Final Theses
Students working on their final thesis for graduation should show and improve their ability to work on a recent, scientific or practice-oriented research topic.
Please find more detailed information about a thesis with us below.
Requirements
The requirement for writing a Bachelor's thesis with us is a successful participation in the lecture "Foundations of Entrepreneurial Business (MGT001372)" and the successful completion of a project study with us.
For writing a Master's thesis it is required to successfully participate in at least one Advanced Seminar (Advanced Topics Seminar is not sufficient) offered by us.
We offer the seminar “Exploring Entrepreneurship Research: A Practical Guide to Understanding Academic Papers" (3 days) to support our students in the thesis writing process. The seminar is mandatory for all students writing a thesis supervised by Prof. Patzelt, Prof. Breugst, Prof. Tryba, or Prof. Alexy, given that students have not successfully completed an Advanced Seminar with the respective professor. Students in their Bachelor's might receive ECTS for successful participation.
Dates for the next seminar in the winter term 2025 are:
Registration via TUMonline (LV: MGT001484S)
- Group 1. 14.04, 21.04, 28.04 (2026)
- Group 2: 23.06, 02.07, 07.07 (2026)
Topic
We accept both empirical and conceptual theses, but please note that the amount of work will be approximately the same for both. Even if you want to focus on a topic particularly relevant for practitioners your thesis needs to have a sound theoretical basis and must fulfill the requirements of a scientific thesis. Please note accordingly that you cannot submit a practice-only topic, e.g., a business plan, as your thesis.
Please check the descriptions of available topics below for further details. If you believe that one of the topic fits your interests and your study program, please contact the potential advisor directly for your application.
If you intend to work on a self-selected topic, please contact your advanced seminar lecturer or project study supervisor and apply with a proposal (please note the requirements listed below).
Application
To apply for a thesis, please provide the following information:
- Curriculum vitae
- Current transcript of records
- Proposal (required for topics proposed by students, optional for topics proposed by us)*
We do not consider incomplete applications.
*In case you intend to write a thesis on a topic of your choice, we further require you to submit a proposal. This proposal should be about 1⁄2-1 page (single-spaced), and clearly specify (1) your research question, (2) how this research question ties into an ongoing academic debate, (3) how, for this debate, your question is at least to some degree novel, interesting, and relevant, and (4) how you plan to answer your research question. Accordingly, we expect to see engagement with academic literature already in the proposal.
Additional information for theses in Innovation and Organization Design (Prof. Alexy)
Additional information for theses in Entrepreneurship Education (Prof. Tryba)
Guidelines
You will find important guidelines, information, and suggestions for theses and seminar papers written at our institute here.
Note that legal regulations are made by the administration of TUM School of Management. Please contact them in case of any ambiguities.
Duration
- Bachelor thesis: 3 months
- Master thesis: 6 months