Students of all business- and management-related master and diploma programs can apply for supervision of their thesis at our institute. The master's or diploma thesis serves as proof of the ability to work on a scientific task in an independent and rigorous manner. This is only possible if you have already acquired sufficient basic knowledge of our research field through your course of studies (Bachelor and Master).

Due to limited capacities, an application for supervision is necessary. Students who complete the Competence Area Digital Transformation: Leadership, Human Resource Management and Change in the Master program General Management will be preferred in case of capacity issues.

To apply, please send an email with the subject "Application Master Thesis - Your Last Name" and the following documents to the functional address of our institute (IPV(at)jku.at):

1. Latest overview of grades for all completed courses.
2. Completed application form of the institute, which can be downloaded here, opens a file

We decide on applications for supervision twice a year (on February 1 and September 1, respectively). Please submit your applications before these dates to ensure they can be considered within the respective decision round. We will contact all applicants shortly after the respective decision dates.

Whether an application is accepted or not is determined by the available capacities of the institute members, your previous academic achievements in our subject area, and, in the case of a self-proposed topic, its fit to the research focus of the institute, as well as the originality and quality of the idea presented.

Acceptance based on the application materials does not constitute an official supervisory relationship. This requires a research proposal (approx. 5 pages) approved by the respective supervisor. This proposal must be prepared following an initial consultation with your supervisor and based on her/his feedback. Depending on the quality of the submitted document, a revision of the proposal may be necessary.

Not until the supervision relationship has been officially confirmed can students register their diploma or master's thesis topic at the Examination and Recognition Services of JKU and, in the case of a master's thesis, attend the corresponding master's thesis seminar.

However, if there is no inherent work process between the acceptance of the written application and the subsequent decision deadline, the acceptance of the application will expire and the students concerned will have to reapply for a supervision relationship.

Topic Choice and Supervision

Students are free to select topics, although we recommend that self-proposed topics are aligned with the research focus of our institute (see competence centers) or with the research interests of our institute members (see staff profiles). It is also possible to propose topics outside this framework, but they must be justified in a comprehensible way (e.g., based on concrete empirical access).

In addition, we offer a variety of topic suggestions students may choose from. An overview of these topics with corresponding supervisors can be found here, opens an external URL in a new window. The topic of the master's/diploma thesis should be chosen in such a way that it can be finished within 6 months period.

Formal Requirements

The appropriate number of pages for a master's or diploma thesis varies depending on the choice of topic and method. Please discuss this individually with your supervisor. While the diploma thesis can be written in English or German, the master thesis has to be written exclusively in English.

For citation style and other formal aspects, please follow the guidelines for scientific papers, opens a file of our institute. For all topics not covered here, please follow the latest version of the APA guidelines.

The master's or diploma thesis has to be submitted in due time and according to the respective formal requirements to the Examination and Recognition Services of JKU, where the text will also be checked for plagiarism. Furthermore, it is desired that the paper is sent to the respective supervisor by email.