Controlling and Accounting

Final theses

Bachelor or Master theses at the Chair of Accounting and Management Control can either be literature papers or empirical papers. In any case, the aim is a theoretically substantial, scientific elaboration of practically significant problems from the fields of controlling and accounting. In this sense, on the one hand literature works should not be distant from practice, on the other hand empirical works should for example not be purely descriptive "case stories" but intensively researched case studies. In principle, it is possible to write the thesis in cooperation with a company. Theses can be written at the chair in German or English.

General information

The preparation of a scientific paper regularly begins with the study of relevant literature. You will receive important information on writing scientific papers during the colloquia on scientific work.

In cooperation with Deloitte & Touche GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, the chair awards prizes for outstanding theses. The best bachelor's and master's thesis will be awarded a prize money of 1,000 € each within the Deloitte Award. The winners are also offered an internship (Bachelor) or personal coaching for a career in consulting or auditing (Master).

 

Requirements

Every student who wants to write his or her thesis at the Chair of Controlling and Accounting must fulfill the following requirements:

  • Successfully completed basic accounting and cost accounting course (formerly "External & Internal Accounting").
  • Successfully completed at least one specialization course from:
    • International Financial Reporting according to IFRS
    • International group accounting
    • Concepts and instruments of controlling
    • Value-oriented controlling and company valuation
    • Auditing
    • Sustainable Management Control
    • Practical seminar
  • Prior participation in the colloquium for scientific work. This event takes place two times per calendar year, usually in May and October. However, the next date always depends on whether at least 5 students provisionally register for the next event. If you still need to hear the event, you should register provisionally here. The next date will then be announced shortly under the same link.
  • Important: Please note that the supervision of a thesis (Bachelor or Master) always starts with an exposé phase. During this phase you will work out a draft of your topic in consultation with your supervisor. This phase takes about 4 weeks. As soon as the exposé is considered sufficient by your supervisor, you can register your thesis at the examination office. Only after the registration does the official processing period begin, during which you will prepare your actual thesis. For this reason, please take the exposé phase into account in your personal time planning before you apply.

Topics

Exemplary topics for theses

  • Behavioral effects of controlling systems and information
  • Company valuation/accounting valuation issues
  • Sustainability controlling and sustainability reporting
  • Performance measurement and incentive compensation
  • Controlling in start-up companies
  • Instruments of operational and strategic controlling
  • Decision usefulness of accounting from a capital market perspective

You can also find out more about the specific topics on the profile pages of our research assistants. If you apply for a thesis using the form below, we will assign you a supervisor and a topic based on your topic preferences. Alternatively, you can write your thesis on a topic of your own choice. If you have a concrete topic suggestion (e.g. in cooperation with a company), you can enter it in the corresponding field below; however, this is only optional.

Formal requirements

Please observe the formal requirements for seminar papers and theses at the Chair of Accounting and Management Control.

Guidelines for the preparation of scientific papers (incl. affidavit)

In addition to the print versions to be submitted to the examination office, the thesis must be submitted to the chair in digital form.

For this purpose, you can either burn your work in PDF and Word format onto a CD and enclose it with the print version or send it directly as a file to your supervisor via e-mail. Please note that both the print version and the hard copy must be submitted by the deadline.