BA and MA Theses
What is this about?
Here you will find information on final theses in the following degree programmes:
- Single-subject Bachelor's degree programme in Philosophy,
- Bachelor's degree programme in Philosophy as a core subject, and
- Master's degree programme in Philosophy.
Please also note the general information and resources on academic work (in German only).
Regulations
Read the relevant sections of your examination regulations carefully and clarify any open questions with your lecturers, supervisors or student advisory service.
The information on this page has been taken from the applicable examination regulations to the best of our knowledge and belief, but remains informal and not legally binding. The decisive factor is always what is stated in the respective examination regulations.
Planning and scope
Start planning your thesis as if it were a long term paper, not as something big, new, perhaps even existentially charged, in which your studies are to find their crowning conclusion. What you know from term papers also applies here: in most cases, the chosen topic is too broad and needs to be narrowed down further. And if you start with a clear definition, it is no problem if the topic naturally grows as you write.
Plan your thesis in writing. Write an exposé, a possible outline, a bibliography or other texts that you find helpful or that your supervisors suggest for planning and discussion.
Plan to write your thesis in either German or English and decide this in consultation with your supervisors, depending on the topic and literature basis.
Connection to courses and examinations
It makes sense to link your thesis thematically to a course that you have already attended or are attending in parallel. It is therefore also advisable to actively search for possible topics within the courses you are currently attending and to ask your lecturers – if they do not do so anyway – for suitable topics for theses.
It also makes sense to write your thesis in an area in which you have already taken examinations, preferably a term paper. However, according to the examination regulations, the topic of the thesis must not be identical to the topic of an examination you have already taken. So (to be on the safe side and out of fairness!) make every connection or link completely transparent to your supervisors.
Supervisors, primary and secondary supervisors
First, find a person to act as the primary supervisor for your thesis, preferably through discussions during personal office hours and ideally on the basis of an initial written planning outline, or at least initial verbal proposals. Teachers whom you already know from your studies, whose approach and feedback (ideally for one of your own papers), whose expectations you know and appreciate, and who also have relevant subject expertise. If no one meets all these criteria, it is perfectly legitimate to give less weight to subject expertise at this point and instead focus more on this criterion for the secondary supervisor. The most suitable person for this should also be discussed and decided upon in consultation with the primary supervisor.
Status of supervisors
The applicable examination regulations stipulate that at least one of the two supervisors must hold a professorship (of any kind, including junior professorship) or a private lectureship in the degree programme in which the thesis is being written. This has two consequences:
- If your primary supervisor does not meet this requirement, you must choose a secondary supervisor who does – and vice versa.
- As long as one of the two supervisors meets this requirement, the other supervisor may, in principle, be from a different subject area. However, this is only advisable in a few cases and requires intensive coordination with both supervisors.
Support and guidance
Agree with your supervisors how you will communicate with them about the progress of your thesis and how they will be available to answer your questions. Please note that, depending on the person and their time budget, secondary supervision is often much less extensive than primary supervision. At times, it may even only come down to the assessment of the thesis after submussion.
Other forms of support for your work process are particularly helpful, especially informal tandems, trios or even larger groups of students who are all working on their theses. In addition, courses such as thematically relevant seminars or colloquia are also suitable, especially if your supervisors offer such courses. The fact that doctoral students and graduates sometimes present their current work in colloquia can be intimidating, but it offers even greater potential for constructive feedback on your work.
Registration and processing time
Register your thesis once your topic and supervisors have been finalised and this step fits well into your work plans. This is usually the case in the last semester of your studies, but there are no strict requirements here.
The official processing time of three months for BA theses and six months for MA theses only begins after the thesis has been registered. Extensions, including those due to illness, are possible according to the examination regulations, but only to a very limited extent. It is also possible to resubmit the topic once within a maximum period of four weeks.
There is no alternative to the submission deadline specified in the portal and submission via this route. Even agreements with your supervisors will not help in this regard.
Length
A BA thesis should be 9,000–15,000 words (30–50 pages) long, and an MA thesis 18,000–30,000 words (60–100 pages). If you can foresee that you may fall short of or exceed this limit, it is essential that you discuss this with your supervisor.