Final Thesis #

Here you will find the formal requirements for your thesis – from choosing a topic to receiving your certificate. An interactive overview is provided in this presentation.

Topic #

The topic of the thesis (Bachelor’s or Master’s) is determined in consultation with a supervisor. You can also propose your own topic, but there is no entitlement to have this proposal accepted.

To find a topic, contact a professor or lecturer from one of the departments of the Institute of Geography. Use our institute’s website to find out in which department you would like to write your thesis. Some departments post topic suggestions or lists of completed theses on their websites. Another good tip is to attend the research colloquia of the individual departments early on. There you will get an overview of current research projects and other theses – a good opportunity to make contacts. If you have difficulty finding a topic, please contact your academic advisor.

Once the topic has been set, the thesis is registered with the Examination Office. Within the first two weeks of the thesis period, students may return the topic without giving reasons. The topic can be returned once per examination attempt.

Examiners #

Theses are assessed by two examiners (first and second examiner), who are appointed by the responsible Examination Committee. As a rule, the person who assigned the topic is appointed as first examiner. He or she is usually also responsible for supervising the thesis. The second examiner must be authorized to “teach independently”. The faculty keeps a list of persons authorized to examine theses at the Institute of Geography and provides this list here (near the bottom of the page, under the heading Abschlussarbeiten: Liste der prüfungsberechtigten Personen). The following rules apply to the choice of the two examiners (i.e., reviewers): at least one examiner must be a professor. Master’s theses can only be assessed by persons who hold at least a doctorate.

External Examiners #

The approval of examiners who are not on the list of persons authorized to examine must be requested from the Examination Committee together with the application for admission of the thesis. If an external examiner is to be involved, the following documents must be submitted:

• A brief explanation that no other professor with this expertise is available for the assessment. Please use an application form of the Examination Committee for this.
• A signed CV of the external examiner (pdf) showing the required competence and qualifications.
• Application for admission and assignment of the thesis topic (signed by both examiners).

PLEASE NOTE: External examiners not only have to be confirmed by the Examination Committee; since 2025 they also need an examination assignment (Prüfauftrag). If you are considering having your thesis assessed by an external examiner, you should therefore clarify the requirements for their appointment with your supervisor at the institute at an early stage.

Registration and Admission #

Once it is clear who will supervise and assess the thesis and what the topic is, the thesis can be registered with the Examination Office.

To officially register your thesis, submit the application for admission and assignment of a thesis topic, signed by you and both of your examiners, in person to the Examination Office. The English version of the application form can be found here. Registration can also be done by post or as a PDF by email from your HU account. Important: the application can only be submitted once the requirements of the relevant examination regulations have been met.

Once the Examination Committee has admitted you to the thesis, the topic applied for on the form is binding. It can be returned once within the first two weeks of the thesis period without giving reasons.

Language #

The thesis can be written in German or English. Exceptions are decided by the Examination Committee upon written application before the topic is assigned. In the Master’s program Global Change Geography, the thesis must be written in English.

Format #

The thesis should be written with 1.5 line spacing and a margin of approx. 25 mm on the left and right. A line contains about 65 characters, a page around 33 lines. Pages must be numbered consecutively. Printing can be double-sided. The length of the thesis depends on your examination regulations.

The copies of the thesis can be submitted with a bound spine (softcover or hardcover) or spiral binding.

Cover Page #

Please use this template for the cover page. If the first page or the cover of the thesis is to have a content-related design, the actual “cover page” can also be the second page of the thesis. The HU logo must not be used on the cover page.

Declaration of Independent Work #

Every thesis must include a signed declaration of independent work. It certifies that you wrote the thesis yourself and that all content taken directly or indirectly from other sources has been marked as such. This declaration – each with an original signature and date – must be bound in as the last page of the thesis.

Thesis Period and Extension #

The thesis period depends on the subject-specific examination regulations. It begins on the day after the Examination Committee has notified you of the topic in writing. The binding submission date is communicated by the Examination Committee in the admission notice. Meeting the deadline is a requirement for passing the examination, which is why the thesis period can only be extended under special circumstances.

Extension for Medical Reasons #

In the event of illness during the thesis period, students can apply for an extension. To do so, they must submit an appropriate medical certificate to the Examination Committee. To apply for an extension for medical reasons, please use the following form for extending the thesis period. An English version can be found here.

Further information and regulations on sick notes in examination matters can be found on the Examination Office’s website. The rules on failing to complete examinations are set out in § 107 of the Cross-disciplinary Statutes Governing Admission, Study and Examinations at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (ZSP-HU).

Extension for Content-Related Reasons #

If an extension of the thesis period is necessary for content-related reasons, please submit the following documents:

• The signed form for extending the thesis period with a justification. An English version can be found here.
• A signed statement from your supervisor explaining in detail:
  • which measures have already been taken to ensure that the thesis is completed before the deadline
  • why these measures were unsuccessful
  • which new measures will ensure successful completion within the requested extension period.

Follow-up applications are possible.

You are obliged to retain research data and to handle it with care. Overwritten files, lost (external) storage devices, server failures or similar technical problems with privately used services or services outside HU are not grounds for extending the thesis period.

Submission #

The completed thesis must be submitted in three printed copies and digitally (by email, download link or USB stick) to the Examination Office or by post. Discuss with your examiners which additional data should be submitted. Form and content must be identical in all copies.

The binding submission date is communicated in the admission notice. The thesis must be submitted no later than the submission date (strict deadline), by appointment (phone 2093-6837), at the Examination Office or by email to pruefungsbuero.geographie@hu-berlin.de. If you send the thesis to the Examination Office by post, the date of the postmark counts. Please note: if the deadline is exceeded without good reason, the thesis is graded as “failed”.

If the last day of the submission period falls on a Sunday, a public holiday recognized in Berlin or a Saturday, it is replaced by the next working day. A working day is generally any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday. So if the last day of the submission period falls on a Saturday, you can submit your thesis on the following Monday or send it by post (the postmark date applies).

Defense #

The subject-specific examination regulations may stipulate that a passed written thesis must be defended orally. The written thesis must have been passed for the defense to take place. The defense must be registered at the Examination Office using the “Registration for a module examination” form. As a rule, the defense takes place before the examiners who assessed the thesis. It is open to members of the university unless the student objects.

Assessment, Passing and Failing #

Bachelor’s theses are usually assessed within five weeks, Master’s and other theses usually within eight weeks of submission. In addition to the grade, each examiner must write a report explaining their assessment. Once the reports are available, you can view them at your Examination Office. A grade of 4.0 or better counts as “passed”. A grade worse than 4.0 means “insufficient” or “failed”. Since the thesis is assessed by two examiners, the final grade is the arithmetic mean of the two grades awarded. If the individual grades differ by more than two grades, or if at least one examiner has awarded “insufficient”, the responsible Examination Committee appoints a third examiner. As a rule, the arithmetic mean is then recalculated from all three assessments.

If the final grade of the thesis is “insufficient” (average worse than 4.0), the final examination has been failed. It can be repeated once. If the repeat attempt is also failed, the thesis has been definitively failed and the degree can no longer be completed successfully.