Your thesis: independent research
The Master Thesis is your final project. Here, you can use the skills and experience that you have developed in your Research Project to drive your own independent investigation further.
You will be working on a current scientific project in a working group at the institute of Pharmacy. However, now you will have more individual freedom, more time, and more responsibility.
The topic of your Master Thesis is often offered by your supervisor. However, we always encourage you to think about your research interests and develop your own ideas.
The Master Thesis is an important step in your way to becoming a scientist. You need to demonstrate that you can independently address a specific research question in a thorough and well-planned manner following the rules of good scientific practice
Timeline:
The Master thesis spans a duration of exactly 6 months working full time in the lab.
The clock will start ticking with the start date that you fill out when registering for your master thesis. Your end date will be given out by the examination office and is a hard deadline.
In addition to practical work , this time includes the mandatory participation in the seminar of the respective working group to present and discuss your results. The time also includes the time which is required for actually writing your thesis.
6 months time for the Master Thesis is a hard deadline. If you exceed the deadline, your work is not accepted.
Examination – Thesis and Defense:
At the end of your Master Thesis, you need to hand in the written thesis.
The thesis should resemble the classical structure and requires a statement of independence:
a template can be found here.
For a detailed structure or specific requirements regarding the length, the structure, or the format of the thesis, please contact your respective supervisor/professor.
For general requirements regarding the submission of your final thesis, please contact the examination office. More information can be found here (in German).
In addition to your written thesis you need to give a presentation and answer critical questions about your work – you need to “defend” your thesis
The thesis will be examined by two different referees (professors, i.e. your 1st and 2nd supervisor).
In addition to the grade for your thesis, you will need to present the work of your thesis in front of your supervisors. The presentation will also be graded and count towards your final grade.
More specific information on the grading is described in the study and examination regulations and can be found here. Please note that the English version of these regulations is for information purposes. Only the German version is legally binding.
Credit Points:
30 CPs upon successfully graded thesis and defense
Registration
For your master thesis, you need to find a working group to host you.
You also need two professors, or habilitated group leaders, from the Institute of Pharmacy as supervisors.Important: You need a second supervisor!
Supervisors need to be professors or have their Habilitation, i.e. the right to examine Master Theses.
More information can be found on the website of the examination office.
Finding a place for your master thesis depends on your initiative.
The Research Project is a great starting point to get in touch with prospective supervisors for your thesis. However, conducting a Research Project in a specific working group is no guarantee for the opportunity to also conduct a master thesis there. Please talk to the PIs in advance to learn about possibilities and space in the group.
If you have identified a specific working group, please contact the PI to ask whether an open spot is available. Together with your PI, fill out the registration form, get a signature of the PI, and send it to the examination office.
For registration, you need to fill out the registration form:
This form needs to be submitted to the examination office. This will then passed to the examination board to determine whether the suggested project fulfills the requirements. If everything is accepted, the examination office will register you for the Master Thesis.
External Master Theses
The Master Program is specifically designed to provide a profound education in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Thus, performing your Master Thesis at the Institute of Pharmacy will give you the best opportunity to gain experience in the pharmaceutical research community. However, we are aware that sometimes the space at the institute is limited. It can also be the case that you have found another working group outside of the Institute of Pharmacy where you would like to conduct your thesis work.
More information can be found on the website of the examination office.
Upon request, you can also perform your Master Thesis externally, i.e. in another research institute than the Institute of Pharmacy.
To ensure that the external Master Thesis matches the requirements of the study program, you need to find an internal supervisor at the Institute of Pharmacy who confirms that your project is up to standard.
IMPORTANT: Both supervisors (external and internal) need to be professors or need to be habilitated!
If your external contact person is not a professor, e.g. in industry, you will need to find two internal supervisors from the Institute of Pharmacy in addition to your external contact person.
To register an external Master Thesis, you need to follow these steps:
- Find an external working group and an external supervisor who is willing to host you for the project
- Make sure that the external supervisor is allowed to examine your thesis (professor or habilitated)
- Get the request form
- Get your external supervisor to fill out the form with you.
IMPORTANT: A short description of the planned project is required
…..
…. - Find an internal supervisor at the Institute of Pharmacy. The supervisor should agree that the suggested project is up to standard and sign the request form.
Finding an internal supervisor might be easier if you ask around in your external research institute, whether they know anyone from the Institute. Often, collaborations are already established or were done in the past.
Your internal supervisor should work in a similar field than your Master Thesis. This will not only enhance the possibility to find an internal supervisor but will also enable a thorough grade of your report. - Hand in the form to the examination office. The form will be forwarded to the examination board. The board will decide whether the external thesis fulfills all the requirements.
- If your form fulfills all the requirements, you need to fill out the official registration form for the master thesis.