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Bachelor Theses
Prerequisites and Requirements
In order to complete a bachelor thesis in the area econometrics you must have profound knowledge of statistics and econometrics - for example according to the profile module "Statistische Methoden". At the least the two modules 31-M3 Statistik and 31-M9 Datenanalyse should be completed at the time of starting the work on the thesis.
Beside handing in the thesis it is also mandatory to take part in the "Kolloquium". During the "Kolloquium" students get a crash course in scientific writing. They pick a topic for the thesis and present twice. The first presentation deals with an initial article providing an entry point for the work on the thesis. In the second presentation the students show that they understand their topic and provide a work plan.
Goal of the bachelor thesis
Goal of the thesis is to
- understand a method/an application/a modell on the basis of existing literature,
- to investigate an application
- to apply a method/a model
- to document the findings in a structured and scientifically sound way.
It is not the goal of the bachelor thesis
- to achieve independent scientific discoveries
- to fill a certain number of pages
- to simply copy thoughts of other people
Beside the goal in terms of investigating a topic a primary goal of writing the thesis is to get to know typical steps in scientific work, structured investigations of a self chosen topic and to experience first hand how to efficiently work on a topic.
Process
Work on the bachelor thesis is started within the "Kolloquium". A big part of the work in this phase runs into identifying a suitable topic as well as a supervisor.
The Kolloquium serves to sharpen the topic, identify literature and aid the process of acquiring the necessary skills.
At the end of the Kolloquium the official length of the Bachelor thesis amounts to six weeks. The deadline is communicated by the Prüfungsamt. A template for the thesis (both Word as well as a Latex template) are available on the webpages of the research group.
Choosing a topic
The topic of the thesis should mirror the interests of the students. You are welcome to take your own choices, bring your own data sets or methods. We are open to suggestions, but will interfere with the actual choice in order to make sure that the topic leads to a suitable thesis within the time frame possible.
A list of potential topics will be conveyed at the start of the Kolloquium.