Goethe-Universität — B.A. and M.A. Theses

B.A. and M.A. Theses

Update on the submission of theses

Please submit the paper as a PDF by E-Mail (pra.fb03@soz.uni-frankfurt.de) and the printed copies either in person during the office hours indicated on the homepage or send your paper by mail. The address can be found on our homepage.
When submitting hard copies, please check with your reviewers in advance if a hard copy is desired. If
- Yes: Bachelor thesis 3 times, Master thesis 3 times or 4 times (if you want to give a copy to the library) submit it to the Examination Office
- No: Bachelor's thesis 1 time, Master's thesis 1 or 2 times (if you want to give a copy to the library) submit to the Examination Office.
Please do not forget to sign the Declaration of Examination Performance and add it to both the printed and the digital version (PDF) of the thesis.

Looking for a Supervisor

Two semesters before the planned end of your studies, you should think about the topic of your thesis and start looking for a suitable supervisor. Please note that some examiners want to know their examinees personally, so you should have sat a module exam with them. Please also note the information on the professors' websites.

You look for the first reviewer or supervisor yourself. In the following section, you can find details of which groups of people are entitled to supervise dissertations. Please note in this context that there are differences between the individual degree programmes and the respective Study Regulations. Please therefore pay special attention to the general comments for your degree programme and your Study Regulations regarding who is allowed to supervise a dissertation. If you are unsure, you can also ask the Examination Office or Academic Advice.

You can also look for a second reviewer yourself, whereby your supervisor can generally recommend someone. If you register your dissertation without a second reviewer, the Examination Committee will appoint someone. Here, too, you should please note the specific requirements for your degree programme and your Study Regulations.

You can find here all the main information about which groups of people are authorised to supervise a dissertation as first or second reviewer:

The topic of the thesis is to be agreed with the supervisor, and the chairperson of the Examination Committee is to be notified via the Examination Office when the thesis is registered. If the student is unable to find a supervisor, the chairperson of the Examination Committee ensures, at the request of the student, that he/she receives a topic for the thesis in good time as well as the necessary supervision.

Tips for writing theses

Registering your thesis

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.

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.

	Completed modules or CP earned
Bachelor's programmes	7 modules
MA Political Science	56 CP
MA Political Theory	56 CP
MA International Studies / Peace and Conflict Research	56 CP
MA Sociology	56 CP
MA Economic Sociology	5 modules
MA Comparative Democracy	56 CP

Returning the topic, language, group work

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.

Processing times and scale

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:

	Processing time from time of registration	Extension (only on justified request)	Scale
Bachelor's programmes	9 weeks	Up to 31 days	Approx. 12,000 words
MA Political Science	5 months	Up to 1 month	Approx. 20,000 words
MA Political Theory	4 months	Up to 2 months	Approx. 20,000 words
MA International Studies / Peace and Conflict Research	4 months	Up to 2 months	Approx. 20,000 words
MA Sociology (2015 Study Regulations)	5 months	Up to 2.5 months	Approx. 22,000 words
MA Economic Sociology (2019 Study Regulations)	16 weeks	Up to 8 weeks	As agreed
MA Comparative Democracy	5 months	Up to 2,5 months	Approx. 20,000 words

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.

Formal Requirements

Bachelor's theses:

Submission of the thesis in 3 bound copies
The Declaration on Examination Achievements must be bound in (see download area).
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 4 bound copies
The Declaration on Examination Achievements must be bound in (see download area).
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.

Reviewers’ reports

Oral Final Examination

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.

If it proves difficult to find a date, the Examination Office can arrange it for you. To do this, you must complete the registration form and submit it to the Examination Office. Please note that the organisation of the oral examination by the Examination Office can only take place at fixed times.