Application

To apply for a Master's thesis at the chairs of Prof. Dr. Burmeister (Organization), Prof. Dr. Heinz (Strategy), Prof. Dr. Irlenbusch (Business Ethics), Prof. Mona Mensmann (Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship), Prof. Dr. Sliwka (Human Resources), Prof. Dr. Schwens (Entrepreneurship & Management) and Prof. Dr. Sting (Supply Chain Management - Strategy and Innovation) within the Corporate Development Area, please use this ILIAS link (click path: Magazin > WiSo > BWL > Area Corporate Development > Bewerbungen Masterarbeiten in Corporate Development > Area Corporate Development > Bewerbung. Dr. Sting (Supply Chain Management - Strategy and Innovation) within the Corporate Development Area, please use this ILIAS link (click path: Magazin > WiSo > BWL > Area Corporate Development > Bewerbungen Masterarbeiten in der Area Corporate Development (Application Master Thesis Area Corporate Development).

Please note that the desired start date to be specified in the survey does not represent an official registration of the thesis with the examination office, but merely indicates your preference. A start on this date cannot be guaranteed.

After the application deadline, we will inform you which professorship or supervisor you have been assigned to. Please then contact your supervisor yourself. Together you will clarify your research question, the methodology and the structure of your thesis, plan the procedure and carry out an initial literature search. The duration of this process may vary. As soon as this coordination is complete, you register your thesis with the Examination Office, which marks the start of the six-month processing period (three months for CEMS students).

Please note that the registration date of your thesis at the examination office must be within the following deadlines:

• Application in the summer semester (application period: January/February) → Registration by June 30 at the latest
• Application in the winter semester (application period: June/July) → Application by November 31 at the latest

Requirement

At least 60 ECTS (at the time of formal registration) must be proven for the registration of the Master's thesis. You can apply in advance if you meet this requirement by the time of formal registration due to outstanding examination results or credits from abroad.
We primarily supervise Master's theses by students of the Master Corporate Development and a limited capacity of the CEMS Master. Students from other Master's programs can only be supervised if the department's capacities are not exhausted by the aforementioned students and they present a particularly convincing concept for the thesis. Please get in touch with the contact person named in ILIAS.

Topics

In principle, candidates are encouraged to submit their own topic suggestions. The topics of the theses can be diverse. In addition to traditional literature theses, empirical theses that deal with current research questions are particularly suitable. We also expressly welcome empirical Master's theses in collaboration with companies. You can also design and carry out your own online surveys or develop your own laboratory experiments.

You can discuss your topic ideas with our research assistants or professors during a consultation hour before you apply.

Supervision

Once you have successfully applied for a place, you will be supervised by a member of academic staff from the chair for the entire duration of the thesis. The processing time for the Master's thesis is usually six months.

Submitting the thesis to the examination office

The thesis must be submitted to the Examination Office within the specified deadline. It must be submitted digitally via the WiSo Inbox. Please note the current requirements of the Examination Office.

Further information

The main part of a Master's thesis should not exceed 40 pages. However, together with the appendix and explanatory notes, the thesis can be up to 60 pages long. The use of our format template is obligatory. We expect Master's theses to be written in English.