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Theses and Seminar papers

Would you like to write a seminar paper or thesis? Then you need to consider the following:

1) How do I get a place from a supervisor?

  • There is a centralised allocation procedure (coordinated by the Office of the Dean of Studies), which distributes the "future writers" among the professors in our faculty.
  • The application for a supervision place (for a seminar paper or thesis) is made one semester in advance - you will be informed in good time by e-mail about the start of the allocation process.
    • Application in June for submission in the winter semester
    • Application in December for submission in the summer semester
  • The procedure is initially only an application for a supervision place for the following semester. The entitlement to your allocated supervisor place expires after one semester, meaning that you will have to take part in the procedure again.
    If you do not wish to make use of your allocated supervision place, please inform the chair as soon as possible. This will give other students the opportunity to take your place.
  • It is also possible to apply during a semester semester on leave of absence.
  • Once a place has been allocated, communication takes place between the chair and the student.
  • Preparation then usually begins a little before the start of lectures in the next semester. The processing periods are not fixed, but are specified by the respective chair. You can read their respective specifications within the allocation tool FLIP.
  • Before applying, be sure to check your FSB (subject-specific provisions) to see whether and which seminar papers are compulsory for you. In the Master's programme, please also note the area in which these are categorised in your degree programme.
  • When applying, please also note that your prior knowledge in an area may well have an impact on your performance or grade.

Got everything? You can apply for a supervision place via FLIP.

2) How do I officially register my work?

  • Seminar papers: normal examination registration via WueStudy (registration usually open for the whole semester) after consultation with the supervisor
  • Theses: no examination registration in WueStudy necessary, instead binding registration of the thesis at the Examination Office using the form "Antrag auf Zuteilung einer Bachelor-/Masterarbeit" (Application for allocation of a Bachelor's/Master's thesis) after consultation with the supervisor. Once you have registered your thesis at the Examination Office, your processing period is set and the first of your 2 attempts for the thesis begins.

    Processing times for theses from registration:
    • Bachelor: 8 weeks (WiMa: 10 weeks)
    • in the Master's programme: 6 months
      Forgotten when you registered? -> The day is recorded in the system by the Examinations Office and can be viewed by you (after a few days) in the overview of registered examinations in WueStudy.

3) How do I hand in my work?

Seminar papers: contact your chair or supervisor -> depending on the requirements of the chair

Submission of final theses (according to § 26 para. 10 f. ASPO 2015, version 2023):

To be submitted:

  • in the Bachelor's programme: one copy as a file in one of the commonly used, machine-readable and unchangeable file formats on a standard storage medium (= 1 storage medium with e.g. PDF file)
  • in the master: two copies as a file in one of the generally common, machine-readable and unchangeable file formats on a standard storage medium (= 2 storage media with e.g. PDF file)

The storage medium must be labelled with the student's name and student ID number.

At the end of the thesis, the assurance of independent performance must be included, which you can find in the Forms of the Examination Office under "Theses". This must be printed out (in addition to the electronic form) and submitted with an original signature. If this written assurance is missing or if it is present but not true, the thesis is failed.

If the supervisor of the thesis requires it when assigning the topic of the thesis, a written copy is also required, which must be bound and submitted in duplicate for Bachelor's degree programmes and in triplicate for Master's degree programmes.

[Future plans: With the provision of an upload function in the centrally provided IT system, the data can be uploaded to the university.]

Confirmation of submission:
Upon submission of the thesis to the Examination Office, candidates receive an electronic confirmation of submission in the form of an email or in paper form. The date of the postmark is recorded as the actual date of submission.

4) What happens next?

Look forward and wait :)

According to the requirements of § 26 para. 12 ASPO 2015 (version 2023), the assessment period is...

  • in the Bachelor's programme: generally 6 weeks
  • in the Master's programme: usually 10 weeks