The thesis (and in the Bachelor's degree programs usually the final oral examination) is usually the last step before graduating your study program.
The Bachelor's thesis may be registered in the 6th semester at the very earliest. In order to do so, all examinations must have been successfully completed by the fourth semester.
The Master's thesis may be kicked off during the second semester, exceptions may be approved by the Examination Board. It must be submitted by the end of the maximum duration of study (usually six semesters; for four-semester Master's degree programs: seven semesters).
You have to be enrolled as a student by the time you submit your thesis. Please take into account any further requirements that you may find in the special section of the study and examination regulations that apply specifically to your degree program.
A lot of students write their thesis with a company which might raise some questions about minimum wage. Please refer to the HAW BW information sheet (external link). It is quite common for a contract to be concluded between you and the company for the thesis. The university is not and cannot be a party to this contract. Contracts are not countersigned by the university; you are responsible for concluding and drafting them. You can find out how any existing confidentiality concerns of the company can be taken into account and how a blocking note works in the information sheet on the thesis registration process.
You should clarify any questions regarding the content of a thesis in a company with your thesis supervisor. It is always possible to choose a topic without involving a company.
As a rule, a possible topic area for the thesis is first discussed with the requested first supervisor. As soon as the topic of the thesis has been finalized, the formal registration of the thesis begins. The thesis registration form may be downloaded for this purpose. The necessary fields are completed together with the thesis supervisor. When completing the registration form for the Bachelor's thesis, the academic colloquium is also certified by ticking the appropriate box. This academic colloquium is a registration requirement and must be submitted to the Examination Office at the same time as the thesis registration.
The thesis is submitted electronically via the Moodle course "Thesisabgabe": lms.hs-pforzheim.de/course/view.php
From the start page, you can search for the thesis submission. Further information can be found there. The additional submission of the thesis in bound form may be omitted unless the examiners have stipulated that the thesis must also be submitted in printed form. You will receive more detailed information about this obligation and the number of copies to be submitted from your examiner.
An anonymized PDF version must also be uploaded to Moodle for the library.
As a rule, the thesis must be published as academic work, which is done by uploading the completed thesis to the library (Section 21 (5) StuPO). An indefinite blocking note (no publication in the library) is granted in very limited special cases on the basis of a special justification. Please note that the Examination Board decides on non-publication and that you may only sign a non-disclosure agreement once you have received this authorization. (Incidentally, a non-disclosure agreement is sufficient for many companies - a formal non-disclosure agreement is not required. Please refer to the information sheet on the thesis registration process (page 2) to find out how any existing confidentiality concerns of companies can be taken into account and how a non-disclosure agreement works.
For students writing a Bachelor's or Master's thesis, there is an extended loan period in the library(further information).
Please also note that you may not use your thesis in the context of application processes if you have agreed to confidentiality in this respect!
As soon as all decisions have been made by the Examination Board and the Examination Office has checked that all requirements have been met, you will receive a notification from the Examination Office by email, in which all details (e.g. regarding the second examiner, the deadlines, a possible exemption from the publication requirement) are documented in a binding manner.
The regular completion period for theses in the Bachelor's and Master's degree programs is four months, unless otherwise stipulated in the special section of the study and examination regulations. For Bachelor's degree theses at the Business School, the completion period is three months. You have to be enrolled while working on your thesis. If, at the end of the 10th semester, you have at most the thesis, the academic colloquium, the final oral examination and a maximum of 10 credits outstanding, you can find further information here. Information for a simplified extension of the study period.
You may submit your thesis after 50% of the regular processing time has passed, starting with the issue date of the thesis (which is documented in the notification sent by the Examination Office) ; i.e. for a four-month thesis, you may submit your thesis two months after you started writing; accordingly for the three-month thesis in the Business School, the earliest possible submission date is one and a half months after the issue of the topic. In duly justified cases, a limited extension of the thesis completion period is possible in accordance with Section 20 (8) StuPO; however, this must always be applied for before the original completion deadline.
If the thesis is not submitted or is submitted too late, it will be graded with 5.0. The failed thesis may be repeated once. There is no third attempt.
