Final thesis

Students are admitted to the master’s thesis if they have fulfilled the necessary requirements as stated in the examination regulations. For the respective MSc programs, this includes:

• MSc Economics (2-year program): 3 completed compulsory modules + 48 credit points from elective modules
• MSc Economics (1-year program): 3 completed compulsory modules + 12 credit points from elective modules
• MSc Politics, Economics and Philosophy: 72 credit points (with at least 12 credit points from Interdisciplinary Seminars)

After the successful completion of all required compulsory and elective modules, students should register within six weeks past the announcement of the last examination result.

When registering for the master's thesis, enrollment in the degree program is required. Should the deadline for submission or the announcement of the grade extend to the next semester, a re-enrollment for the following semester is not mandatory. However, if you fail this attempt of the master's thesis, you will have to make a late re-enrollment for the repeat attempt for the following semester and may be subjected to fees. If the submission deadline or the announcement of the grade falls not in the next semester but the one after that, please contact the Campus Center before withdrawal to clarify whether a late re-enrollment is also possible in this case:

• Contact details of Campus Center

We recommend that you remain enrolled until the result of the master's thesis has been published. The registration for the repeat attempt is again done via the application for admission to the master's thesis.

Please also note that your student status will expire if you do not re-enroll. This will affect your residence permit, existing employment and your health insurance, among other things

• Information on semester re-enrollment (Campus Center)

If the admission requirements are met, registration is possible at any time. The master's thesis is registered using the PDF form provided:

• Registration from 1 February 2025: This form contains information on the use of generative AI systems (GAI). Please discuss the use of GAI-tools with your first examiner before registering.
  "Form: Registration for Master's Thesis (MSc Economics/ MSc PEP) - GAI" (PDF).

Students discuss the topic of the master's thesis with the first examiner. It is strongly recommended to contact the first examiner as early as possible to discuss a topic for the master's thesis. On the form for admission to the master's thesis, the topic is entered or confirmed by the first assessor. The signature date of the first examiner is the issue date of the topic and is the start date of the processing period.

Once it has been signed, please submit the form together with a scan or photo of your personal ID card (alternative: passport, residence permit) immediately by email to the responsible course and examination manager in the academic office.

When choosing a first examiner, please note the following program-specific lists of authorized examiners for your master's thesis:

• MSc Economics: List of authorized examiners for MSc Economics (PDF)
• MSc Politics, Economics and Philosophy: List of authorized examiners for MSc PEP (PDF)

Duration of Writing

The duration of writing the master's thesis is:

• MSc Economics (2-year program) + MSc Politics, Economics und Philosophy: 6 months
• MSc Economics (1-year program): 4 months.

This determines the submission deadline. The topic of the master's thesis and the submission deadline will be published in STiNE after registration.

Returning the topic after registration

The topic may only be returned once within the first two weeks of the writing period and only for good reason. In addition, the topic of the thesis may be withdrawn by the supervisors upon reasoned request if it is not possible to work on it for technical reasons. The new topic must be issued immediately, but within four weeks at the latest. In cases of doubt, the Chair of the Examination Board shall decide.

The topic may only be returned once within the first two weeks of the processing time and only for good reason. Furthermore, the topic of the thesis can be withdrawn by the supervisors upon justified request if it is not possible to work on it for subject-related reasons. The new topic must be issued immediately, but within four weeks at the latest. The Chair of the Examination Board decides when in doubt.

Extension of the writing period in case of illness

Students can apply for an extension of the processing time in case of illness by submitting a medical certificate to the academic office. Information on how to apply and the course-specific requirements for the certificate can be found under “Sick Note” in the Service for Students section.

Extension of the writing period for other reasons

If you would like to apply for an extension of the writing period for other reasons, please contact the responsible program coordinator for advice.

The master’s thesis may be for-matted as follows (unless indicated differently be the supervisor):

• Paper format A4
• Upper and lower margin 2cm
• Left margin 4cm, right margin 2cm (line measure 15cm)
• Line spacing 18Pt (1,5 space) for the text area
• Font size 10-14 Pt. Font: no Script, no Symbol or similar

The cover may be designed individually. However, the following information must be included:

• Title of the master's thesis (as specified at the time of registration)
• Name, matriculation number and degree program of the student
• the name of the first examiner
• date of submission (date on which you submit it)

The following must be stated in the paper to provide adequate evidence of the internet sources: The Internet address and the date and time of accessing it.

Students who have registered for the master's thesis until 31 January 2025, please add the hand-signed affidavit as the last page of your thesis. Please use the following text templates:

• in German:
  „Ich versichere, dass ich die vorstehende Arbeit selbständig und ohne fremde Hilfe angefertigt und mich anderer als der im beigefügten Verzeichnis angegebenen Hilfsmittel nicht bedient habe. Alle Stellen, die wörtlich oder sinngemäß aus Veröffentlichungen übernommen wurden, sind als solche kenntlich gemacht. Alle Internetquellen sind der Arbeit beigefügt. Des Weiteren versichere ich, dass ich die Arbeit vorher nicht in einem anderen Prüfungsverfahren eingereicht habe.“
• in English:
  "Herewith, I confirm that I have written the thesis to be found above independently and without help from another party. I have not used any material or sources apart from those which have been indicated on the list of references. All internet sources are enclosed in digital form. Furthermore, I confirm that I have not submitted this thesis to any previous examination procedure."

Students who register for the master's thesis from 1 February 2025 onwards, must attach the hand-signed declaration of authorship as the last page of their thesis if possible.

The declaration of authorship includes not only the affidavit but also the details on the use of GAI-tools that you agreed with your first examiner before registering your master's thesis.

• Declaration of authorship for theses - in German (accessible PDF document)
• Declaration of authorship for theses - in English (accessible PDF document)

The master's thesis must be submitted in digital form (file form: PDF) to the responsible course and examinations manager of the Academic Office Economics no later than 11:59 p.m. on the deadline date. The affidavit or declatation of authorship signed in handwriting is to be included as the last page of the digital thesis. Please clarify with your supervisor/ first examiner whether further documents (e.g. do-files) are required for the assessment of the master's thesis and, if necessary, also send them as an e-mail attachment.

An early submission is possible after prior agreement with the responsible course and examination manager.

From 1 October 2024, submission of a bound copy along with a data storage medium is no longer required. Submission of final theses is done by email only.

Failure to submit or late submission will result in the Master's thesis being graded as “insufficient” (5.0).

Once you have submitted your master's thesis by email on time, it will be forwarded to your examiners for grading. The thesis will be graded by another person in addition to the first examiner. The second examiner is assigned by the chair of the examination board. The two examiners assess your thesis individually and each prepare an assessment report. The correction period for master's theses is three months. If the assessments differ, the grade of the thesis is calculated as the average of both grades. As soon as the assessments have been received by the academic office, the grade of your thesis will be posted in STiNE and you will receive a grade notification by email. The assessment reports are enclosed in the grade notification.

If the master’s thesis has been graded „insufficient“(5,0), it can be repeated once. Students must apply for a second attempt, latest six weeks after the result of the first attempt has been published.