University of Basel

Faculty of
Business and Economics

At the end of your studies, you will write a master's thesis and thus provide proof that you can write an independent research-oriented paper. In order to register your master's thesis, you must fulfill certain requirements, which are specified in the respective study regulations.

Master in Business and Economics

  • Acquisition of at least 30 CP from the master's program.
  • Successful completion of all courses in the module "Fundamentals".
  • If your admission was subject to additional requirements, you must meet all of these requirements in advance.
  • Submission of research proposal in case of a 30 CP thesis.

Master in Business and Technology

  • Acquisition of at least 48 CP from the master's program.
  • Successful completion of all courses which are concluded with an exclusion-relevant "exam".
  • If your admission was subject to additional requirements, you must meet all of these requirements in advance.
  • Submission of research proposal in case of a 30 CP thesis.

Master in Economics and Public Policy

  • Acquisition of at least 48 CP from the master's program.
  • Successful completion of all courses which are concluded with an exclusion-relevant "exam".
  • If your admission was subject to additional requirements, you must meet all of these requirements in advance.
  • Submission of research proposal in case of a 30 CP thesis.

Master in Finance and Money

  • Acquisition of at least 48 CP from the master's program.
  • Successful completion of all courses which are concluded with an exclusion-relevant "exam".
  • If your admission was subject to additional requirements, you must meet all of these requirements in advance.
  • Submission of research proposal in case of a 30 CP thesis.

The supervision can be carried out by all full-time professors at the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Basel. This is also true for the three specialized master's programs (Business & Technology, Economics & Public Policy, Finance & Money). The examination board decides on exceptions. Requests must be submitted by the student in writing to the Dean of Studies, stating the reasons for the request.

The student has the right to have at least one personal discussion with the supervising lecturer about the structure of the thesis or any open questions during the writing of the master's thesis.

Upon request, there is the possibility of a second supervision by a person with a doctorate.

As a rule, you will have 15 weeks to complete the master's thesis and acquire 18 CP for the thesis. In addition, the study regulations offer the option of writing a master's thesis worth 30 CP, for which you have 25 weeks to complete. In both cases, you will write an independent research-oriented thesis. However, the two formats differ in the extent of the student's own research work.

The 30 CP format is intended for work that requires a special effort in immersing into a topic or for the procurement, structuring and evaluation of the necessary data. For the design of an extensive survey, for example, a 30 CP thesis is suitable, since the period of 15 weeks would be too short. If the empirical work involves working with an existing data set, which may be expanded, the format of the 18 CP master's thesis is suitable. If, on the other hand, extensive data must first be collected independently, the format of the 30 CP master's thesis is suitable.

A solid analysis is expected from both formats. 30 CP master's theses also create a theoretically, methodologically or data-wise original contribution which, based on the research objective, is aimed at obtaining new findings in a topic area. This also implies a different requirement for the thesis. The precise requirements for the two formats in the respective subject areas are determined by the supervising lecturers.

The Curriculum Committee recommends a research proposal to be submitted for both master's thesis formats. The supervising lecturers have the option to reject a research proposal for a 30 CP master's thesis, but at the same to accept it for an 18 CP master's thesis.

For a 30 CP Master's thesis, a research proposal must be submitted and the registration requires the approval of the proposal. The respective requirements are determined by the supervising lecturers.

The title page of the master's thesis must contain the following information:

  • Title of the thesis
  • Name of the student
  • Matriculation number of the student
  • Name of the supervising lecturer(s)
  • Date of submission
  • Indication of the major in which the thesis is to be credited (e.g. "Major: Finance, Controlling, Banking" or "Major: none"). This information is only relevant for the Master in Business and Economics. If this information is missing, the Master's thesis will not be assigned to a major. Once the thesis has been submitted, it is no longer possible to change the assignment.

At the end of the thesis, you must also submit the signed Declaration of Authorship at the end of the thesis.

18 CP master's thesis:

The processing time for master's theses is 15 weeks. The supervisor has two months for the assessment of the master's thesis. This results in the following deadlines:

 Fall 24Spring 25
Registration for master's thesis26.08.2431.03.25
Submission of master's thesis09.12.2414.07.25
Expert opinion of master's thesis10.02.2508.09.25
Graduation ceremony25.04.2524.10.25

 

30 CP master's thesis:

The processing time for master's theses is 25 weeks. The supervisor has two months for the assessment of the master's thesis. This results in the following deadlines:

 Fall 24Spring 25
Registration for master's thesis01.07.2401.02.25
Submission of master's thesis23.12.2426.07.25
Expert opinion of master' thesis10.02.2508.09.25
Graduation ceremony25.04.2524.10.25

We recommend you to contact the potential supervisor(s) at an early stage and clarify whether supervision in the desired area is possible in terms of time and content.

On the homepage of the respective professorship, you will sometimes already find further, specific information on how to make contact, formal requirements and possible research areas.

If the supervisor(s) agree(s), make an appointment with the supervising lecturer(s) to discuss the topic. Following the meeting, complete the registration form and e-mail it, dated and signed by both parties, to the Dean of Studies' Office and a copy to the supervisor(s). It can be signed electronically or by hand.

The 15- or 25-week period runs from the date of the interview noted on the registration form. The Dean of Studies' Office will confirm the deadline by e-mail after receiving the application.

Master's thesis in the scope of 18 CP:
Registration can be done on an ongoing basis. However, with regard to graduation, you should take into account the relevant deadlines (processing time: 15 weeks, correction deadline: two months).

Master's thesis to the extent of 30 KP (only possible in the new regulations):
As a rule, registration for master's theses in the fall semester takes place no later than July 1, for a degree in the spring semester no later than February 1. The respective departments may require earlier deadlines for the submission of a research proposal, but may also define later registration deadlines.

Please note that the evaluation of the master's thesis, including the grade, must be submitted to the Dean of Studies's Office one week before the start of lectures in the subsequent semester so that the degree can be awarded in the current semester and that enrollment in the following semester is not required. The precise deadlines are published by Dean of Studies' Office.

Please submit the master's thesis as follows:

  • By e-mail to the supervisor(s) and a copy to the Dean of Studies' Office (master-thesis-wwz@clutterunibas.ch).
  • Submission through your @stud.unibas.ch resp. @unibas.ch account
  • On due time. Meaning by 12:00 noon on the submission date stated on the registration form. Central European Time (CET) applies.

Lecturers may still request one or two printed and bound copies of the master's thesis. This must be noted accordingly on the registration form. Printed copies can be handed in personally at the Dean of Studies' Office (please check opening hours) or sent by post to the Dean of Studies' Office. Direct delivery to the supervisor is also possible.

The successful transmission of your e-mail will be confirmed with an autoreply by the Dean of Studies Office. If you do not receive such a message, please contact the Dean of Studies' Office immediately. After submitting your master's thesis, you and the supervisor will additionally receive an e-mail from the Dean of Studies' Office confirming the correction deadline for the master's thesis.

 

After submitting your master's thesis, the supervisor has two months to evaluate it. In addition, a personal final discussion with the supervisor takes place before and/or after the submission. This discussion will not be graded but serves to clarify any open questions. This final discussion can be substituted by a similar format (e.g. presentation of the master’s thesis), but cannot be omitted entirely2.
After the personal discussion and evaluation of the thesis, he/she will prepare an expert opinion on your master's thesis and send it to the Dean of Studies' Office. Here, the grade is entered into your Online Serrvice-account. At the same time, you will receive the grade notification by e-mail. The Dean of Studies' Office will then send you the expert opinion by post.

If you apply to graduate following the assessment, you will also receive a graduation confirmation and a provisional degree transcript.

A master's thesis that is graded as failed will be assessed and graded by another member of the faculty or an external expert selected by the examination committee. The final grade of the master's thesis is the average of these two grades.

A failed master's thesis can be repeated once. A second "fail"  will result in exclusion from the master's program of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Basel.

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