Master's Thesis and Graduation
All about formalities and procedures for the final stage of your studies in the master's program Digital Cultural Heritage.
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Master’s Thesis
Dates summer term 2026
| Registration for MA thesis | tba |
|---|---|
| Submission of MA thesis | tba |
| Latest date for disputation | tba |
General information
The Master’s Thesis is the major component of the Final Module of the Master’s degree program. While writing it, you discuss your ideas and progress within a Master’s colloquium and after completing it, you will have to defend it within an oral examination, the Disputation.
The Master’s Thesis should be written within the fourth, or latest within the fifth semester of your studies. If you do not succeed, you may repeat it once within the semester following the first attempt. If you do not register for a Master’s Thesis by the fifth semester, this is counted as a failed attempt, so that you have to write it in the sixth semester without having the opportunity for a second attempt.
The time-span allocated to the writing of your MA thesis lasts 20 weeks. You have to register for the MA thesis with the official registration form. This needs to be filled in together with your supervisor and has to be signed by both you, and your supervisor, on the registration day. Registration forms not signed on the day of registration are not accepted. Subsequently, submit the registration form to your program coordinator on the very same day. The time span for working on your thesis begins with the day of registration.
Overview over procedures and formalities
- Registration for Master’s Thesis
- Your supervisor and you fill in the registration form (see Downloads section) for the Master’s Thesis with the topic agreed upon and sign it with the date of the registration deadline. The registration form is handed in to the degree program coordinator on the registration date.
- Processing period
- The processing period is 20 weeks and begins with the registration deadline. The submission deadline is at the end of the processing period. Deadline extensions can only be granted in the event of illness or in exceptional circumstances and must be requested from the Examination Office.
- Formalities regarding the Master’s Thesis
- The Master's Thesis should be 100,000 to a maximum of 200,000 characters in length. The Master's Thesis must contain a cover sheet designed according to the faculty's specifications and a signed and bound declaration of independence (see templates in Downloads section). It must be submitted in 2 bound copies.
- Submission of Master’s Thesis
- On this date, the Master's Thesis must either be handed in personally to the responsible clerk at the Examination Office for Humanities and Social Sciences or submitted by post. Please note the current information from the Examinations Office.
- Disputation
- The Final Module is completed after submission of the Master's thesis by a Disputation in which you must comment on the content of your Master's thesis. This defense lasts 60 minutes. The date for the Disputation must be agreed individually with your supervisor.
Graduation
The Master’s degree is completed when ...
- all mandatory modules, including the final module, have been completed, and
- a total of exactly 120 ECTS credit points has been achieved, and
- all election rules have been fulfilled correctly.
If the standard period of study is observed, the degree is completed in the 4th semester and falls in the same semester as the Master's Thesis. All module examinations should be completed regularly by the end of the 5th semester. Repeat examinations and examinations not yet taken must be successfully completed by the end of the 7th semester at the latest. Therefore, the degree can also be completed in a later semester than the Master's Thesis.
For students in the final semester, i.e. the semester in which you are expected to graduate, earlier deadlines apply for the submission of grades (end of February or end of August) so that the final certificates can be issued on time. Please inform the lecturers yourself if you are in your final semester, so that they can submit the grades in time.
Additional Examinations
Additional examinations are module examinations that were completed during the course of study but are not included in the Master's examination in accordance with the Examination and Study Regulations. On the basis of the corresponding certificates of achievement issued by the instructors, these can be listed in the document “Additional examinations”, which will be issued to you together with your degree certificate. Further information can be found on the relevant pages of the Examination Office for Humanities and Social Sciences (PAGS).
Examination Office (Prüfungsamt)
If you have completed additional coursework and would like a corresponding confirmation, please contact your program coordinator with all certificates during the final semester.