Examinatons: Thesis

Finding a topic / Assigned topics

This is how the process of finding a topic usually works:

• You acquire in-depth knowledge in an area of your field of study.
• Within the framework of the relevant courses (lectures, seminars, lab courses, etc.), you contact the lecturer or teaching assistant and ask about potential topics in your area of specialisation.
• Alternatively or additionally, you can search the websites of the professors, assistants’ or departments’ websites to identify interesting and suitable work, projects and then contact the relevant chairs.
• If you suggest a topic to someone on your own initiative, you should make sure that the content of the topic matches the expertise of the relevant chair. The best way to find this out is to first look at the chair's website and also looking at which courses the chair offers. Normally, you should have already completed in-depth courses offered by the chair.
• External theses are not the rule, but are also possible. For this, at the time of acceptance by the company you need a supervisor, usually a professor or another member of the faculty who is authorised to supervise thesis works and conduct examinations, who ensures that the topic you are working on has a scientific background and that it is worked on using scientific methods. To do this, the examiner needs expertise, which he or she has in his or her field of research and teaching. 
  Ideally, there should already be scientific co-operation between the chair and the external institution, where the thesis is to be completed.
• If you cannot find a topic yourself, you can also contact the Board of Examiners. Please note in this regard:  In order to submit an application for the assignment of a topic to the Board of Examiners, it is mandatory to indicate whether you have already discussed it with your academic advisor; you must also prove that you have made sufficient efforts to find a topic yourself, and list which professors you have enquired with about a topic and what answers you have received. The Board of Examiners needs this information in order to discuss your application. Furthermore, an application must be signed and dated. You can obtain advice on the procedure from the Examinations Office.
• You can drop your original topic once and ‘return’ it within the first two weeks (for Bachelor's theses) or two months (for Master's theses) after beginning your thesis. (For the Master of Education this is 4 weeks.) 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 for a Master thesis after 2 months, for example, you then only have four months to complete your Master thesis on the new topic.

Admission to the thesis

• Bachelor Thesis for Bachelor of Science: Before you can write a bachelor's thesis, you must fulfill the required number of 110 ECTS credits. 

• Master Thesis for Master of Science: For the admission to write a master's thesis, you need the following number of ECTS/requirements.

• Bachelor thesis for polyvalent Bachelor: You can be admitted to the Bachelor's thesis if you have earned at least 60 ECTS credits in the subject in which you wish to write the Bachelor's thesis.  
• Master's thesis Master of Education: You can be admitted to the Master's thesis if you have earned a total of at least 60 ECTS credits in the Master of Education programme for the teaching degree for Gymnasium. For the Erweiterungsfach, you must have earned at least 60 ECTS credits in the Erweiterungsfach for admission to the Master's thesis; in addition, you must have successfully completed a Bachelor's degree programme related to the teaching degree for Gymnasium.

Scope of the thesis

• Bachelor's module Bachelor of Science: 13 ECTS credits in total (12 ECTS credits for the written Bachelor Thesis, 1 ECTS credit for the colloquium/defense)
• Master's module Master of Science: 30 ECTS credits in total (27 ECTS credits for the written Master Thesis, 3 ECTS credits for the colloquium/defense)
• Bachelor's module polyvalent Bachelor: 10 ECTS points (for the written thesis, there is no colloquium here)
• Master's module Master of Education: 15 ECTS credits (for the written thesis, there is no colloquium here)

Thesis registration

• The registration form is only available via the Examinations Office. Please send us an e-mail.
• If you would like to register your thesis, send us an e-mail to pruefungsamt@tf.uni-freiburg.de and we will send you the registration form electronically by e-mail with a brief description of how the form should be completed.
• Registration is not linked to the regular examination registration period and can be made at any time via the Examinations Office, provided you meet the admission requirements for the thesis.

Who can supervise my thesis? Can I choose a reviewer?

• Theses can only be assessed by examiners.
• One has an examination authorisation through one's office (professor or private lecturer) or through the granting of the examination authorisation by the senate of a university.
• In external institutions, only professors/private lecturers are authorised to assess theses. Contact one of the professors/private lecturers there to see if they can take over the assessment of your thesis.
• Please note that each examination regulation contains regulations regarding the reviewers. Please read there and cf. tables below:
• The following specific regulations apply to bachelor's degree programs at TF:

• The following specific regulations apply to master's degree programs at TF:

For information on the regulations for the polyvalent Bachelor and Master of Education, please read the relevant sections in the framework examination regulations for the degree programme. 

How many reviewers do I need?

• One reviewer is required for all Bachelor of Science programmes at the TF.
• Two reviewers are required for all Master of Science programmes at the TF.
• One reviewer is required for the polyvalent Bachelor programme.
• One reviewer is required for the Master or Education programme (major subject or Erweiterungsfach).

The same conditions for examination eligibility apply to both first and second supervisors as stated under "Who can supervise my thesis"!

Thesis placements (Company/Fraunhofer Institute)

Final thesis in a company:

• There is the possibility to write a thesis in a company or another institute.
• Depending on the examination regulations, the thesis must be evaluated by at least one examiner of the Faculty of Engineering (see table: Who may supervise my thesis? Can I choose a reviewer?)
• Theses can only be assessed by persons with official examination authorisation ("examiners"). An examiner is authorised to conduct examinations by virtue of their position (professor or private lecturer) or by being granted authorisation to conduct examinations by the senate of a university.
• In companies/enterprises, appointed reviewers only rarely have examination authority. Ask one of the employees there if he/she may take over the review of your thesis.
• Students who would like to write their thesis in a company should make sure that they have the right to do so before accepting the offer of a company.
• Even if you also have a company supervisor, the grading of the thesis will then be done by the TF examiner(s).
• The best way to find an examiner at TF is to first find out which chairs of the Faculty of Engineering have corresponding company contacts. Some chairs cooperate with companies in research projects or have had good experiences with the execution of final theses with certain companies and can thus arrange final theses in such a company. Of course, you can also look for a company and a topic yourself. However, there is a risk that you will have put a lot of work into the search and application and then not find an examiner at TF who is willing to supervise the thesis.
  
  Thesis at one of the Fraunhofer Institutes:
• It is possible to write a thesis at one of the Fraunhofer Institutes.
• Depending on the examination regulations, the thesis must be evaluated by at least one examiner from the Faculty of Engineering (see table: Who may supervise my thesis? Can I choose a reviewer?)
• Theses can only be assessed by persons with official examination authorisation ("examiners"). An examiner is authorised to conduct examinations by virtue of their position (professor or private lecturer) or by being granted authorisation to conduct examinations by the senate of a university..
• External work must therefore be coordinated with a professor of the Faculty of Engineering.
• In the Fraunhofer Institutes, only professors/private lecturers are authorized to assess theses. Contact one of the professors/private lecturers there to see if he/she can take over the review of your thesis.

Writing period: Can I submit my thesis before the deadline?

• Bachelor of Science: 3 months
• Master of Science: 6 months
• polyvalent Bachelor: 3 months
• Master of Education: 4 months

Can I submit my thesis before the deadline?

Yes, this is basically possible! But be aware that the topic of the thesis is designed in such a way that the workload averages 5 full working days per week over a period of 3 months (for Bachelor's theses) or 6 months (for Master's theses). It is therefore the students' own responsibility to submit the thesis before the deadline.

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 immediately, three working days after the onset of the illness.
• If the notification of illness is accepted by the Examination Committee, the interruption time in processing will be calculated on the basis of the days of illness and the student will be notified in writing by post of the new submission date.
• 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

• An extension of the processing time is possible under certain circumstances and can be applied for at the examination board.
• An extension can have different reasons, usually illness (to be proven with a medical certificate) or technical reasons (to be proven with a statement of your first examiner). The examination board decides on a case-by-case basis.
• Students can apply for an extension with the Board of Examiners. The reason for an extension must  be specified and signed.  Applications for extensions must be submitted to the Examination Committee immediately.
  
• An extension is possible by a maximum of 6 weeks in each case.
  
  

Formatting the thesis

As a rule, you must discuss the formatting of the thesis with your first examiner. It is only important for the examination office that an affidavit is included in the thesis stating that the thesis was written alone and that all aids and sources were marked accordingly. Templates for the title page can be obtained from the student council.

According to the examination regulations, the thesis must include a list of the tools used and a declaration that the student has written the thesis independently, has not used any sources/auxiliary materials other than those specified and has marked all passages that have been taken verbatim or in spirit from published writings as such. In addition, a declaration must be made and included in the work that it has not already been prepared, even in part, for another examination. This declaration must be signed by the student in original. You can download this declaration here.

Template "Declaration for the final thesis"

The template for the declaration stating that you are the sole author of your thesis can be found here! Please add the template either at the very front or at the very back of your final thesis.

Submitting your thesis

• As per the exam regulations it is mandatory to submit the thesis before the colloquium ("defense") is held.
• When submitting your thesis, the declaration of authorship must also be signed and dated on the electronic version.
• If you have an external reviewer, you must provide the contact details (e-mail address) of the reviewer to the examination office when submitting your thesis.
• The submission is only possible exclusively digitally as PDF file to the examination office: pruefungsamt@tf.uni-freiburg.de

• From 7 September 2020 you have to submit only one  bound copy (hardcopy) to the Examination Office latest 4 weeks after the digital submission. The bound copy needs to be submitted by post (see address below). Alternatively, you can hand in your bound copy on the trolley in front of the Examinations Office (please note that the trolley is behind the first door) or please make an individual appointment if you want to hand in your bound copy personally at the Examinations Office. It is not possible to drop it in via the Examination Office letterbox. You will receive a separate e-mail when your bound thesis has arrived.
• There is no specification of the binding as long as it is a bound version where no sheets can be added or removed.

PLEASE NOTE! It is NOT possible to submit the hardcopy in the library of the faculty.

Address Examinations Office:

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Technische Fakultät
Prüfungsamt
Georges-Köhler-Allee 101
79110 Freiburg

(Updated on: 18 September 2024)

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:

1.  The thesis must be submitted before the presentation.
2. The examiner(s) must have the opportunity to read the work before the presentation.
3. The candidate must be enrolled at the time of the presentation.

Resubmitting the thesis

Students are allowed to resubmit a  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/ Copyright

• As a general rule, Bachelor's and Master's theses are not published by the Examination Office within the meaning of copyright law. It is therefore not necessary to include a corresponding blocking notice in the thesis.
• A Bachelor's or Master's thesis is not public and is not freely accessible in the university library, for example. However, the presentation of the thesis is usually open to the university public. In the case of sensitive data, the university public can also be excluded on request and only presented to a selected group.
• Of course, the student himself/herself has rights to the work (copyright).  If it is a co-operation with a company, the company could, for example, conclude a contract with the student stating that the information will not be passed on to third parties.
• A so-called non-disclosure agreement would go one step further. Such an agreement is usually drawn up by the company and concluded with the persons involved (student, examiner). The D5 (the Department for Legal Affairs in Studies and Teaching) of the University of Freiburg would then check this agreement and forward it to the Rector for signature.  The signing of a non-disclosure agreement is legally unproblematic for the examiners, as theses are not published and the passing on of the thesis to university employees is expressly permitted as part of the university's internal review process.