Examinatons: Thesis

Admission to the thesis

Before you can write a bachelor's thesis, you must fulfill the required number of 110 ECTS credits.

For the admission to write a master's thesis, you need the following number of ECTS:

The registration form is only available from the Examinations Office during opening hours. 

Finding a topic / Assigned topics

Generally, topics are chosen according to the following procedure:

• Topics arise out of the material you are studying and are based on where your interests lie.
• When choosing a topic, you should first establish an overview of the research already conducted on the subject in order to find areas that have received little attention.
• After reviewing the research already done on the subject, you should choose a topic and try to state your theme by narrowing it down and expressing it as clearly as possible.
• In the next step, you should present your topic idea to a professor in order to convince him or her to supervise your project. Your project advisor will give you advice about your chosen topic and will be able to tell you if you need to expand your theme or narrow it down.

If you do not already have a topic, you can also approach a professor regarding possible topics or ideas. If you still cannot find a topic, you can also contact the Board of Examiners.

You can drop your original topic once and ‘return’ it within two months after beginning your thesis. A new topic must be registered within four weeks. A change of topic does not extend the total working period allowed to write a thesis. If you discontinue one topic within the first two months, you then only have four months to complete your thesis on the new topic.

Thesis placements

Students are allowed to write their thesis while working in a company or an institute (for example, at one of the Fraunhofer Institutes) in a work placement. According to the Exam Guidelines, at least one advisor from the Faculty of Engineering must assess the thesis. A thesis that was written during a placement must be pre-approved by a faculty supervisor. A thesis may only be assessed or evaluated by an examiner who also has the right to examine. Examiners are professors or academic staff whom the University Senate has approved to be examiners. Normally, companies rarely have people who have such an audit authority. If in doubt, please contact the Examinations Office.

Writing period

• Bachelor' thesis: 3 months
• Master's thesis:

If you become ill while writing your thesis

If you become ill while writing your thesis, you must print out the medical certificate for your doctor to fill in and sign. This form must then be submitted to the Examination Office as soon as possible, especially if you become ill shortly before the submission deadline. The Examinations Committee will determine the number of days of illness and notify you of the extended deadline. The medical certificate should include a description of the illness (for example, description of pain) and to what extent this temporarily prevents you from writing your thesis. An exact diagnosis is helpful but not necessary. However, the clearer the doctor’s description is, the easier it will be to determine your inability to complete the thesis on time (for example, if you have a fever and are diagnosed with the flu). It is not sufficient for your doctor to write that you are ‘unable to complete the thesis’. Furthermore, the Examinations Committee does not accept an ‘Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigungen’ (incapacity certificate). If the Examinations Committee has any reason to believe that the medical certificate is unfounded, it can require you to see a public health officer. 

Leave of absence during the thesis

You are allowed to apply for a leave of absence if you are unable to attend classes during a semester. You must submit the application for a leave of absence along with any necessary documents with the student service center.  While on a leave of absence, you are allowed to take examinations and complete assessed coursework that are not part of a module. Because the thesis is also a module, this means you are not allowed to apply for a leave of absence to write your thesis. 

Extension of the working period

Students can apply for an extension with the Board of Examiners. The reason for an extension must  be specified and signed. An extension can be granted for a maximum of 6 weeks only.

Submitting your thesis

The deadline for submitting your thesis can be found in your registration confirmation which you will recieve via post from the Examinations Office. If the deadline is on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be on the next working day.

You have to submit your thesis to the Examination Office latest on the day of the deadline. If the date of submission is on a day on which the Examination Office is not open, you can submit your thesis either in the Examinations Office (if occupied) or in the library of the faculty. Please be aware that the library staff cannot answer any questions about your thesis.

You can send us the thesis with a parcel service as well. However, please make sure, that the respective shipping provider guarantees that the thesis will be delivered on time.

Number of bound copies:

• Bachelor's thesis:

• Master's thesis:

Presenting your thesis

You are expected to present your thesis after submitting it to the Examination Office. Students are required to notify the Examination Office of the date of their presentation. The following information concerns presenting your thesis:

• The presentation will be held in front of two examiners and an additional exam assessor and will be either an individual or group exam.
• The presentation of your thesis is open to other students and University members unless you submit a request to the Board of Examiners of your department. Other students will not be allowed to listen to the board’s discussion or its issuance of the grade.
• Other regulations, such as the extent and duration of the exam, will be determined by the examiners.

Resubmitting the thesis

Students are allowed to resubmit a bachelor's thesis if they received a grade of ‘nicht ausreichend’ (fail) one time only. If you receive a passing grade for your thesis, the thesis cannot be resubmitted. You must apply to resubmit a thesis within two months after receiving notice of not passing this degree requirement. Failure to meet this deadline means you will not be allowed to write a thesis unless you submit a mitigating circumstances form. The Examinations Committee will determine a new deadline for proposing a new topic or for a new topic to be assigned. If you fail to meet this deadline, the Examinations Committee will assign a topic within two weeks and issue a new deadline for resubmitting the thesis.

Thesis publication

Bachelor's, Master's and Diplom theses are NOT PUBLISHED by the Examination Office as intellectual property. 
Students are therefore not required to secure copyright or issue a notice in their thesis!