Academic standards and topic of a thesis

BA and MA theses are academic theses that must meet high academic standards. Please familiarise yourself with the basics of scientific work before your first consultation appointment so that you can assess whether you are willing and able to write an empirical thesis. You can find a good basis for orientation here:

Peters, J. H. & Dörfler, T. (2019): Planning, Conducting and Analysing Theses in Psychology and the Social Sciences. (2nd, updated and expanded edition). Pearson.

Formulating and answering a scientific question is the centrepiece of a BA/MA thesis. You should derive this question coherently from theory and research and develop a research design based on it. At the end of your thesis, you will answer this research question on the basis of your findings. Developing a research question is a process that often takes many weeks. You will need a first draft of your research question for your second consultation appointment at the latest. Further information on formulating the research question can also be found here in Peters & Dörfler (2019). You usually discuss and develop the research question with your supervisor.

Evaluation grid

Below you will find the assessment grids for the various empirical qualification theses that you can write in our department.