Theses in our Research Group
On this page you find all the information you need if you are interested in writing a Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis at DOS. Please read the content of this page carefully before inquiring about a topic.
Who can write a thesis with us and what are the prerequisites?
In general, any student with an interest and some experience in the group’s research areas is welcome to write a Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis with us. To ensure the successful completion of a thesis, we see the following requirements:
- Completion of a seminar, project and/or bachelor thesis at our chair.
- Good programming skills in one or more of the following languages: Java, Scala, Python, C, and Go. The specific necessary programming language typically depends on the particular research topic.
- Familiarity with common tools such as version control tools, IDEs, and LaTeX.
- Motivation to work scientifically and basic academic writing skills.
- Ability to work independently.
How do you get a topic?
Topics are offered by our individual group members. You can find a couple of thesis announcements on our website, but since not all ideas make their way there, feel invited to also make yourself familiar with our current research areas (e.g. take a look at the current projects and recent publications) and then contact the respective researchers directly. Please, do not write to the entire group. In any case, please provide the following information so that we get a first idea which topics might fit you well:
- Areas of interest for the thesis
- Your academic background (e.g. list of completed modules, transcript of records)
- A CV containing experiences in relevant topics from projects or employments
What is the general process of writing a thesis?
Once you have met with one of our researchers and have found a topic that is interesting to you, we ask you towrite an exposé of three to four pages in which you summarize the problem motivation, the related work and your idea for addressing the problem as well as an approximate timeline for your thesis project. Understand the exposé as a first version of the introduction section of your thesis later. Furthermore, it is often also a good reminder of how hard writing can be and helps to not forget the bigger picture in the beginning of the thesis project. Once you have received feedback on the proposal and you and the supervising researcher both agree with the exposé, you can register the thesis with the examination office.
During the thesis project, the supervising researcher will be available to provide guidance and feedback. At the end, we expect at least 30 pages for a Bachelor’s thesis and at least 60 pages for a Master’s thesis (single column, with a separate title page, table of contents, list of references). There is no official template at TU, so feel free to use any template that meets our requirements.
Please also take a look at the Study and Examination Regulations for your program, which contain further information about duration, language, and other conditions for the successful completion of a thesis.
