Thesis

Faculty 4: Computer Science

Are you nearing the end of your degree and looking forward to starting your thesis? Congratulations! On this page, we’ve put together some guidance to help you with the next steps.

Finding a Topic and Supervisor

The process of writing a thesis begins with finding a topic and a supervisor. Section 24 (2) of the General Examination Regulations stipulates that the topic must be assigned by a member of the university’s examination board.

We recommend that you look for potential supervisors on the websites of the institutes and research groups. Some research groups regularly advertise specific topics for postgraduate theses on their websites. However, you can often negotiate individual topics with the researchers, provided they fit within the research area of the relevant research group.

Theses carried out collaboration with external companies or institutions are possible, but require the approval of the examiners and the examination committee, as well as the assurance of academic supervision. Caution is advised regarding seemingly attractive job postings for thesis projects at companies. Often (though not always), companies attempt to outsource purely internal implementation tasks to students at a low cost. On the one hand, this is unprofessional and unscientific. On the other hand, under examination regulations, a thesis topic cannot be assigned by a company at all, but exclusively by university examiners. Therefore, if you wish to write your thesis in cooperation with a company, it is absolutely necessary to consult with a university advisor beforehand to determine whether the topic meets academic standards and whether supervision is feasible from a subject-matter perspective.

Registering your Thesis

The staff at the Examinations Office will then check that you meet all the formal requirements for registering your thesis and send you full details of the next steps and the upcoming deadlines you must meet.

It is a good idea to take the time now, at the very latest, to read through Section 24 of the General Examination Regulations and any provisions regarding final theses in the programme regulations. Our colleagues in the Examinations Office and on the Examination Board will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Following Formal Requirements

Each department and research group sometimes has its own rules regarding citation styles, page numbers, layout, etc. You will therefore not find such guidelines in the examination regulations. Many research groups publish these formal guidelines on their institute or research group websites; others may provide you with a handout or clarify such matters in a face-to-face discussion.

We wish you every success!