Immatriculation in Master programme International Economics and Business

Bachelor's are usually written in German. Please consult the German descriptions for this purpose. Master theses are usually written as free, scientific papers in English. The candidate looks for a narrowly defined topic, which is then coordinated in more detail with the chair (see below). The length of a Master's thesis should be 100,000 keystrokes (including spaces). Exceptions to this are experimental papers with independently collected data, which are in the form of a research paper at about 60,000 keystrokes.  The collection of (experimental) data as part of the master's thesis is generally welcomed. In this case, the chair is helpful in applying for third-party funding.

Please contact one of team members of the chair to discuss the scope of your thesis. Depending on your topic, you should approach the following persons:

Please apply for a master thesis by handing in your currect HISQIS excerpt in addition to your short proposal.

What lecture content interested you the most? Use this as a starting point for a search for a topic. Use Google Scholar or similar websites to search for helpful literature. Do some reading and come up with a larger research question. We are a chair in economic theory. Therefore, your research question should not be descriptive (for example, "on the advantages and disadvantages of bitcoin"), but should start from an underlying theory (for example, "can a cryptocurrency function without a central bank? An investigation based on the theories on the functions of money.").

In 1000 keystrokes, develop a topic proposal. In it, you should describe what you intend to do, why your research question is topical or interesting (e.g., "Given the current pandemic, the question is whether the economic collapse can be explained by supply-side or demand-side effects"), and on which lectures and methodological foundations the thesis builds (e.g., "The thesis builds on the lecture in behavioral game theory and the seminar in experimental economics, in particular related to reciprocity and diffusion of responsibility"). You should describe which literature you utilize (about 5 specific references are desirable).

You should draw inspiration for a research question from the economic literature. This should also help you find a guide to possible answers to your research question. Typically, you will find first ideas for research questions and possibly first hints for good literature in the lectures.  

After registering your Master's thesis, a supervisor will be available at the chair to discuss the delineation of material, rough structure and outline of the thesis. A reading sample (1 page from the core area of the thesis) is to be submitted in the middle of the processing period. This will first be discussed with your supervisor and then with Prof. Graf Lambsdorff.