You study BA JoKo, or MA KoDi and you would like to write your thesis next semester at one of the chairs of Communication Section (Prof. Hahn, Prof. Schmid-Petri and Prof. Töpfl)?
Then please note the following procedure:
In advance, please read the research focuses – the chair only accept supervision for bachelor or master theses concerned with topics that correspond to their consulting and supervision competence and do not exceed their capacities. The focuses can be found on the website and on the list of themes.
Submit your request for supervision during the registration period, which typically ends in early June for the summer semester and early December for the winter semester (i.e., in the semester before you plan to write your thesis and attend the thesis seminar), by enrolling in the following Stud.IP courses:
Please note the following dates:
Please check the exact registration deadline (usually early June for the summer semester and early December for the winter semester) for the courses listed above in stud.ip well in advance.
When you register for the course offered by your desired chair: Please be sure to assign all 4 priorities to ensure a fair allocation and to guarantee a supervision spot at one of the chairs within the department! Please email the topic you wish to work on at your preferred chair (Priority 1) to the chair´s secretary!
An entry after the deadline (usually early June for the summer semester and early December for the winter semester) is not possible, in other words, you cannot expect a supervision place at any of the chairs for the following semester!
By around mid-June (summer semester) or mid-December (winter semester) of the previous semester: Automatic allocation of places by Stud.IP. If there is no longer any supervision capacity at the chosen chair, you will be assigned to the chair with the next priority. If you do not specify any priorities, you will be given a supervision place by lottery.
Initial Discussions: take usually place during one of the final weeks of the preceding semester. You will be notified of your appointment.
Thesis registration: Mid-May (in the summer semester) or mid-November (in the winter semester)
Thesis seminar: In the semester in which you write your thesis, you will attend the Thesis seminar of the respective chair
Generally, the chair of science communication only accepts supervising bachelor or master theses on topics that correspond to its consulting and supervision competence and fit in the capacities.
Including:
Please only request appropriate topics within the chair's fields of expertise.
Please do not ask for a thesis, that implements cooperation with an enterprise. The chair does not supervise those.
To your first briefing, please bring a concrete research question you want to examine within your work. The chair principally refuses to be involved in formulating a concrete question, i.e. we cannot accept requests of a general nature such as “I want to write something about sport journalism” or “Preferably something with campaigning”.
After the first meeting, the candidates prepare a short exposé. Based on this short exposé, that has to be handed in prior to the next meeting, the candidate can officially be registered. In general, you should factor in four to eight weeks for the meeting(s) and exposé prior to the registration. Requests at short notice cannot be taken into consideration.
The short exposé comprises the following sections in written form:
To hand in additionally:
If the exposé is accepted and the thesis is registered, there are three more meetings for which you have to announce yourself in good time. Items of the meetings are:
The thesis has to be handed in as a printed version in a hardcover (no spiral binding) and additionally as a digital version (via E-Mail to the Chairs Office or as a labelled USB-Stick, glued in) in duplicate at the Examinations Office.
In addition, a further, third printed version and the corresponding declaration of consent must be submitted to the office of the Chair of Science Communication. This copy will be made public in the library of the University of Passau.
The Guideline for Scientific Work (German) comprises all formal requirements.
