Final Theses

Note: Don’t miss the course “Tips and Hints for the Bachelor's Thesis”, which is usually offered every semester. It’s an individual consultation event published in Stud.IP.

Do you meet the formal requirements for registration?

• You must be enrolled in the Bachelor's degree program.

• You must have completed at least 120 credit points.

Choosing a topic and examiners:

• Do you already have a topic idea? Propose it to your examiner.

• If not, ask your examiner for suggestions.

• In consultation with your first examiner, find a second examiner. Please follow the rules for examiner composition as per  APO, § 12.

• You may need to submit an exposé or a similar document, depending on your examiners’ requirements.

• Once both examiners approve your topic, you can register it with the  Examination Office.

Registration:

• Submit the “Application for Admission to the Bachelor's Thesis” to the Examination Office. The form is available on the Examination Office website and should be submitted to Karsten Rzehak.

• There are no fixed deadlines; you can submit your application anytime.

• However, if too much time passes between agreeing on your topic and submitting the application, the approval might expire. In that case, you will need to agree on a new topic and restart the process from choosing your topic.

• After submission, you will receive approval from the Examination Office within a few days, including your thesis submission deadline.

Working on and submitting your thesis:

• You have three months to complete your thesis.

• Submit your thesis bound in triplicate and as a digital file (PDF or RTF) to the Examination Office.

• Typically, your thesis will be evaluated by the examiners within six weeks.

Do you meet the formal requirements for registration? You must be enrolled in the Master's degree program for at least one semester before applying for admission to the Master's thesis. The thesis can be written in either of your two subjects or, under certain conditions, in the KCL (see  program-specific examination regulations, § 4 paragraph 5). If you choose to write your thesis in Geography, it must be approached from a subject-specific, subject-didactic perspective, or both (see  program-specific examination regulations, § 10 paragraph 1).

Planning and selecting your topic: Create an initial rough schedule for your thesis work. Do you already have a topic idea? Approach a suitable examiner to discuss it. If you don’t have a topic but have a preferred supervisor, ask them for suggestions and the possibility of supervision.
Familiarize yourself with your chosen topic and narrow down your research question. In consultation with your first examiner, find a second examiner. Follow the rules for examiner composition according to  APO, § 12. Together with your examiners, finalize the topic/title of your thesis.
Revise your schedule accordingly. Prepare an exposé and preliminary outline, and discuss these with your examiners.
Note: Coordination and adjustments may take several weeks, so plan accordingly.

Registration process: Once both examiners approve your topic, you can apply for admission to the Master’s thesis. Submit the completed application form and any required documents to the Examination Office. Forms are available on the  Examination Office website. There are no fixed deadlines for submission; applications can be submitted at any time. However, if too much time passes between agreeing on your topic and submitting your application, the approval may expire. In that case, you must select a new topic and restart the process from selecting examiners.

After submission: Within a few days, you will receive official approval from the Examination Office (if all requirements are met), including your submission deadline. A copy of this letter will also be sent to your examiners. You then have four months to complete your thesis.

During the writing process: Schedule a coordination meeting with your examiners within the first third of your working period (e.g., to discuss your outline or introductory chapters). Plan a final consultation with your examiners at least one week before submission to clarify formal requirements and last questions.

Submission: Submit three printed and bound copies of your completed thesis to the Examination Office by the deadline.
Additionally, provide a digital version of your thesis (PDF or RTF).

Typically, examiners will assess your thesis within eight weeks.

1. Do you meet the formal requirements for registration? You must be enrolled in the Master's degree program at least one semester before applying for admission to the Master's thesis and be able to prove that you have completed at least 76 CP (see  examination regulations, § 6 paragraph 1).
2. Choice of topic and examiner: Do you already have an idea for a topic? Find an examiner for the topic and suggest it! Don't have an idea for a topic yet, but have a favorite teacher? Ask them for suggestions for a topic.
3. Find a second person as a second examiner in consultation with the first examiner. Observe the rules for the composition of examiners according to  APO, § 12.
4. Specify the topic/title of the thesis in consultation with your examiners. Revise the timetable. Create an exposé and a preliminary outline and discuss this with your examiners.
5. Do not underestimate the subsequent coordination of the topic and other arrangements. You may need to allow several weeks for this.
6. If your examiners agree with the topic, you are ready to register the topic with the examination office. To do this, submit an application for admission to the Master's thesis; the necessary forms can be found on the  Examination Office website. The application must be signed by the first examiner.
7. The completed documents must be submitted in full to the Examinations Office. There are no fixed periods or deadlines for this; in principle, the documents can be submitted at any time. If there is too much time between completing the application and submitting it to the Examinations Office, the application may no longer be accepted. In this case, a new topic must be agreed, starting again at point 2.
8. Within a few days of receipt, you will receive approval from the Examinations Office (if the requirements are met) including your submission deadline (the letter will also be sent to both examiners). You can now start working on the topic! You have six months to do so.
9. During the processing period, you should arrange one or more coordination meetings (e.g. about the outline, the introductory chapters, formalities) with the examiners.
10. You must submit three copies of your completed thesis to the Examinations Office by the deadline, each printed and bound and accompanied by a digital version (stick, CD or similar).
11. As a rule, a Master's thesis must be assessed by the examiners within eight weeks.

1. Do you meet the formal requirements for registration? You must be enrolled in the Master's degree program at least one semester prior to applying for admission to the Master's thesis and be able to provide evidence of examination achievements amounting to at least 88 CP (80 CP on application, see appendix to the  examination regulations).
2. Choice of topic and examiner: Do you already have an idea for a topic? Find an examiner for the topic and suggest it! Don't have an idea for a topic yet, but have a favorite teacher? Ask them for suggestions for a topic.
3. Find a second person as a second examiner in consultation with the first examiner. Observe the rules for the composition of examiners according to  APO, § 12.
4. Specify the topic/title of the thesis in consultation with your examiners. Revise the timetable. Create an exposé and a preliminary outline and discuss this with your examiners.
5. Do not underestimate the subsequent coordination of the topic and other agreements. You may need to allow several weeks for this.
6. If your examiners agree with the topic, you are ready to register the topic with the examination office. To do this, submit an application for admission to the Master's thesis; the necessary forms can be found on the  Examination Office website.
7. The completed documents are submitted in full to the Examinations Office. There are no fixed periods or deadlines for this; in principle, the documents can be submitted at any time. If there is too much time between completing the application and submitting it to the Examinations Office, the application may no longer be accepted. In this case, a new topic must be agreed, starting again at point 2.
8. Within a few days of receipt, you will receive approval from the Examinations Office (if the requirements are met) including your submission deadline (the letter will also be sent to both examiners). You can now start working on the topic! You have six months to do so.
9. During the processing period, you should arrange one or more coordination meetings (e.g. about the outline, the introductory chapters, formalities) with the examiners.
10. You must submit three copies of your completed thesis to the Examination Office by the deadline, each printed and bound and accompanied by a digital version (on CD).
11. As a rule, a Master's thesis must be assessed by the examiners within eight weeks.