Supporting Bachelor Thesis Management in Computer Science: A Comparative Study of Large Language Models in Academic Advising

Writing a successful computer science bachelor’s thesis requires extensive advisor support. This need for guidance is especially pronounced given the complexity and technical nature of computer science, where students struggle with scope definition and task planning for these first-time major projects. Large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4 and Claude might help by giving personalized advice. This study tested these two AIs with a sample thesis project to see how well they could plan the work and a 300-h schedule. Four people reviewed the AIs’ recommendations for accuracy, relevance, clarity, and practical utility. The results showed that Claude is better at making accurate schedules, while GPT-4 is good at conceptualizing larger ideas. However, this was a small test, so we cannot be certain this will always be true. The initial results look promising for using AI to help advise students, but more research is needed. Future work should focus on how to best combine human and AI advice in computer science bachelor thesis management.