Final theses

Requirements

Formal requirements

Please refer to the examination regulations that apply to you for information on admission to the thesis.

Other requirements

For the preparation of a thesis at our department, in-depth knowledge in the areas of technology and innovation management, start-up management and/or marketing is expected, depending on the choice of topic. Proof of this knowledge can be provided by the successful completion of corresponding courses in the respective degree programs. In addition, the applicant is expected to have sufficient knowledge of the design and writing of scientific papers and of the essential elements of scientific working methods. It is essential that you familiarize yourself with the relevant procedures, rules and quality criteria at an early stage. For this purpose, an extensive repertoire of appropriate auxiliary literature is available in the library, for example.

Range and selection of topics

Formal requirements

We supervise theses whose topic is to be located in the areas of technology and innovation management or also start-up management. In addition to a range of predefined topics offered by the chair, both self-selected and practice-related topics are possible in collaboration with cooperation partners. Consequently, there are two procedures for the initial identification of topics:

Application documents for submission

Your complete application documents include

• Application form  for a thesis in the TIM department
• Excerpt of the achievements in the current study section
• Detailed letter of motivation
• Curriculum vitae with photo

Self defined theme

In this variant, you will independently develop topic proposals. A thematic relation to the research areas of the TIM department, especially technology and innovation management or start-up management, should be given. Work in cooperation with business practice can only be supervised if a clear scientific objective as well as a suitable method are central. When applying with a self-defined topic, the following three points in particular should be outlined as part of your application:

• Focus of your work
• Possible question (which questions do you want to answer with your work?)
• Possible methodology and approach (how will you answer the questions?)

Preset theme

You can find information on topics currently on offer in the download area. Please conduct an initial brief research on the core terms of the topic area of interest so that you know what it is all about.
Please send your own topic proposal or the selected topic from the subject area list by e-mail with the documents listed below to e.hofmann(at)mx.uni-saarland.de.

Deadlines and Feedback

There are a total of 6 application and drawing periods at the Chair of Technology and Innovation Management. Please submit your application only in the respective designated time slot (TIM 1-6). You can view the official drawing dates in the virtual examination office (ViPa).

After your application has been received, the applicants will be selected internally and you will then receive corresponding feedback with an acceptance or rejection. Regardless of when your application is received, you will not be informed of an acceptance or rejection until the respective feedback period of your planned start date. Please understand that no feedback can be given before then.

In case of positive feedback and after an agreement of the exact starting time with your respective supervisor, you can register your thesis at the examination office. Subsequently, you will be informed about the exact organizational procedure during the Bachelor's/Master's thesis period at the topic agreement. In addition to more detailed information about the content of the topic, you will also receive suggestions for introductory literature and a rough timetable with central milestones. From the drawing date confirmed by the examination office, the processing time runs.

Below you will find a list and diagram of the procedure for applying with regard to a thesis at the Chair of Technology and Innovation Management:

*Note on the start of processing: The exact start date is coordinated with the respective supervisor and does not necessarily lie within the respective month of the planned start of processing.

Formalities

Page scopes

The following information refers to the number of pages in the text section. The number of pages includes figures/tables, but not the title page, outline, indexes and appendix. Exceeding the maximum limit is only permitted after consultation with the supervisor (e.g. in the case of extensive, empirical work).

• Seminar papers
  • 15 text pages (±10 %)
• Bachelor theses
  • German, in the format of the chair's guidelines (see below)
  • 35 text pages (±10 %)
  • optionally in English, in the format of a scientific publication
  • 25 text pages (±10 %)
• Master theses
  • English, in the format of a scientific publication
  • 25 text pages (±10 %)
• Diploma theses
  • 65 text pages (±10 %)

Work Submission

Seminar papers and theses must always be submitted in DIN A4 format and printed on one side. Submit seminar papers to the TIM department as two copies, each bound in a loose-leaf binder or ring binder. For bachelor, master and diploma theses, the regulations of the examination office apply.

For information on format guidelines and how to further structure your thesis, please refer to the following  document. Unless otherwise specified by the supervisor, the American Psychological Association (APA) style will be used.

Overview of topics for final theses

Here you can find the current topics for theses

Guideline for the preparation of theses

Here you can find the current guidelines for writing theses

Final Thesis Template

Here you can find a format template for creating your thesis

PowerPoint Templates

Here you can find possible PowerPoint templates to create a presentation for your final project