Projects and Theses

As part of several projects, you will work on, document and present challenging practical tasks under the supervision of a member of academic staff.

The curriculum for your degree programme specifies a particular semester for each project. However, the period of completion is not necessarily tied to the semester structure or lecture periods.

Before you can start working on a project, you need a supervisor and a project topic. Projects are usually supervised by professors and selected members of academic staff within the department. If you already have a specific project topic in mind, you can approach a professor whose area of expertise covers that topic. If you do not have a specific topic of your own but have a relatively clear idea of the area in which you would like to carry out a project, you can also approach a suitable supervisor. Before doing so, check the professors’ websites or the topic exchange in VAPS to see whether suitable topics are already available.

Once you have found a supervisor and agreed on a topic, you and your supervisor determine the period of completion. This depends on the examination regulations applicable to your degree programme and the scope of the module in ECTS credits.

The remaining organisational steps are managed via VAPS , a system developed by the department for managing theses, projects and seminars. Your supervisor will create the assignment in VAPS, and you will receive an email explaining the next steps you need to take. After you have submitted the completed project, your supervisor will record it as submitted in VAPS. You will then receive another email with further instructions. The assignment is complete once your supervisor has entered the final mark in VAPS.

Templates for the written report and presentation are available on the department's intranet.

Guidance for small software projects is available in German.

Under the 2027 examination regulations, the project is scheduled for the third semester of the Master's degree programmes. It is worth 10 ECTS credits, corresponding to a full-time period of completion of two months. The period of completion is extended accordingly if you take other modules at the same time.

The thesis is scheduled for the fourth semester of the Master's degree programmes.

Under the 2027 examination regulations, the thesis is worth 25 ECTS credits. Under the 2019 and 2021 examination regulations, it is worth 30 ECTS credits, corresponding to a full semester.

The period of completion is extended accordingly if you take other modules at the same time.

If you wish to complete your thesis at or in collaboration with a company, you need a professor from the department who is willing to supervise it. You or the company should therefore prepare a brief one- to two-page description of the proposed topic in advance and discuss it with the supervisor. Which professors are suitable as supervisors depends on their areas of expertise and the proposed topic.

There is no specified page limit for the thesis.

Unlike the other projects, the thesis must be followed by a colloquium. You arrange the date with your supervisor and announce it on the department’s intranet.