Application for a Bachelor's or Master's Thesis

Due to the high demand for thesis supervision, the Institute of Management and Decision Sciences uses an application process for bachelor's theses, master's theses, research projects, and related final projects.

Applications can be submitted at any time. Please submit the following documents:

• Letter of motivation
• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Overview of completed courses and grades
• Application form
• Preferred thesis topic or research area

Please send your complete application to mds-w9[at]tuhh.de.

If you apply for several available thesis topics, you do not need to submit a separate motivation letter for each topic. Instead, list the topics in one letter and briefly explain your interest in each of them.

Please note that the time required for an application decision may depend on the topic, available supervision capacity, and the respective selection process.

Proposing Your Own Thesis Topic

Students are also welcome to propose their own bachelor's or master's thesis topic, including topics developed in cooperation with companies.

If you propose your own topic, please include an exposé of approximately three to five pages with your application. The exposé should outline:

• The research problem and its relevance
• The objectives or research questions
• The planned methodological approach
• The proposed structure of the thesis
• The most important academic literature related to the topic

Your proposed topic should be closely related to the research areas of Prof. Dr. Christian M. Ringle or one of the institute's doctoral researchers.

Guidelines for Academic Thesis Writing

Students writing a thesis at the Institute of Management and Decision Sciences should follow the institute's guidelines for academic writing and use the provided Word template for theses.

For thesis presentations at the institute, students can use the official TUHH PowerPoint template.

For additional guidance on academic and scientific writing, we recommend the following books:

• Bänsch, A., & Alewell, D. (2020). Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten. Walter de Gruyter.
• Gruba, P., & Zobel, J. (2017). How to Write Your First Thesis. Cham: Springer.
• Katz, M. J. (2009). From Research to Manuscript: A Guide to Scientific Writing. Springer Science & Business Media.
• Sandberg, B. (2017). Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten von Abbildung bis Zitat: Lehr- und Übungsbuch für Bachelor, Master und Promotion. Walter de Gruyter.

These books are available through the TUHH University Library.

Registering Your Thesis

After your thesis application has been accepted and you have discussed the relevant details with your supervisor, the formal registration process can begin.

1. Download the appropriate thesis registration form from the examination office via the TUHH online portal.
2. Complete the section of the form intended for students. The form can be completed manually or digitally.
3. Submit the form to the examination office according to the applicable TUHH procedures.
4. After reviewing the application, the examination office forwards the form to the institute or provides it to you for further processing, depending on the applicable procedure.
5. In consultation with you, the institute completes the remaining information and returns the form to the examination office.
6. After registration has been completed, the official submission deadline can be viewed in the TUHH online portal.

Please do not contact other institutes independently to find a second examiner. The Institute of Management and Decision Sciences will arrange the second examiner where required.

For official and up-to-date information, please refer to TUHH's Information on Registering for Your Thesis.

Preparing Your Thesis for Submission

Before submitting your thesis, please make sure that you have fulfilled all formal requirements.

1. Check that your thesis follows the institute's academic writing guidelines and Word template.
2. Ensure that the thesis contains the required declaration or affidavit confirming that the work was completed independently and that all sources and quotations have been properly identified.
3. Prepare the required printed and/or electronic versions of your thesis in accordance with the current TUHH examination regulations.
4. Provide your supervisors with the required electronic version of the thesis.
5. Prepare any additional documents required by the examination office.

Because formal submission requirements may change, students should always consult the current regulations and instructions of the TUHH examination office before submitting their thesis.

Submitting Your Thesis

The thesis must be submitted by the official deadline and in accordance with the current requirements of the TUHH examination office.

Depending on the applicable procedure, submission may involve printed copies, electronic files, additional forms, or submission through designated TUHH channels.

After submission, the thesis is forwarded to the examiners for evaluation. Where a presentation is part of the examination process, the institute will coordinate the presentation date with the student.

Please consult the official TUHH examination information for the current submission procedure, submission locations, office hours, required number of copies, permitted file formats, and deadlines.