Master's Theses

If you are thinking about writing your thesis in the history of economic thought/economic history 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. A further possibility is to look for topics within our project on Early Women Economists from German speaking countries.

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 (only) have some 50 pages for presenting your results.

On the background of this 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 synopsis a day or two in advance of the arranged meeting). The registration of your topic is done on a form you will receive at the academic office (Studienbüro).

Once registered, you work independently on your thesis. I would still recommend coming to another office hour after about 6 weeks to discuss the approach you are taking/a preliminary outline/the current state of your work. 

Guidelines

Here are our hints on the master's thesis.

Please also consult the internet pages of the academic office (Studienbüro) for the handout "Information on your master's thesis”.

Many questions on quoting and referencing are covered in the guide to the Harvard System of Referencing at East Anglia University´s website. If you are in doubt especially on how to quote and reference historical material do not hesitate to ask us.

You may find this a helpful source on “How to write a thesis in the history of economic thought”.