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Student Research Societies
TDK (in Hungarian: "Tudományos Diák Kör") stands for Student Research Societies. It originates from the fact that in higher education institutions, several students used to gather around a leading lecturer to carry out scientific research. Today, in most cases, there is no longer a real "circle", but the essence - guided work of an academic nature that goes beyond the routine practice of the taught curriculum - remains.
In most cases, the topic of the research is defined by the teacher, and he/she recruits student(s) interested in the topic, either indirectly (e.g. departmental announcement) or directly (by addressing the students), who then spend a shorter or longer period of time on the task at hand.
To present the results of the TDK work, the BME organises a TDK Conference every year, usually in the first half of November. Participation in the conference requires the preparation and submission of a thesis summarising the work done and the delivery of an oral presentation.
The submission of the thesis is usually preceded by six months of research work, but a successful summer internship or work done abroad may also provide the basis for a thesis.
The most successful papers may also be submitted to the biennial national conference (OTDK).
There are many advantages to writing a TDK thesis. One of them is the moral - and partly financial - success of winning a place at a national conference. This is a bonus for applying to postgraduate (doctoral) courses and, in many cases, for getting a job. Since the TDK work is often continued in the diploma thesis, the thesis can also be considered a preliminary diploma thesis, the experience gained from which, and the opinion of the adviser or referee, can be used in the actual diploma thesis.
Information about the current TDK conference (please use the flag in the top-right corner to change language): http://tdk.bme.hu