Application

To apply for a Master's thesis at the chairs of J.Prof. Apffelstaedt (Organizational Economics), Prof. Burmeister (Behavioral Organization), Prof. Heinz (Strategy), J.Prof. Dr. Hofer (Organizational Behavior)*, Prof. Irlenbusch (Business Ethics), Prof. Mona Mensmann (Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship), Prof. Sliwka (Human Resource Management), Prof. Schwens (Entrepreneurship and Management), and Prof. Sting (Supply Chain Management - Strategy and Innovation), please use the following ILIAS-Link (click path: Magazin > WiSo > BWL > Area Corporate Development > Bewerbungen Masterarbeiten in der Area Corporate Development (Application Master Thesis Department Corporate Development).

Once your application is successful, you will be contacted directly by our secretariat. Please note that the start date does not represent the official registration of the thesis with the examination office. Before formal registration, there is a preparatory phase in which you will develop your research question and outline, plan your approach, and conduct an initial literature review.

Requirements

To register for the Master's thesis, you must have completed at least 60 ECTS at the time of formal registration. You may apply in advance if you are waiting for outstanding exam results or credit transfers from abroad, as long as you meet the prerequisites by the time of formal registration. We primarily supervise Master's theses from students in the Corporate Development Master's program and the CEMS Master's program. Students from other Master's programs can also be considered if the department’s capacity is not yet fully booked, and if they present a particularly convincing thesis proposal. In this case, please contact us via email at: office-cd@wiso.uni-koeln.de.

Topics

We encourage applicants to propose their own thesis topics. The topics for Master's theses can be highly diverse, with a particular emphasis on empirical research addressing current issues. Empirical theses in collaboration with companies are especially welcome. Additionally, you may design and conduct your own online surveys or, depending on the topic, propose lab experiments. If you are considering a classic literature review, please discuss this directly with your assigned supervisor.

You are welcome to discuss your topic ideas with our research assistants or professors in a consultation hour before you apply. 

Supervision

After a successful application, a member of the chair will be assigned to supervise you throughout the entire thesis process. The standard duration for completing the Master's thesis is 6 months. For students in the CEMS Master's program, the duration is 3 months.

Submission of the thesis to the examination office

The Master's thesis must be submitted to the examination office within the established deadline. The submission is done digitally via the WiSo-Inbox. Please adhere to the current guidelines provided by the examination office.

Further information

The length of the master thesis must not exceed 40 pages for the main part. With the appendix and explanations, the thesis may be up to 60 pages in length. Please use the appropriate formatting template for your thesis. We expect Master's theses to be written in English.

For further questions regarding Master's theses in the Department of Corporate Development, please contact our office: office-cd@wiso.uni-koeln.de.

* Applications are only possible in winter term!