Final thesis
We supervise literature-based as well as empirical theses (primarily quantitative, but also qualitative) with an analytical focus, without any thematic restrictions.
Skip to content
To ensure that you are familiar with the requirements of our chair, you should have completed at least one exercise course, seminar, or research course at Chair 03 or Chair 04. Please also note the general information on final theses on the department homepage.
Bachelor thesis
In a Bachelor thesis (final module, 12 ECTS), students should work on a specific sociological problem. Writing a thesis documents the ability to work independently on a sociological problem using scientific methods and to present the results obtained in a professional manner.
The project module (6 ECTS) consists of an accompanying exercise course in which students are introduced to writing a longer academic paper. In addition, the current status of students' theses is presented and discussed.
- Time allowance
- 10 weeks
- Length
- 80,000 characters (approx. 40 pages)
- Contents
- Detailed information on each section of your Bachelor thesis, as well as formal requirements and assessment criteria, can be found in this info sheet.
Typically, a Bachelor thesis is a literature review on a specific, workable research topic. Qualitative topics are possible, as are empirical studies (quantitative secondary analyses; primary studies are usually too time-consuming).
In most cases, you will come up with a research question on your own. An excellent step-by-step guide on “How do I find a research question?” can be found in the book “Writing a Research Paper in Political Science” by Baglione (2016), available at the university library.
Empirical work is time-consuming and can only be recommended if you are experienced in data preparation and analysis and plan to work with “simple” data sets (e.g., ALLBUS, ESS).
The exposé should be approximately two pages long and contain the following information in text form (not just bullet points):
- Name of the candidate
- (Working) title
- Brief introduction to the topic (including its sociological relevance)
- Precise formulation of the research question
- Brief description of the current state of research (if already available)
- Brief description of theoretical references (if already developed)
Submit your exposé as a PDF to your supervisor.
Fill in your details on the registration form available on the PAGS website and send it by email as a PDF document to your supervisor.
The completed registration form will then be forwarded to PAGS.
As part of the exercise course in the project module, a workshop will be held to discuss important aspects to consider when writing academic papers. The basis for this is the information on bachelor's theses at chair 04 and the information on academic writing.
In the exercise, the papers will be presented in two presentations:
Presentation I (including discussion, 30 minutes per bachelor's thesis):
Presentation (max. 20 minutes) of the research question and the current status of the bachelor's thesis. Use the presentation to gather feedback for further work. Address any open issues and feel free to ask questions to the audience.
Presentation II (including discussion, 30 minutes per bachelor's thesis):
Presentation (max. 20 minutes) of the results of your bachelor thesis. The aim here is to draw final feedback for the final phase of the bachelor thesis from the discussion of the results to date. Have the courage to address any remaining gaps!
The presentations are not included in the grading of the bachelor thesis.
Please note the information on presentations at LB 04 when preparing your presentation.
Students are required to submit two bound copies of their Bachelor thesis (printed double-sided) including a signed declaration of originality by the submission deadline to PAGS. Please note the detailed instructions from PAGS regarding submission, and direct all organizational inquiries (including extensions) to PAGS.
In addition, Bachelor theses must be submitted to the supervisor as a PDF via email. Please also submit .do files as separate files.
File names:
Last name_First name_Bachelor thesis.pdf
Last name_First name_Analysis.do, etc.
Assessments will be completed approximately 6 weeks after submission.
Master thesis
In a Master thesis (final module, 24 ECTS), students should develop a sociological question based on the relevant state of research, present it precisely, and use methodological tools and methods.
The project module (6 ECTS) consists of an accompanying exercise course in which students present and discuss the current status of their Master thesis.
- Time allowance
- 18 weeks
- Length
- 140,000 characters (approx. 80 pages)
- Contents
- Detailed information on each section of your Master thesis, as well as formal requirements and assessment criteria, can be found in this info sheet.
Typically, a Master thesis is a quantitative secondary analysis of a precise, workable research topic (see notes in the lecture “Causal Analysis”).
In most cases, you will come up with a research question on your own. An excellent step-by-step guide on “How do I find a research question?” can be found in the book “Writing a Research Paper in Political Science” by Baglione (2016), available at the university library.
Reproductions are also possible. In exceptional cases, qualitative studies or literature reviews are also possible.
The exposé should be approximately three pages long and contain the following information and content in text form (not just bullet points):
- Name of the candidate
- (Working) title
- Brief introduction to the topic (including its sociological relevance)
- Precise formulation of the research question
- Brief description of the current state of research (if already available)
- Brief description of theoretical references (if already developed)
- Brief decription of planned methodological approach
Submit your exposé as a PDF to your supervisor.
Fill in your details on the registration form available on the PAGS website and send it by email as a PDF document to your supervisor.
The completed registration form will then be forwarded to PAGS.
In the project module exercise, the master's theses are presented in two presentations.
Presentation I (including discussion, 45 minutes per master's thesis):
Presentation (max. 20 minutes) of the research question and the current status of the master's thesis. Use the presentation to gather feedback for further work.
Presentation II (including discussion, 45 minutes per master's thesis):
Presentation (max. 20 minutes) of the results of the master's thesis. Approximately three weeks before the master's thesis is submitted, the aim is to draw final feedback for the final phase of the master's thesis from the discussion of the results to date. Have the courage to address any remaining gaps.
The presentation is not included in the grading of the master's thesis.
Please note the information on presentations at LB 04 when preparing your presentation.
20 minutes
The oral exam refers to the state of research and the resulting research gap that your Master thesis intends to tackle. Three relevant studies from the state of research will be discussed with regard to their significance for your thesis.
The 3 studies must be briefly presented in an exposé for the oral examination (3-4 pages):
- Brief description of your thesis (approx. ½ page)
- Summary and discussion of 3 studies that are particularly relevant to your research question (max. 1 page each). Key questions or discussion points could be, for example:
a. Which theories are being examined?
b. What mechanisms do they assume?
c. What empirical findings were obtained with which design?
d. How reliable are the conclusions drawn from these in relation to the theories/research question?
e. Where are the potential problems in the argumentation or research design? - Summary of these discussions and conclusions for your thesis (approx. ½ page)
a. Where is there still a need for further research?
b. What conclusions can be drawn for the content/methodological design of the thesis?
You can use the contents of the exposé exactly as they are in your master's thesis.
You may bring the printed exposé to the oral examination (no other documents). The examiner will ask questions based on the exposé about your research question, the selected relevant studies, and the conclusions for your thesis. You are not expected to give a spontaneous presentation.
Students are required to submit two bound copies of their Master thesis (printed double-sided) including a signed declaration of originality by the submission deadline to PAGS. Please note the detailed instructions from PAGS regarding submission, and direct all organizational inquiries (including extensions) to PAGS.
In addition, Master theses must be submitted to the supervisor as a PDF via email. Please also submit .do files as separate files.
File names:
Last name_First name_Master thesis.pdf
Last name_First name_Analysis.do, etc.
Assessments will be completed approximately 6 weeks after submission.
Supervision
If you plan to conduct a reproduction study, please read the relevant info sheet in advance!