Theses
Final theses
The professorship of Public Finance offers both Bachelor and Master theses for all students interested in our fields of research. On this page you can find all relevant information about the application, methods of research, choice of topic, deadlines, etc. for the Bachelor thesis. In case you want to write a Master thesis with us, please feel free to send us an e-mail and we will provide you with all the necessary information.
Application
First step in application is writing an e-mail to us where you declare your wish to write your thesis with us. It would be good if your e-mail could include some basic information regarding your research idea and your previous experience with writing (seminars).
Next, we will organize a meeting with you where we will further discuss the possible topic choice with you and familiarize you with the general process of writing the thesis. After that, you decide when do you want to officially start writing and then we begin with the official registration of the thesis in BOSS system. Make sure that you reach to us at least one month before you want the official period of writing to begin. If you can do it earlier – even better. This will give you more time to think about research method you want to use, topic of your thesis, and overall preparation.
Project seminar
You do not have to apply for the project seminar separately. It is done jointly with the thesis. Project seminar includes intermediate presentation of the progress of your thesis, as well as consultations you will have with your supervisor.
Technical aspects
Language
You can write your thesis in English or in German. Also, you can defend your thesis in English or in German. Nevertheless, we encourage you to do it in English, because this will be a unique opportunity to improve your English skills in academic setting. If you are uncomfortable with writing a thesis in English, you can choose to write it in German and only to present and defend your thesis in English. The language will not be graded, only the content, so you do not have to worry about making any small mistakes.
LaTeX
We also encourage you to write your thesis and prepare a defense presentation using LaTeX, a high-quality typesetting system frequently used by professionals in both academia and industry. If you are unfamiliar with this software we have a very successful teaching plan where you will learn the basic features of this program in a matter of hours. Moreover, writing a thesis using LaTeX is much easier than in any other word processor, because of its unique characteristics regarding literature organization.
Research methods
You have three research methods on your disposal:
First, you can write an applied theory thesis. This means that you will either create a mathematical (decision-theoretic or game-theoretic model) or extend a current model, and use it as a tool to explain some economic or political phenomenon seen in real life. This type of thesis is a good choice for you if your strong sides are mathematics and microeconomics.
Second, you can write an empirical thesis, where you define a research question and corresponding hypotheses implying correlation (or causation) between certain variables. Then with the help of an existing data set (or by creating a brand new one) and by utilizing econometrics tools and software, you determine whether there is a correlation (or causation) between two variables, as suggested by the research question.
Third option is the profound literature review & case study thesis in which you run a detailed examination of the current literature on the topic you are interested in. This includes theoretical and empirical papers published in most relevant economic journals (as well as books, government reports, etc.). After that, you pick a case from the real world and analyse it through the lenses of results, concepts and theories that exist in theory. The point here is to demonstrate your analytical skills by extracting the most important contributions of the literature and then applying it to the analysis of a situation from the real world.
Topic Choice
Choice of topic of your thesis is completely up to you. Of course, we can help with suggestions, but we will not give you a title and a subject, you must choose them. Make sure that your title is neither too wide, nor too narrow. This is important because in the first case you would have a problem to precisely define your research question and cover all important aspects of the topic, while in the second case you would have a problem with finding the good literature and possibly the relevance of the topic. Once you choose the title and it enters the system, it cannot be changed – so choose wisely. Running a preliminary literature research has proven to be very helpful in this regard.
Deadlines
Application
There are no formal deadlines for application. You can apply for the your final thesis at any time. However, be aware that the application requires at least two weeks to be processed, so please get in contact with us at least a month before you want to begin writing officially.
Submission
Depending on the research method you want to use, there are two options regarding the submission deadline. In case you write an applied theory or empirical thesis you have 13 weeks from the official start of the writing. On the other hand, if you do a profound literature review & case study thesis the deadline for submission is 9 weeks from the official start of the writing.
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Location & approach
The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is "Dortmund-Eichlinghofen" (closer to Campus Süd), and from B 1 / A 40 "Dortmund-Dorstfeld" (closer to Campus Nord). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.
To get from Campus North to Campus South by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at Campus North and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.
TU Dortmund University has its own train station ("Dortmund Universität"). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station ("Dortmund Hauptbahnhof") and Düsseldorf main station via the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.
You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station "Stadtgarten", usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At "Stadtgarten" you switch trains and get on line U42 towards "Hombruch". Look out for the Station "An der Palmweide". From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop "Dortmund Kampstraße". From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop "Dortmund Wittener Straße". Switch to bus line 447 and get off at "Dortmund Universität S".
The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on Campus Nord. One ("Dortmund Universität S") is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the "Technologiepark" and (via Campus Süd) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at Campus Nord and offers a direct connection to Campus Süd every five minutes.
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".
Street navigation from and to the TU Dortmund University:
The document and the graphic represent the motorways and federal highways around the TU Dortmund University in a very simplified way:
This interactive map helps you find and navigate between facilities and buildings on campus:
This document contains a simple campus map in German and English: