Master thesis

Check with the departments—either through their websites or in person—to learn about possible topics. They will suggest specific research questions or subject areas. You can also discuss your own ideas with your potential advisor, if applicable.

• Professors and research assistants in the Clinical Psychology department (or related fields) at the Institute of Psychology may supervise and evaluate the thesis, provided that one of the two reviewers holds the rank of professor.
• Admission of an external reviewer requires the consent of the examination committee. The (informal) request should be submitted before registering the master’s thesis. The external reviewer must hold at least a master’s or diploma degree in psychology.
  External reviewers without a degree in psychology (e.g., medicine) are admitted only in exceptional cases and with the approval of the Examination Board. In this case, the thesis topic must have a clearly identifiable psychological focus.
  If an external primary reviewer is appointed, the research design must be discussed with the professor in Kassel in the form of an exposé before the thesis is registered.

• In consultation with your advisors, you will choose a topic.
• Registration deadlines are
  • October 1
  • February 1
  • April 1
  • July 1
  • By when do I need to submit my master’s thesis to graduate within the standard period of study?
    Submit your thesis no later than September 30 of your fourth semester. Your Master’s degree will be dated according to the date of your last completed requirement (e.g., the submission deadline for your Master’s thesis). If needed, you can receive a provisional confirmation of your M.Sc. degree a few days later. For organizational reasons, the transcripts will be ready approximately three weeks later.
• Please use the following form to register

You are in your third study semester or have earned 50 credits, as shown on your transcript

The official list of topics issued by the Examination Committee is considered the binding admission and is released by October 15, February 15, April 15, and July 15, respectively. In exceptional cases, you may apply to the Examination Committee for other dates on the grounds of hardship.

The institute has 15 laptops that can be borrowed on a temporary basis for working on your master’s thesis. If you need one of these laptops, please contact our designated student assistant by email at hiwi-ifp(at)student.uni-kassel(dot)de. The laptops are equipped with Windows 11 Pro and the following programs:

• MS Office 2013
• SPSS
• R
• E-Prime—programmable only in the institute’s labs (INCON building)
• Inquisit

Your advisors will, of course, also help you with questions about research methods. Otherwise, feel free to take advantage of the student research methods advising service.

The master's thesis must be submitted within 20 weeks of the date the topic is announced (for extensions or exceptions, see the examination regulations).

After you submit your work, the reviewers have six weeks to complete their reviews. This timeframe is formally stipulated and necessary, as many reviewers must write a large number of initial and follow-up reviews for graduates of various psychology degree programmes.

• You will discuss the data basis for your master’s thesis individually with your advisors.
• You will determine the scope with your primary advisor.
• Include a declaration of originality.
• Follow the formal formatting guidelines (DGPs or APA)!
• Self-Declaration on the Use of AI: AI tools, just like other resources and sources, must always be cited. In addition, the AI functions used should be described in a brief declaration. Please refer to the University of Basel’s guidelines.
• Criteria for Evaluating the Master’s Thesis (review template that can be used by the reviewer)

Submit your master’s thesis to the examination committee (Institute of Psychology, Room 2112: Ms. Braun) by the deadline as a bound hard copy and additionally on a data storage medium. Please include on the data storage medium a raw data set for all participants with clearly labeled variables, or a file in which the variables are clearly explained. Check with both of your reviewers well in advance to see whether they also prefer a bound hard copy or an electronic version of your thesis, including the dataset. Please email the electronic version to your reviewers on the day of submission. If the deadline falls on a holiday or weekend, the thesis must be submitted digitally by the deadline. Please also CC Ms. Braun and the Examination Office. The bound thesis must be submitted to the Examination Office by 12:00 p.m. on the following business day at the latest.

In the event of late submission, the paper will be graded as “failed” without exception.

In principle, that's possible.

You are not required to defend your master's thesis. However, your advisor may ask you to present the current status of your work at the research seminar.