Master Thesis: Is that an issue?

The master’s thesis is the brilliant completion of your university career. Should she at least be. A breeze is the final task but for the least. The very first step is agony. What am I supposed to write about for heaven’s sake? How do I find my master’s topic?

Please do not underestimate: The choice of topics is difficult and important. Very important even. Once you have officially registered your topic, there is no turning back. If you notice afterwards, what a complicated block has been tied to your leg, you could get real problems at the last stage of the university.

Therefore, choose your subject wisely, and take too much time rather than too little. Also a good tip: Keep your eyes and ears open DURING THE STUDY. Surely, an exciting topic will be on the way along the way, with which you want to deal more intensively later.

Master thesis Topic choice: These aspects are important

Interest

That is the basic requirement. If you can not get anything out of the stock market, you should not make Markowitz’s portfolio theory the subject of your Master’s thesis. After all, you have to deal with the fabric for weeks, sometimes even day and night. Be sure to pick a topic that really interests you.

Connecting factor

Does your bachelor thesis perhaps produce enough material to tie in with it now? Can you shed some light on an aspect of your Master thesis even deeper, more detailed or from another angle? So take a good look at your Bachelor thesis. Especially if you (relatively) like to think back and have had good experiences.

Reference

Actually, the master’s thesis is about working scientifically. Inevitably, most of them, of course, already look at their job entry. One thing can be linked to the other. By choosing a topic that is directly related to your desired profession or your desired industry. That can also be a real pound for you afterwards in the application.

Supervisor

Sometimes the indirect way is the better one. If you would like to write about the mating behavior of great tits, but you can not cope with the corresponding ornithologist at all, a thematic change may be more clever. In other words, sometimes it makes sense to focus the Master’s topic on your desired mentor – and not vice versa.

Topicality

Six years ago, nuclear power was a big topic after the Fukushima accident. The problem has not been solved on the ground in Japan until today, but it almost completely disappeared from our headlines. This is unfortunate, but for you also a hint: Daily headlines and events produce topics that are (or may be) of scientific interest. Often a topic suggestion with current reference with the supervisor meets with great approval. By the way, pop cultural topics are also popular, for example in this direction: “The Representation of the Sexes in Bing Bang Theory”.

Knowledge

During the semester, you have (hopefully) accumulated enormous expertise. More in some topics, less in others. Now there are two possibilities: They try to fill a gaping knowledge gap in the context of the master’s thesis. Or you can rely on existing knowledge and build on this foundation your master thesis. In most cases, the second variant is probably the better one.

Language

English is the lingua franca of the modern scientific world. Nevertheless, there are topics whose sources require Chinese or Spanish language skills, for example. If you want to explore the love life of Sun King Louis XIV in the 17th century scientifically, probably leads to French no way around. But if your knowledge is limited to Oui and Non, then you’d better say the subject Au revoir. So avoid such language traps.

Resources

For your psychological experiment, which you want to carry out as part of your master’s thesis, you need a lot of volunteers with a lot of free time. Do you have that on the screen? The best thesis does not work if you do not get the necessary resources together. Otherwise your work, despite a well-engineered subject, threatens to fail in its implementation. Include this in your plans right from the start.

Master Thesis: Where can I find topics?

Brainstorming

That should be at the beginning. Set a time limit (around 30 minutes) to put all sly and confused thoughts on paper during this time. All the topics that interest you, that come to mind that you remember. So give yourself some hints and maybe find a first track.

Catalogs

The base camp for every researching student. Anyone who digs through the university’s online catalogs sooner or later encounters a gold vein. Therefore you do not have to restrict your search to this.

Portals

Homework portals in the network also provide good theme templates. Examples: diplom.de, grin.com or housework.de. Just click through and get inspirations. Important only: Do not write off! Otherwise threatens the off – or you land sometime at GuttenPlag. And why not surf the world of books at Amazon?

Economy

Many companies offer their own thesis topics. On the career pages in the network, there are often more information. If not, feel free to contact the HR department and ask without obligation. This is especially useful if you want to get into the respective industry after the Master’s thesis.

Supervisor

In some universities and faculties professors also give the topics themselves and do not tolerate any alternatives. If not, you can still ask your supervisor for a suggestion. It would be better, however, you would introduce your own favorite topic and pull through (can).

Related list

Universities often document their completed theses online – or even create lists of topics with topics that are still free to choose. This is especially the case in subjects in which there are many cooperation partners from the economy, such as business administration. Click through the list of topics, either for inspiration or for immediate access.

Startups

The Mainz Startup Thesius was originally started as an information portal for doctoral students. Basic idea: If one doctoral student learns too late that someone else is writing about the same subject at the same time, all the trouble may have been in vain. Meanwhile, Thesius has exhibited more widely and also helps Bachelor and Master students in the topic search. The biggest competitor comes from Potsdam and is called Die Masterarbeit. The Potsdamers actively work together with universities and companies.

Search Engine

Google is the user’s best friend. But also brings with it large wastage if you type in haphazard terms. Take a look at Google Scholar. This is the academic offshoot of the search engine and serves you more appropriate, because scientific hits.

Career questions

A little self-promotion should be allowed. After all, we have designed our sister portal Career Questions for your very individual questions. What good journals are there in the subject of psychology? Which exciting master topic does you think about American Studies? Just type in a question and wait for help (and in the other case, best help the others as well). For the sake of fairness may be mentioned: Also in other online forums are many hard-working helpers and idea providers on the go.

Facebook Group

Here you have, the longest known, the most adventurous groups. Almost every faculty, every department, every Asta is represented in the social network with one (or more) own group. Join the right one and ask for suggestions.

Study documents

This has already been mentioned above, but may be emphasized a second time. Extend your feelers as you study, make note of ideas for a possible master topic – in your folder in the cloud or the old notebook. The main thing, you can draw later from an extensive pool of ideas.

People

Ask around, with parents, friends, relatives, the studied neighbors, scientific staff and above all with your fellow students. Maybe someone has the perfect arrow for you in the quiver.

Finally, this advice: limit the topic more and more. You start by identifying a main topic, then grope your way to your exact desired topic and then develop the thesis or research question to which you can (or can) give a sound answer in your Master’s thesis.

Your topic should (or may) not be too general, not too non-specific. “The Weimar Republic” would therefore be unsuitable in history. Such a thing would be conceivable: “The representation of the military in the literature of the Weimar Republic”. In the end, they are masters.