Seminar Public Finance (Master)
Public Finance Seminar (Master): Topics in Optimal Taxation
A Seminar Thesis can be written at the chair in the various areas covered by the lectures of the chair in the MSc program, i.e. issues in European public finance, (optimal) taxation or social security. It is therefore recommended to attend at least one of these courses before writing a seminar thesis. Of course, interested students could also come to my office and discuss own ideas with me. It is also possible to work first on a Seminar thesis and then extend that to a Master thesis.
In principle and depending on the individual preferences, a seminar thesis could be either based on one (typically more theoretical) paper or more policy oriented where students have to search for literature on their own. To get an idea about possible topics
General Organisation and Grading
Topics are chosen by students who have enrolled in the seminar (via FLIP already in June 2023). Depending on the topic students are assigned to a specific advisor who helps to develop the numerical model and/or prepare the thesis (approx. 25 pages). Depending on the examination regulation, the thesis can be either written in English or Germany, but its presentation must be in English. The final grade depends on the written thesis and its presentation (2:1). Students who have finally accepted a topic, but do not submit a thesis without a specific excuse have failed the seminar.
The Seminar is offered in the Summer and Winter term.
Approximate time table
- End of semester: Topics are assigned to enrolled students (Enrollment via FLIP)
- Beginning of semester: Final acceptance by students and meetings with advisor
- End of semester: Submission of seminar thesis
- End of exam period: Presentation of thesis
At the end of your thesis, you must sign a declaration stating that you have written it independently and whether you have used any AI tools. This declaration can be found at the homepage of the examination office (Prüfungsamt).
If you have to draw graphs we suggest to use Corel Draw or Micrographics Designer which students in Wuerzburg can download free of charge at the respective university website. If you need to use a lot of mathematical formulars and variables, we also encourage you to write your thesis with Latex instead of Word. A thesis format for both Word and Latex can be found below.
