Writing a Thesis

First Steps

If you are interested in having your bachelor’s or master’s thesis supervised by the Department of Open Space Planning, please contact both your intended primary and secondary supervisors as early as possible, either by email or in person.

The decision regarding supervision is based primarily on adherence to the standards of academic work in the proposal, as well as the content’s relevance to ongoing or completed research topics in the department. Alternatively, a clear connection to the topics and methods taught in the department is required to ensure appropriate academic supervision.

The preparation of a short proposal is a central component of the thesis preparation process. We strongly recommend that you take this step seriously, as the proposal significantly influences the content focus, structure, and feasibility of the thesis.

When drafting a proposal and during further work on it, please follow the department’s guidelines for academic work.

Guide to Academic Writing

Writing a Bachelor's Thesis

Schedule for preparing a short proposal (communication typically via email)
  • Initial outline of the topic by mid-October/mid-April as a Word document
  • Written feedback and further guidance within the document (possibly followed by a preliminary meeting)
  • Submission of the final abstract to the supervisors no later than two weeks before the registration deadline as a PDF
  • Notification of acceptance or rejection shortly after submission
  • If necessary, a time buffer for reorientation regarding supervision 
Structure of Bachelor’s Thesis Supervision
The Bachelor’s thesis is an independently written final paper. Each student is personally responsible for the format of the thesis, the individual timeline, and the content focus. As a rule, two supervision meetings with the primary supervisor should be sufficient. Please arrange an appointment.

Writing a Master's thesis

The master's thesis is an independently written final paper. Each student is personally responsible for the structure of the paper, their own schedule, and the focus of its content.
 

Schedule for preparing a short proposal (communication generally via email)
  • Initial outline of the topic by mid-October/mid-April as a Word document
  • Written feedback and further guidance within the document (possibly followed by a preliminary meeting)
  • Submission of the final synopsis to the advisors no later than two weeks before the registration deadline as a PDF
  • Notification of acceptance or rejection shortly after submission
  • If necessary, a time buffer for reorientation regarding the advising arrangement
Structure of Master’s Thesis Supervision
In the ASL department, the professors have agreed to offer an average of three supervision sessions for a master’s thesis during the writing period. As a rule, an initial supervision session takes place during the first week of classes each semester in the form of a joint colloquium with all current master’s students, during which the outline, timeline, and scope of the topic are discussed.