Master's Theses

If you are thinking about writing your thesis in the history of economic thought please come and talk to us. Students usually come up with their own suggestions for their thesis topic. Our research interests and the subjects covered in our courses provide starting points for research areas.

Here are some examples of topics of recent master's theses (PDF). You are also welcome to browse in some of the finished works.

Once you have found a general topic and research question, please arrange an office hour. Keep in mind that the time for working on your thesis is limited and that you have some 50 pages (only) for presenting your results.

On the background of the first conversation you will work your way into the literature and write an exposé of 1-2 pages. A well-focused research question or hypothesis about your topic is at the core of the exposé. It will also show how the topic fits into the relevant literature (including references).

This document provides the basis for another conversation during office hours (please make sure to send an email with your exposé a day or two in advance of the arranged meeting). 

Once the research question is well focused and carefully worded and you have a good grasp of the literature relevant for addressing it, we discuss the thesis title. Now, you are ready to register your thesis with the academic office. You work independently on your thesis in the following six months. Nonetheless, you are welcome to discuss any issues that might come up in the course of your work in an office hour (in person or via Zoom). I recommend getting in touch to discuss your preliminary outline about 6 weeks after registration. 

Guidelines

Here are our "Guidelines Master's thesis".

Please consult the internet pages of the academic office (Studienbüro) for the administrative process.

This is a detailed guide on “How to write a thesis in the history of economic thought”.