Questions about your bachelor's thesis?

Here we provide some information about the bachelor's thesis. Be aware: All important information can be found in the study and exam regulations or on the faculty website. What you see here is merely additional information that we have gathered by collective experience.

Information Event for the Bachelor's Thesis

The information event for the bachelor's thesis is meant for students in both the mono- and combined bachelor's programs. 6 professors will inform you on the different areas of research that we have at the mathematical institute. On the German page you will find more information. Be aware that the presentation at the event is going to be held in German. However, the student advisor and the professors will all be able to answer questions in English.

Typical Procedure of a Bachelor's Thesis

1. Finding a Professor and a Subject

Look for a professor whose field of research is interesting to you. If you are doing a combined bachelor's degree, this must be a professor of your core subject. Ask them as early as possible if they will be your advisor. Typically students ask at the end of one semester, and start working on their thesis during the following. The professor will recommend one or two different topics for you to choose from, but you can also propose your own topic if you have one. If you figure out your topic does not work for you, you can still change it. Sometimes professors already have too many students to work with and recommend a colleague to you - don't be discouraged by this. The following process is different for each professor. You might need to find a secondary advisor, if so ask your professor who they would recommend.

2. Admission and Registration

You can find the prerequisites for admission in your exam regulations. Check that you have recieved credit for all of the courses you have taken, and that they are correctly listed in AGNES. To register you need the Application for approval and assignment of a topic for the bachelor's thesis. You fill out the form digitally, sign it personally (by hand) and collect signatures from your primary and secondary advisors. Then you need to hand it in personally to Examination Office. Here it will be completed and passed on to Frau Prof. Schüth, who signs it as the Chair of the Examination Board. (So you only need the signatures of your advisors.)

3. Time period and amount

The exam regulations state that you will recieve your topic the same day as regristation, at which point you have 12 weeks to finish your thesis and hand it in. Typically this process works a little differently. Your professor discusses your topic with you and then you have several weeks to work on it before you register. You can extend this time period if you want more time to prepare. Usually, the bachelor's thesis is about 20 pages long in DIN A4 format (have a look at the exam regulations), but your professor will tell you what they expect.

4. In Case of Failure

If your bachelor's thesis recieves a failing grade for whatever reason, you can attempt a second time with a new topic.