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Please read carefully the respective paragraph of your Study Regulations concerning the bachelor's or master's thesis. You can find there all you need to know.

You can find your study regualtions in the download area under your field of study.

What should be included in your exposé?  

1. Planned title of the thesis   

2. Specific research question (what exactly do you want to find out?) and/or multiple hypotheses   

3. State of research and research gap (show that you have already familiarized yourself with the topic and where your work will connect; make it clear why it is worthwhile to pursue your research question)   

4. Theories on which your work will be based   

5. Methodological approach: Literature review, interviews, statistical data analysis, content analysis, etc.   

6. Data, data access, and exact method (if it is an empirical study)   

7. Preliminary structure   

8. Bibliography 

In total: 3-5 pages 

You can find useful advice on how to write your thesis in the download area under your field of study.

There is no fixed period for registering a bachelor's or master's thesis. You can register your thesis at the Examination Office at any time using the registration form. You can post the registration form in the letterbox in front of the Examination Office at any time; it is not necessary to come in person during office hours. Please make sure that you have completed it in full.

You can find the form  in the download area under your field of study. 

After submitting the registration form, you will receive a confirmation letter from the Examination Office, which will also indicate the submission date for your dissertation.

To register for the dissertation, you must have completed the following modules or earned the following CP.

The agreed topic can be returned once only and only within the first third of the processing time. The new topic must differ in content from the returned topic.

As a rule, you must write your thesis in German (exception: M.A. Comparative Democracy). In agreement with the examiners or the chairperson of the Examination Committee, you may write your thesis in English.

Theses in the form of group work can also be allowed if the individual student's contribution to be assessed as an examination achievement is clearly distinguishable and assessable through the indication of sections, page numbers and other objective criteria that enable a clear differentiation.

You must submit your thesis to the Examination Office of the Faculty of Social Sciences in due time. If the thesis is not submitted on time, it is deemed to have been failed.

Processing time is as follows:

If the first deadline cannot be met for reasons beyond the student's control (e.g. the student or a child cared for by the student is ill), the chairperson of the Examination Committee extends the processing time in accordance with the respective Study Regulations (see above). The student must apply for this informally to the Examination Office before the first submission date.

The thesis can be submitted at the earliest after 50% of the processing time.

Bachelor's theses:

• Submission of the thesis in 3 bound copies
• The Declaration on Examination Achievements must be bound in (see download area under your field of study. ).
• You can discuss further formalities with your supervisor.
• On the cover sheet only the following: degree programme, thesis topic, author's name and submission date.

Master's theses:

• Submission of the thesis in 3 bound copies
• The Declaration on Examination Achievements must be bound in (see download area under your field of study.).
• You can discuss further formalities with your supervisor.
• On the cover sheet only the following: degree programme, thesis topic, author's name and submission date.

The standard time for the reports by both reviewers together is 6 weeks after submission of the thesis. The second reviewer can limit himself/herself to co-signing the first reviewer's report if both award the same grade.

Once you have passed your thesis, you must present it within an oral examination. The subject of the oral examination is the content of the dissertation as well as questions and/or tasks in the context of the topic chosen for it. The examination lasts 30 minutes. The supervisor and an observer are present.

As a rule, the student arranges the date for the oral examination with the supervisor and an observer, whereby there are no fixed time periods for this.