translation is provided.
The thesis must be written in Hungarian.
This requirement does not preclude the inclusion of foreign-language passages, but all such excerpts must be accompanied by Hungarian translations.
All content—aside from foreign-language excerpts—must follow Hungarian spelling and punctuation rules.
Words and texts in languages traditionally associated with Buddhism must be rendered using the appropriate scientific transliteration systems; original scripts may also be included alongside transliteration.
The thesis must include sources for non-common knowledge, reasoned support for original claims, and presentation of opposing viewpoints where relevant.
The student is expected to research and use the most important Hungarian and foreign-language academic literature on the topic in a manner consistent with academic expectations.
Bibliographic Referencing
The thesis must include:
A table of contents,
A bibliography indicating citation formats,
An introduction that presents the thesis objective, justifies the topic choice, and explains the transcription system used.
The thesis must also contain notes (as footnotes or endnotes), using the same citation formats as the bibliography. Notes should include:
Sources of quotations,
Translations of quotations from non-Hungarian sources (and original texts if the translation appears in the main body).
If any of these components are missing, the thesis will be graded as fail (1) and cannot be defended.
Bachelor’s Program (BA):
Length: 50,000–70,000 characters, including spaces (approx. 28–40 pages)
Based on 8–10 Hungarian sources and at least one foreign-language source
Dictionaries and encyclopedias may not count toward the minimum, but can appear in the bibliography
Eastern language translations count toward the length, but the source text does not
Western language translations cannot be the subject of the thesis
No single translated excerpt from a Western language may exceed one paragraph
All such quotations together may not exceed 25% of the thesis length
Recommended format:
1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman font
Master’s Program (MA):
Length: 80,000–100,000 characters, including spaces (approx. 44–55 pages)
Based on 8–10 Hungarian sources and at least five foreign-language sources
Same rules apply for dictionaries, translation limits, and inclusion of Eastern source texts
Recommended format:
1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman font
Submit the thesis in:
One hardbound (leatherette) copy
The leatherette cover must include:
On the outer cover: the candidate’s name, the thesis title, and the year of submission
On the title page: the candidate’s name, thesis title, the word “Szakdolgozat” (Thesis), “Dharma Gate Buddhist College”, the supervisor’s name, indication of BA or MA thesis, and the year of submission
On the spine: only the candidate’s name and thesis title together
Year of submission:
If submitted during the spring semester, use the current calendar year
If submitted during the autumn semester, use the following calendar year
The hardbound thesis must include—bound into the thesis at the end, filled out and signed—the following three declarations:
Plagiarism declaration
Thesis usage / confidentiality declaration
Library electronic repository upload declaration / confirmation
These three declarations, and the bound thesis itself, must be textually identical to the digitally submitted version.
Note: Do not submit glued, spiral-bound, or softcover copies.
A jelzett határidők után nincs lehetőség dokumentumok leadására. Ennek megfelelően kérünk minden hallgatót, hogy ne az utolsó napra tűzze ki a beadandók elkészítését, befejezését! Témaválasztó
A jelzett határidők után nincs lehetőség dokumentumok leadására. Ennek megfelelően kérünk minden hallgatót, hogy ne az utolsó napra tűzze ki a beadandók elkészítését, befejezését! Témaválasztó
A jelzett határidők után nincs lehetőség dokumentumok leadására. Ennek megfelelően kérünk minden hallgatót, hogy ne az utolsó napra tűzze ki a beadandók elkészítését, befejezését! Témaválasztó