General information

The master thesis module consists of a written exam (thesis) and an oral exam (colloquium). At least 60 credit points must be earned at the time of the registration of the master thesis. In this module, students should demonstrate that they are able to independently work on an economic problem within a limited time and with scientific methods and to present their approach as well as their findings. You can find the examination requirements for a master thesis on the website of the examination office under “examination regulations”.

At our Chair, you are able to study current issues in the field of Management Accounting with your thesis. To optimally prepare for a master thesis at our Chair, we recommend the completion of the module Value based Management Accounting. Basic knowledge of scientific work is expected and can be achieved through a seminar at our Chair.

 

Current topic areas for master theses

Below you will find an overview of topics for master theses at the Chair of Management Accounting. The topic areas are structured according to the employee’s research focus. If you are interested in a thesis in a given subject area, please mention this in your application.

Niklas Kister, M.Sc.

 

• Corporate Valuation and Financial Markets
• Financial and Value Based Management
• Digitalization in Accounting and Finance

Christian Kremer, M.Sc.

 

• • Managerial Decision Making
  • Digitalization in Controlling

Examples of completed master theses (in German)

 

Registration and topic assignment

Students who intend to write their master thesis at the Chair of Management Accounting must submit an application to the Chair. For master theses starting in the winter semester, the application deadline is September 15. For master theses starting in the summer semester, the application deadline is March 15. Please note that when choosing your start date, a master thesis can only be completed on time in the winter (summer) semester, when the thesis is started in early October (April).

To apply for a master thesis at the Chair of Management Accounting, please send the following documents to controlling@rub.de:

• Application form for a master thesis
• Current transcript of records (including bachelor certificate)
• Topic area and motivation (max. 200 words, no specific formatting necessary)

The application document "Topic area and motivation" allows you to determine a general or specific topic which you would like to examine in your master thesis. You can also explain why this topic is especially relevant and interesting to you. Alternatively, you can apply for advertised topics.

Within a week after the application deadlines acceptance to supervise the master thesis are send out. In case of acceptance, you will also be informed about your supervisor. Registration for the master thesis takes place with the start of the master thesis.

A master thesis in cooperation with a company is also possible in exceptional cases. Students who would like to cooperate with a company can apply with their proposal within the respective application phase (by March 15 or September 15).

 

Formalities of the master thesis

When preparing the master thesis, rules of good scientific work should be followed. The specific standards for paper preparation can be found in the current version of our guide for scientific papers (available only in German). The guide especially contains information on the layout of the thesis, which will also be considered in the evaluation of the master thesis alongside the fulfillment of the thematic requirements.

The preparation time for the master thesis is 18 weeks and can be extended to 24 weeks in case of an empirical work.

Please note that the master thesis must be submitted in time in duplicate with a hot glue binding (no spiral binding) as well as in electronic form to the examination office of the Faculty of Management and Economics. If the bachelor thesis is sent by post, the date of the postmark will be considered as submission date. The risk of loss remains with the student.

 

Oral examination (Colloquium)

The oral examination usually takes place within six weeks after submitting the master thesis. The exact date will be announced in time. The colloquium lasts approximately 30 minutes and starts with a 15-minute presentation about the most important aspects of the master thesis. After the presentation, a discussion and a question and answer session on the topic of the master thesis as well as related research areas will be hold. The presentation can be held with or without any accompanying presentation tools. The Chair provides a video projector, a laptop as well as a wireless presenter.
The colloquium will be evaluated based on the following criteria: time management, quality of the presentation (content and possibly slide design), didactic preparation and presentation style. The evaluation of the discussion is based on the quality of the discussion (with special regard to the answers of the questions).

 

Grade announcement and feedback

The exam results (masters thesis and oral examination) will be sent to the examination office by the Chair. Students have the opportunity to view the assessment report for their thesis at the Chair.