Whilst working on the master’s thesis

On the back of the topic confirmation from the chair, there are important processing instructions for the preparation of master's theses.

Further tips and style guides can be found here.

The prescribed time frame for completion of the master’s thesis is six months. The processing period begins when the topic of the master's thesis is announced. The submission deadline can then be viewed in FlexNow. The work can be extended by 4 weeks. More detailed information can be found here.

Please note that work on the dissertation must not extend beyond the maximum duration of study.

Towards the end or after the processing period, a presentation of the work (approx. 30 minutes lecture + approx. 15 minutes questions) is planned. This is a "soft defence" that does not count towards the assessment. The aim is to demonstrate that the candidate has written the work independently and has extensive knowledge of the subject. The oral presentation should be supported by presentation slides.

The standard platform for the presentation is the advanced seminar in statistics and econometrics. The semi-public presentation takes place in front of the examiner, other students and anyone else who is interested. Registration is the same as for all other courses, but can also be done via Dr. Florian Meinfelder. If the advanced seminar in statistical econometrics is intended as a presentation platform, the presentation must take place during the lecture period. 

If the work is supervised by another department, an equivalent platform offered by the supervising department may also be used. The examiner must be present during the presentation.

If the thesis is written in cooperation with an institute or company and a presentation at the company is planned towards the end of the thesis, it is also possible, in consultation with the examiner, to combine the colloquium with this presentation. In this case, the examiner must be present at the presentation at the company. A colloquium outside of the lecture period is also possible in this case.

The Master's thesis must be typed and written in German or English and submitted to the Examination Office in two bound copies. Each bound copy must be accompanied by an electronic version of the entire thesis in PDF format. Upon written request, the Examination Board may, with the consent of the examiner, permit the Master's thesis to be written in another modern language.

Digital submission of the thesis via the university's form server is also possible. The instructions provided there apply to submission.

Form server

If the Master's thesis is not submitted by the deadline in accordance with § 29 (4), it will be graded as "unsatisfactory" (5.0). If the Master's thesis is sent by post, the date of the postmark will be decisive for determining whether the deadline has been met..