Guidelines "Final Theses"

At the end of the Bachelor or Master programme, students must complete a final thesis. The admission requirements, the duration of work, the requirements for the reviewers and institutions are regulated by the respective examination regulations.

The following general guidelines applies in our degree programmes (FSPO paragraph may vary):

Registration - The Application for Admission has to be submitted before starting the final thesis.
- The application for admission to the Bachelor/Master thesis must be submitted no later than three months after taking the last module examination. (Framework regulations)
- The topic of the thesis must be approved by the Examination Board Chairman. (§ 12 Absatz 1 FSPO)
Deadline/Format The thesis must be submitted before the deadline at the Student's Registrar as a PDF file - this applies for Physics and Econophysics programmes in exception to§ 12 paragraph 8 FSPO due to a resolution from 08.07.2020)
Extension The time from admission to submission of the thesis varies depending on the degree programme. In general, an application for an extension of the processing time is possible (§ 12 Absatz 4 FSPO):
- at least 2 weeks before the deadline
- with the approval of the supervisor
- with the approval of the Examination Board Chairman
- Bachelor's Thesis: 2 weeks maximal extension
- Master's Thesis: 4 weeks maximal extension
5,0 Grade - The Bachelor's Thesis is evaluated by an examiner. If the thesis is graded as "not sufficient" (5.0), the examination board will arrange for a second assessment.
- A thesis graded "not sufficient" (5.0) may be repeated once with a new subject.

In particular, the following regulations apply:

Bachelor's Thesis

Admission Students who have acquired at least 135 LP are admitted to the Bachelors's thesis. (§ 17 Absatz 1 FSPO)
Topic The topic is provided by an examiner of the Physics department. (§ 12 Absatz 5 FSPO)
Workload/Deadline 10 LP corresponding to six weeks working time/ The time from admission to submission of the Bachelor's thesis is 3 months. (§ 17 Absatz 2 FSPO)
Internal/External Theses Usually carried out at the University of Ulm or at an institution cooperating with the Department of Physics (e.g. Institute for Laser Technologies in Medicine and Metrology, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Garching)). (§ 12 Absatz 5 FSPO)
Language The Bachelor's thesis can be written in English with the consent of the first examiner. (§ 12 Absatz 7 FSPO)

Admission Students who have acquired at least 135 LP are admitted to the Bachelors's thesis. (§ 17 Absatz 1 FSPO)
Topic The topic is provided by an examiner of the  Physics, Economics or Mathematics department. (§ 12 Absatz 5 FSPO)
Workload/Deadline 10 LP corresponding to six weeks working time/ The time from admission to submission of the Bachelor's thesis is 3 months. (§ 17 Absatz 2 FSPO)
Language The Bachelor's thesis can be written in English with the consent of the first examiner. (§ 12 Absatz 7 FSPO)

Master's Thesis

Admission Students who have acquired at least 45 LP are admitted to the Master's Thesis. (§ 17 Absatz 1 FSPO)
Topics The topic is provided by an examiner of the Physics department. (§ 12 Absatz 5 FSPO)
Workload/Deadline 30 LP / The time from admission to submission of the Master's thesis is 12 months. (§ 17 Absatz 3 FSPO)
Internal/External Theses

Usually carried out at the University of Ulm or at an institution cooperating with the Department of Physics (e.g. Institute for Laser Technologies in Medicine and Metrology, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Garching)). (§ 12 Absatz 5 FSPO)

The Master's thesis can also be carried out externally, but the topic must be issued and evaluated by an examiner of the physics department. For the approval of external theses, the Examination Board Chairman requires a description of the task, which must be so detailed that the technical requirements can be concluded from it.

Language The Master's thesis can be written in German with the consent of the first examiner. (§ 12 Absatz 7 FSPO)
Examiners The Master's thesis is evaluated by two reviewers.

Admission Students who have acquired at least 75 LP are admitted to the Master's Thesis. (§ 17 Absatz 1 FSPO)
Topic The topic is provided by an examiner of Physics, Economics or Mathematics department.  For students admitted to the Econophysics master on the basis of a Bachelor's degree in physics, the topic of the Master's thesis is limited to Econophysics, Economics, Mathematical Economics, or an interdisciplinary area of physics and economics. (§ 12 Absatz 6 FSPO)
Workload/Deadline 30 LP / The time from admission to submission of the Master's thesis is  6 months. (§ 17 Absatz 3 FSPO)
Language The Master's thesis can be written in English with the consent of the first examiner. (§ 12 Absatz 7 FSPO)
Examiners The Master's thesis is evaluated by two reviewers.

Admission Students who have acquired the following modules can be admitted to the Master's thesis: Biophysics compulsory modules (30 LP), adaptation modules (9 LP), at least one of the two research projects (15 LP) and at least a module in the specilization area. 
Topics The topic is provided by an examiner of the Natural Science Faculty. 
Workload/Deadline 30 LP / The time from admission to submission of the Master's thesis is  6 months
Internal/External Theses

Usually carried out at the University of Ulm or at an institution cooperating with the Department of Physics (e.g. Institute for Laser Technologies in Medicine and Metrology, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Garching)). (§ 12 Absatz 5 FSPO)

The Master's thesis can also be carried out externally, but the topic must be issued and evaluated by an examiner of the physics department. For the approval of external theses, the Examination Board Chairman requires a description of the task, which must be so detailed that the technical requirements can be concluded from it.

Language The Master's thesis can be written in German with the consent of the first examiner. 
Examiners The Master's thesis is evaluated by two reviewers.

Dr. Maria-Verena Kohnle
Physics Academic Affairs Commitee
Albert-Einstein-Allee 11
89081 Ulm
Phone: 0731/50-23032
Office: N25/3106

Prof. Dr. Othmar Marti
Chairman of the Examination Board
Albert-Einstein-Allee 11
89081 Ulm
Phone: 0731/50-23010
Fax: 0731/50-1223010
Office: Uni Ost, N25/5208

Contact Hours