Last examination achievements (Master)
The project proposal, the Master's thesis and the colloquium are the last examination achievements you have to take. We have compiled a list of the steps you need to take.
Please also note the information on the final examinations.
Detailed information on the different areas
Finding a topic
- Are you interested in a particular subject area, such as logistics, marketing or taxes? Then you can approach a professor who is responsible for the content of this subject area. Together you will develop a topic and plan the timetable.
- Would you like to work on a practical task? Then combine the practical project and/or the Master's thesis with practical training in a company. Here, too, the first step will lead you to a professor who will supervise the content of the topic.
Decision on the first and second examiner
After determining the subject area, in the second step you agree with a professor on the supervision of your final examination and appoint him/her as the first examiner. As a rule, the second examiner is proposed by your first examiner. With the approval of the Examination Board, it is also possible to appoint an external second examiner. You can apply for this in SAM when you register your Master's thesis. Please note that the external second examiner must have a degree that is at least equivalent to the one you are achieving.
Application for admission to the final examination
Please submit the completed application(pdf fillable - pdf) for admission to the Project Proposal by e-mail to the Examinations Office at pruefungssekretariat.fb7fh-aachen.de. The Master's thesis must also be registered separately at a later date.
Project Proposal
Within the framework of the project proposal, a preliminary work plan for the Master's thesis is created. In cooperation with the supervisor of the final thesis, the students fix the research objective, the scientific question and the planned research methodology. The topics focus on interdisciplinary questions with practical application relevance and in particular with international aspects of the respective focus programme.
Please refer to your Examination Regulations for the admission requirements for the Project Proposal.
Duration: 4 weeks | Credits: 5
Master thesis
With the Master's thesis, you demonstrate that you are able to independently work on and document a task from a specialised field, both in its technical details and in its interdisciplinary contexts, using scientific and practical methods.
The admission requirements for the Master's thesis can be found in your examination regulations.
Please submit the completed application form (pdf fillable - pdf) for admission to the Master's thesis by email to the Examinations Office at pruefungssekretariat.fb7fh-aachen.de . This can be done from the moment when, after consultation with your first examiner, it is clear when you will start the writing phase. However, the application must always be submitted before the writing period begins. You may only start writing your thesis once you have received official authorisation from the Examinations Office.
If your second examiner is not a lecturer at FH Aachen, pages 2-3 must be completed by the second examiner.
Industrial Engineering degree programme: Duration: 16 weeks (at least 14 weeks) | Credits: 22
KUS & FACT degree programme: Duration 15 weeks (at least 12 weeks) | Credits: 20
Compliance degree programme: Duration 18 weeks (at least 12 weeks) | Credits: 24
IBD degree programme: Duration 16 weeks (at least 10 weeks)| Credits: 22
Finance degree programme: Duration 16 weeks (at least 12 weeks) | Credits: 22
Start of the processing time
After you have determined the topic together with your first examiner, the first examiner must notify the chairman of the Examination Board of the topic. After checking the topic, the Examination Board officially announces the topic to the candidate and the processing time of 16 weeks (degree programme Industrial Engineering) begins. The minimum processing time is 14 weeks. In the degree programme International Business Management (KuS and FACT) the processing time is 15 weeks. The thesis can be handed in after 12 weeks at the earliest. The topic and the assignment must be such that the Master's thesis can be completed within the scheduled deadline.
Extension of the processing time
In exceptional cases, the chairperson of the examination board may grant an extension of a maximum of four weeks. An extension can be requested by e-mail from the Examinations Office using the form (pdf fillable) (pdf blank). Please bear in mind that the date for the colloquium may also change if the processing time is extended.
Mandatory guidelines for the preparation of written final theses
The guidelines for scientific work must be adhered to when writing the master's thesis. Please read the guidelines carefully.
Colloquium
The colloquium complements the Master's thesis and is held after submission of the Master's thesis as the last examination achievement of the degree programme. It serves to determine whether you can orally present and justify the results of your Master's thesis and assess their significance for practice.
Admission requirements: All study modules, project proposal and Master's thesis. For further information, please refer to your Examination Regulations.
Duration: 30 minutes | Please refer to your Examination Regulations to find out how many credits you will receive for the colloquium.
Re-registration/ Enrolment
Please note that you must be registered to take all parts of the examination, i.e. the project proposal, the Master's thesis and the colloquium.
Examples:
For example, if you write your Master's thesis in the summer semester and are registered for the summer semester, your registration is valid until 31 August. If your colloquium takes place later (e.g. in the period from 1 September to 28 February), you must re-register for the winter semester and pay the fees due.
If, for example, you write your Master's thesis in the winter semester and are registered for the winter semester, your registration is valid until 28 February. If your colloquium takes place later (e.g. in the period from 1 March to 31 August), you must re-register for the summer semester and pay the fees due.
Refund of semester fee
If your degree was obtained by the official start of lectures and an application for deregistration is submitted on the same day, the full social contribution/student activity fee will be refunded. An additional requirement here is the return of the registration certificates, the student ID card and the semester ticket. Regarding the reimbursement of the costs for the semester ticket, an application can be submitted to the AStA. Without an early exmatriculation application, the student remains registered until the end of the semester. Further information is available from the Registrar's Office.
Graduation
To celebrate your graduation in a fitting manner, the Department of Economics organises a graduation ceremony once a year in the Coronation Hall of Aachen Town Hall. The colloquium deadline for participation in the graduation ceremony is 31 August each year. All graduates who complete their colloquium after this date are invited to the following ceremony.
