Bachelor thesis

Below you will find a sample step-by-step guide with helpful information about the bachelor’s thesis, which is intended to help you get started. Please also refer to your respective examination regulations and the module handbook, which set forth the formal requirements!

During the 5th semester

What topic might interest me?

• Check with the departments—either through their websites or in person (e.g., via email or in classes)—to find out about possible topics. They will suggest specific research questions or topic areas. You can also discuss your own ideas with your potential advisor, if applicable.

Who will supervise me?

• Professors and research employees at the Institute of Psychology are authorized to supervise and evaluate the thesis, provided that one of the two evaluators holds a professorship. As a rule, one of the two individuals serves as the primary supervisor. You can find an overview of the departments here.
• An external reviewer may only be approved with the consent of the examination committee. The (informal) request should be submitted before registering for the bachelor’s thesis. The external reviewer must hold at least a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
  External reviewers without a degree in psychology (e.g., medicine) are permitted only in exceptional cases and with the approval of the examination committee. In this case, the thesis topic must have a clearly identifiable psychological focus.
  If an external primary examiner is appointed, the research design must be discussed with the Professor in Kassel in the form of an exposé before the thesis is registered. The second examiner must be a Professor from the IfP.

At the end of the 5th semester

How do I register my bachelor’s thesis?

• In consultation with your advisors, you will choose a topic and determine a title.
• Register your bachelor’s thesis by April 1 (summer semester) or October 1 (winter semester) at the latest through the Examination Board using the provided form.

Have I met all the requirements for registration?

• The Examination Board will assign the topic for the bachelor’s thesis no earlier than after you have earned 150 credits or at the beginning of the sixth semester.

At the beginning of the 6th semester

When can I finally get started?

• The official assignment of the topic is considered binding approval and takes place by April 15 (summer semester) or October 15 (winter semester). In exceptional cases, you may apply to the Examination Board for a hardship exemption to request different dates.
• At this point, your bachelor’s thesis should also be marked as “registered” in your academic record—please check this.

Laptop?

The department has 15 laptops that can be borrowed on a temporary basis for working on your bachelor’s thesis. If you need one of these laptops, 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—can only be programmed in the institute’s labs (INCON building)
• Inquisit

What should I do if I have methodological problems or questions?

Your advisors will, of course, also help you with methodological questions. Otherwise, feel free to use the student methods advisory service for questions regarding statistical analysis or R.

At the end of the 6th semester

How much time do I have for my bachelor’s thesis?

• The bachelor’s thesis must be submitted within 16 weeks of the date the topic is announced (extensions/exceptions: see the examination regulations).

How long should my bachelor’s thesis be, and is there anything else I need to keep in mind?

• The thesis should be approximately 20–40 pages long (1.5 line spacing). Discuss the exact formatting requirements with your 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 Bachelor’s Thesis
  (Evaluation template that can be used by the evaluator.)

In what format and to whom should I submit my bachelor’s thesis?

• Submit your Bachelor’s thesis by the deadline as a bound hard copy and additionally on a data storage medium to the Examination Committee (Department of Psychology, Room 2112: Ms. Braun). 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 determine 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. Late submissions will, without exception, be graded as “failed.”

Can I register my bachelor’s thesis at a later date?

• In principle, this is possible (see registration deadlines for the winter and summer semesters).

What can I do if I didn’t submit the thesis on time or failed it?

• You can register for the thesis again in the following semester. You have a total of two attempts to pass the module.
• If the next registration deadline is too soon, please submit a request to the Examination Board to have the registration deadline extended.