Final theses
Here you will find detailed information about theses - from the choice of topic and registration to academic writing, submission and assessment of the thesis.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the Student Advisory Service.
Use the "Expand all" function to search the page.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 08/07/2025 at 09:45:14.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 01/07/2025 at 10:30:48.
| Study programme | Prerequisite | Processing time | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-Major-B. Maths | 60 ECTS points in the subject of the thesis have been completed | 3 months | 10 ECTS |
| B.Sc. Mathematics | 80 ECTS credits in compulsory and elective mathematics (incl. internal BOK) have been completed | 3 months | 12 ECTS |
| M.Ed. Mathematics (incl. extension subject) | 60 ECTS points have been completed in the degree programme | 4 months | 15 ECTS |
| M.Sc. Mathematics | 60 ECTS points have been completed in the degree programme | 6 months | 30 ECTS |
| M.Sc. Mathematics in Data and Technology | 60 ECTS points have been completed in the degree programme | 6 months | 30 ECTS |
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 11/07/2025 at 09:22:00.
It is best if you already have an idea of the direction your thesis should take or in which specialisation area you want to write your thesis. Then you can specifically approach lecturers who work in this field or are active in this specialisation area. To do this, take a look at the pages Lecturers and their research areas and Typical study programmes in the focus areas. It is best to make an appointment for a consultation. You are of course welcome to speak to lecturers with whom you are currently attending a lecture or seminar during the course.
If you cannot find someone to supervise your thesis in this way, you can submit an application to the Examination Office for the assignment of a supervisor. However, this is rather unusual.
Due to the fact that the curriculum leaves little choice, the topics for Bachelor's theses are somewhat limited. You can follow on from the advanced lectures in algebra and number theory, elementary geometry, numerics or stochastics, possibly also from the topic of the proseminar you have attended. Some lecturers also assign topics that build on the basic lectures in analysis and linear algebra. Don't be afraid to approach lecturers; make use of the consultation hours! If you would like to write your thesis in mathematics but have no real idea who should supervise your thesis, it may also be useful to talk to the Student Advisory Service of the Institute of Mathematics.
In the course of your degree programme, you will usually develop an idea of the focus area in which your thesis should be located through your compulsory and elective courses. Ideally, you should then listen to an in-depth lecture and attend a seminar in this area. The page Typical study programmes in the areas of specialisation is helpful. You are welcome to contact the lecturers in this specialisation area at an early stage. It may be a good idea (as was still mandatory in the old examination regulations from 2012) to write your thesis based on a seminar presentation. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case, especially if no suitable seminar is offered.
You can write your Master's thesis in one of the two subjects in subject science or subject didactics or in educational science. Interdisciplinary theses or theses that combine scientific and didactic aspects are also possible. (At times there was a rumour that you had to write your Master's thesis in the other subject than your Bachelor's thesis; this is not true).
If you want to write your thesis in mathematics, it is important to decide whether it should be in subject didactics or subject science, as the study plan depends on this:
In the "major subject variant" with 120 ECTS credits, a Master's thesis in specialised science or didactics is possible; otherwise the same applies as for the M.Ed. Mathematics.
In the "minor subject variant" with 90 ECTS credits, a purely didactic thesis is not permitted. You can use the information on the 2-Hf-B. Mathematics.
Students in the M.Sc. Mathematics and the M.Sc. Math in Data usually already have a good insight into mathematics and an idea of which area they want to specialise in. It makes sense to take a look at the page Typical study programmes in the specialisation areas. Feel free to approach lecturers in the margins of lectures and seminars. Ideally, you should familiarise yourself with the topic of the Master's thesis in the specialisation module or as part of the electives in the M.Sc. Math in Data or in the elective module in a reading course "Scientific Work".
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 08/07/2025 at 10:47:00.
The supervision of Bachelor's and Master's theses is primarily carried out by the professors (including junior professors) and private lecturers of the Department of Mathematics. They are listed with their areas of research and interest on the page Lecturers and research areas.
Research assistants who are not habilitated (i.e. who do not hold the title "Privatdozent" or "Dr. habil.") may only officially supervise Bachelor's or Master's theses if they have been authorised to do so. This must be enquired about in case of doubt.
It may well be that the thesis is de facto supervised by a research assistant. However, this does not play a legal role - the term supervisor always refers to the officially designated and responsible person as stated on the registration form.
The co-opted professors also have the right to supervise mathematical theses: These are usually mathematicians who hold a professorship at another faculty, but are authorised to supervise within mathematics due to their co-optation. They are also listed on the Lecturers and research areas page.
In exceptional cases, theses can also be supervised by professors or private lecturers from other faculties or universities if this is done in agreement with a professor or private lecturer from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Freiburg. Such external supervision must be applied for via the thesis registration form and approved by the Examination Board.
A Bachelor's or Master's thesis can also be written in collaboration with a company. In this case, however, either the official supervision takes place at the Institute of Mathematics or the contact person at the company happens to be a habilitated professor or even a professor and the exception described in the previous section is possible. In the first case, experience has shown that a thorough consultation between the official supervisor of the thesis and the de facto supervisor at the company is necessary.
Master's theses in M.Ed. Mathematics in Mathematics Education can be supervised by Ms Böcherer-Linder or externally, usually by professors of mathematics at the Freiburg University of Education. This is possible within the scope of the supervision capacities and requires the completion of the module "Didactic Research". Please register your interest with the Department of Didactics of Mathematics.
In the case of external supervision, agreement with a professor at the Institute of Mathematics at the University of Freiburg is required. Please contact either someone who is closely related to the subject of the thesis or the Department of Mathematics Education.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 08/07/2025 at 10:51:16.
You must register in writing at the Examinations Office using the form provided (German-language degree programmes - M.Sc. Math in Data). The form must be signed by you and the supervisor(s) of the thesis and then submitted to the Examination Office (mailbox in front of the Examination Office or by e-mail), no later than two weeks after the topic has been submitted. The subject examination board will then officially assign the topic. The processing time begins with this allocation.
When registering for a Bachelor's or Master's thesis, you must confirm that you are familiar with the "rules of good scientific practice". These are set out in the University Code of Conduct and more information on practice in mathematics can be found at Scientific work.
The Topic of the thesis is determined at the time of registration, the Title of the thesis can be adjusted later. The topic may be changed once within certain deadlines (see Returning the topic).
Theses must be written in German or English.
In principle, theses must be written in German. However, you can apply to write your thesis in another language with the consent of your supervisor when you register your thesis. This must be indicated on the registration form. In this case, the thesis must contain a German summary.
It should generally be possible to write the thesis in English. It may be possible to write the thesis in French, all other languages are probably difficult. The review must be ensured. The application is submitted with the examination registration and decided by the Examination Board.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 08/07/2025 at 10:15:58.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 08/07/2025 at 10:47:26.
In mathematics, the bachelor's thesis is typically the first major project to be written during the degree programme - in M.Ed. Mathematics it can also be the master's thesis. Good supervision is therefore particularly important. Regular supervision meetings during the preparation of the thesis should be a matter of course, and you should also request them if the supervisor does not insist on them anyway. Of course, this also applies to a Master's thesis if you have already written a Bachelor's thesis in mathematics.
Official supervision is carried out by an authorised examiner (you can find out more about this here). However, you will often also be supervised by a research assistant from the supervisor's team. This person is then often your first point of contact in everyday life, provides feedback on the progress of your work and is available to answer content-related or technical questions. However, the responsibility for the content and examination-related supervision remains with the official supervisor.
One of the supervisors' tasks is to teach you the "rules of good scientific practice" that must be observed when writing your thesis. Further information on this can be found at Scientific work.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 08/07/2025 at 10:45:06.
The aim of a thesis is to work on a topic using "scientific methods and to present the results appropriately". In doing so, the "rules of good scientific practice" must be observed, as described in the University Code of Conduct, among others. In particular, one must work "according to the recognised rules (lege artis)" of the subject. It is the supervisor's task to convey these rules to you.
In particular, you must be taught how and when to cite mathematical results that you have not obtained yourself. Please note that neither the way in which exercises are dealt with in the tutorials for lectures nor lecture notes are suitable models for this. Information on citing in mathematical papers can be found in this presentation. If in doubt, you should discuss this with the supervisor of your thesis (and if in doubt, cite more rather than less).
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 25/06/2025 at 12:16:55.
The examination regulations do not specify the number of pages or the formatting of a paper (i.e. font size, line spacing, margin size, citation style, etc.). Please discuss all these points with the supervisor(s) of your thesis. Depending on the topic, the supervisor will certainly have ideas about the scope of the thesis; formatting issues, on the other hand, are usually of secondary importance. However, it is usual to write the paper in A4 format and to use the mathematical word processing programme LaTeX. (LaTeX is not mandatory, but makes life easier).
The title page should contain the following information:
Further details such as the name of the supervisor are optional.
For the title page, this template can be used.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 01/07/2025 at 10:32:01.
A presentation of the final thesis is only required for the degree programmes listed below. There is no separate registration for the presentation, neither in writing nor via HISinOne.
The presentations are ungraded coursework worth 1 ECTS credit in the B.Sc. Mathematics and 3 ECTS credits in the M.Sc. Mathematics.
The presentation of the Bachelor's thesis should be about 30 minutes long, but can be longer by mutual agreement. Beyond this, there are no formal or time requirements, especially not for the presentation of Master's theses. A presentation may take place before the end of the submission of a thesis (preferably not too early) and should not take place too late afterwards. The external framework can be very variable: from a discussion with the supervisor and assessor in an office to a presentation in front of an audience in a senior or project seminar. Both the date and the circumstances must be agreed with the supervisor.
In the degree programme M.Sc. Math in Data, concepts of the final thesis are presented in the "Graduate Speaker Series".
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 05/07/2025 at 16:14:58.
A topic for a thesis can be replaced once by a new topic without it counting as a failed attempt if the "return of the topic" takes place within the following deadlines:
The Examination Office must be informed in writing of the return of the topic in good time (and of course this should definitely be discussed with the supervisor beforehand). A new topic must then be assigned within four weeks; the processing time then begins anew.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 05/07/2025 at 16:15:16.
In justified cases, the Examination Board may extend the processing time upon request by the following maximum times:
If the extension is requested due to illness, a medical certificate must be submitted "containing the medical findings necessary for the assessment". If the extension is applied for because the topic is too extensive for the time actually planned, the supervisor must give a vote on this.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 05/07/2025 at 16:09:19.
The thesis must be submitted on time in two - or in the M.Sc. Mathematics and in the M.Sc. Math in Data in three - printed and bound copies to the Examination Office of the Institute of Mathematics (in person, in the letterbox in front of the Examination Office or by post - in which case the date of the postmark is deemed to be the date of submission). In addition, the thesis must be submitted (preferably by e-mail) as a pdf file. As a rule, the supervisors would also like to receive the final version of the thesis as a pdf file by e-mail.
Electronic submission is sufficient to meet the deadline; the printed copies must then be delivered within the next two weeks together with a written assurance that the printed version corresponds to the pdf version.
When submitting the paper, you must provide written assurance on a separate sheet (do not include in the paper!),
Please read the exact requirements and the exact wording in the current version of the general part of the examination regulations; changes are possible! (The examination regulations are linked here.)
If the thesis contains a programming part, the associated programming code must be submitted electronically as a separate file with the submission of the thesis. You should clarify in advance with your supervisor whether this is sufficient or whether a printout of the programming code (possibly as part of the thesis) is required.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 01/07/2025 at 10:41:35.
A thesis is assessed and evaluated by the official supervisor. In some cases, there is also a second reviewer, always in the M.Sc. degree programmes (M.Sc. Mathematics and M.Sc. Math in Data) and in exceptional cases in the M.Ed. Mathematics. These exceptional cases are interdisciplinary theses and theses with external supervision, unless it is a didactic thesis supervised at the PH Freiburg, for which there is only one review.
The second assessor is appointed by the responsible examination office, usually at the suggestion of the supervisor - as a student, you do not have to worry about this.
The duration of the assessment should not exceed six weeks. If you need the assessment in a hurry (e.g. due to enrolment in a Master's degree programme or starting a job), please discuss this with your supervisor as early as possible. If the assessment is delayed, please contact your supervisor and the Examination Office.
If there is only one review and it grades the thesis as passed, the grade of the review is the grade for the thesis.
If the review grades the thesis as failed, the Examination Board will appoint a second review. If the second opinion also assesses the thesis as failed, the thesis is failed. If the second review assesses the thesis as passed with a grade of x, a third review is appointed by the Examination Board, which determines the final grade y with x ≤ y ≤ 5.0 and thus determines in particular whether the thesis is passed or failed.
If there are two assessments, the arithmetic mean of the two individual grades rounded down to one decimal place is the grade for the thesis, unless the two individual grades x1 and x2 differ from each other by at least two grade levels. (Grade levels are "very good", "good", etc. - it is therefore not a question of the difference between the two grades). In this case, the Examination Board will appoint a third assessor who will determine the final grade y with min{x1,x2} ≤ y ≤ max{x1,x2} and, in particular, whether the thesis has been passed or failed.
The assessment report can be viewed at the Examination Office up to 6 weeks after the result is announced. An appointment for inspection must be requested by email to Examination Office.
Last edited by Anika Schlosser on 25/06/2025 at 14:46:14.
A thesis can be repeated exactly once in the event of failure. To do this, you must register the repeat thesis no later than two months after the notification of failure or submit an application for the assignment of a new topic.
The repeat attempt can be supervised by another person and the topic can be from a different specialisation area of mathematics. However, the resit of a thesis in 2-Hf.-B. Mathematics or M.Ed. Mathematics must be in the same subject.
The topic may only be returned in the case of a repeat attempt if this option was not utilised in the first attempt.