The following information provides an overview of the key steps and requirements for writing a thesis at our Chair. For detailed information on the application process, topic allocation, supervision, thesis registration, formal requirements, deadlines, and submission procedures, please carefully read the Theses Manual (see paragraph Material).

Bachelor's theses:
To apply for a bachelor's thesis, you must have successfully completed both of the Chair's Bachelor’s seminars, namely Seminar “Methoden der Sekundärforschung im Controlling” and Fachseminar "Controlling".

Master's theses:
As an exception for the Winter Semester 2026/2027, completion of one of the Chair's seminars is not an admission requirement. Nevertheless, preference will be given to students who have successfully completed the Chair's seminar Case Studies in Management Control. Applications from students who have not taken this seminar are also welcome.

By applying to write your thesis at our Chair, you confirm that, at the start of the semester (i.e., 01.10.), you will meet the requirements specified in your examination regulations (e.g., for the Bachelor's programme in Business Administration: 90 credits in core courses and 30 credits in specialized courses; for the Master's programme in Markets and Companies: completion of compulsory modules totaling 12 credits, a passed seminar, and a total of 60 credits). 

As a general rule, we supervise thesis topics in the form of a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) that are provided by the Chair and reflect our current research activities.

A list of currently available topics can be found with the Material. 

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all topics are open to both bachelor's and master's students. The requirements and expectations regarding the scope, academic depth, length, and writing period differ according to the respective degree programme.

In exceptional cases, we also supervise student-proposed topics conducted in cooperation with a partner company. Please refer to the Thesis Manual (see paragraph Material) for the applicable requirements. 

As a general rule, we supervise thesis topics in the form of a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) that are provided by the Chair and reflect our current research activities.

A list of currently available topics can be found with the Material.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all topics are open to both bachelor's and master's students. The requirements and expectations regarding the scope, academic depth, length, and writing period differ according to the respective degree programme.

In exceptional cases, we also supervise student-proposed topics conducted in cooperation with a partner company. Please refer to the Thesis Manual (see paragraph Material) for the applicable requirements. 

Application Process

Applications for the Winter Semester 2026/2027 are open from 1 September to 30 September 2026.

Please submit your application using this form and upload the following documents as PDF files:

• CV (CV_LastName_StudentID)
• Transcript of Records (ToR_LastName_StudentID) 

Please ensure that your files follow these naming conventions. We reserve the right not to consider applications if the required documents are missing or do not follow the specified naming conventions.

Students applying with their own topic must additionally submit their thesis proposal as a PDF file (Proposal_LastName_StudentID). Please refer to the Thesis Manual for the content and formal requirements of the proposal.

During the application process, you may indicate your preferred thesis topics. We will make every effort to accommodate your preferences; however, allocation to a preferred topic cannot be guaranteed.

Please note that, due to capacity limitations, we cannot guarantee supervision to all applicants.

For further information, please refer to the Thesis Manual (see paragraph Material).

Students who are selected for supervision will be notified via email and are required to confirm their acceptance in writing before receiving further information regarding their assigned thesis topic and supervisor.

Thesis supervision at our Chair follows a structured programme comprising a kick-off meeting, an intensive feedback session, written feedback on the exposé, and individual supervision meeting(s). For detailed information on the supervision process and all relevant dates and deadlines, please refer to the Thesis Manual (see paragraph Material).

The official registration form (Antrag auf Zuteilung einer Bachelor- bzw. Masterarbeit) can be found here. Please do not submit this form directly to the Examinations Office. The registration procedure and the sections students are required to complete are explained in detail in the Thesis Manual (see paragraph Material). 

Theses may be written in German or English, in consultation with the assigned supervisor. Certain topics may only be written in English. Please refer to the list of currently available thesis topics for the applicable language requirements.

Bachelor's theses should comprise 30–40 pages, while master's theses should comprise 60–70 pages. Further requirements concerning the abstract, formatting, APA-Style and Grammar Guidelines, SLRs, and submission of the coding sheet and literature are specified in the Thesis Manual (see paragraph Material). 

The Faculty follows a digital thesis submission procedure. Information on the official submission process can be found here.

A printed copy (Lesefassung) is not required by the Chair.

For further information, please refer to the Thesis Manual (see paragraph Material).

After the thesis has been evaluated, students will be notified of their results by the Examinations Office.