Master thesis

Find out about possible topics in the subject areas via the websites or in person. Concrete questions or also subject areas are suggested. In addition, you can discuss your own ideas with the potential supervising person, if necessary.

• Professors and research assistants of the Institute of Psychology may supervise and review the work, whereby one of the two reviewers must have professorial status.
• An external reviewer can only be admitted after approval by the examination board. The (informal) request should be made before the registration of the master thesis. The external reviewer must have at least a master's degree or diploma in psychology.
  External reviewers without a degree in psychology (e.g. medicine) are only permitted in exceptional cases and after approval by the examination board. In this case, the topic of the thesis must have a clearly recognizable psychological focus.
  In the case of an external first reviewer, the research design must be discussed in the form of an exposé with the professor in Kassel before the thesis is registered.

• You decide on a topic in consultation with the supervisors .
• Registration deadlines are
  • October 01
  • February 01
  • April 01
  • July 01
  • By when do I have to hand in my Master's thesis in order to finish within the standard period of study?
    Hand in your thesis by 30 September of your 4th semester at the latest. The Master's degree is dated with the date of your last achievement (e.g. the deadline for submitting the Master's thesis). If required, you can receive a provisional confirmation of your M.Sc. degree a few days later. For organizational reasons, the certificates will be ready approximately three weeks later.
• Please use the following form for registration

You are in your third semester of study or have 50 credits on your academic record

The official issue of topics by the Examination Committee is considered binding admission and takes place by October 15, February 15, April 15, and July 15, respectively. In exceptional cases, you can apply to the Examination Committee for other deadlines via a hardship case.

There are laptops in the institute that can be borrowed temporarily for working on the master thesis. If you need such a laptop, please contact hiwi-ifp[at]uni-kassel[dot]de. The following programs, among others, are installed on the laptops:

• MS Office
• SPSS
• R
• E-Prime - programmable only in the institute laboratories (INCON building)
• Inquisit

Your supervisors will of course also help you with methodological questions. Otherwise you are welcome to use the student method consulting service

The Master's thesis must be handed in within 20 weeks from the day the topic is announced (for extensions/exceptions see examination regulations).

The reviewers have six weeks after their submission to write their reviews. This duration is formally prescribed and necessary, since many reviewers have to write many first and second reviews for the graduates of the various psychology programs.

• You discuss the data basis of your Master's thesis individually with your reviewers.
• The length should be approx. 50-80 pages (line spacing: 1.5).
• Include a declaration of independence .
• Observe the formal rules of design (DGPs or APA)!

• Self-declaration on the use of AI: AI tools should always be cited, just like other aids and sources. In addition, the AI functions used should be described in a short declaration. Please follow the guidelines of the University of Basel:

  https://dslw.philhist.unibas.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/dslw/Dokumente/MA-Studium/MSG_Sprache_und_Kommunikation/Leitfaden_KI_De_Eng_.pdf
• Criteria for evaluating the Master's thesis(review template that can be used by the reviewer)

Submit the Master's thesis in due time as a bound written copy and additionally on a data carrier to the examination board (Institute of Psychology, R. 2112: Ms. Braun). Please enclose a raw data set of all test subjects with a clear description of the variables or a file in which the variables are clearly explained. Clarify in good time with your two reviewers whether they would also like a bound written copy or an electronic version of your work including the data set. Please send the electronic version to your reviewers by e-mail on the day of submission. If the deadline falls on a public holiday or weekend, the paper must be submitted digitally by the deadline. Please also contact Ms. Braun/the examination office CC. The bound thesis must be submitted to the Examinations Office by 12:00 noon on the following working day at the latest.

If the paper is handed in late, it will be graded as "failed" without exception.

In principle, this is possible.

A defense of your master thesis is not necessary. However, your supervisor may ask you to present the status of your thesis in the research colloquium.