Master’s Thesis

The master’s thesis is a scientific work that demonstrates a student’s ability to independently address a topic in a methodologically sound and academically rigorous manner. The topic may be chosen freely by the student, provided that it addresses questions related to Green Chemistry.

Successfully completing the master’s programme requires:

• a positively assessed master’s thesis, and
• successful completion of the final oral examination (Defensio).

The final examination takes place before an examination board in accordance with the study regulations of the university to which the thesis supervisor is assigned. It serves to present and defend the master’s thesis (Defensio) and to demonstrate understanding of its broader scientific context.

You may register for the Defensio only after:

• completing 90 ECTS of required coursework, and
• finalizing your written thesis.

Regardless of which university your supervisor is affiliated with, the master’s thesis must be registered in TISS immediately after work on the thesis begins.

Before applying for the Defensio, your academic records from all participating universities must be consolidated. For this purpose, please bring your transcripts from TU Wien, University of Vienna, and BOKU to the Dean’s Office of the TCH Faculty at TU Wien. For details, please contact Amy Tindl.

The examination subject “Master’s Thesis” comprises 30 ECTS credits, consisting of 27 ECTS for the written scientific work and 3 ECTS for the final board examination. This corresponds to one semester of full-time academic work. The final grade for the examination subject Master’s Thesis is calculated as 70% thesis grade and 30% final examination grade.

Your certificate is issued by TU Wien. It includes:

• all examination subjects with ECTS credits and grades
• the title and grade of the master’s thesis
• the grade of the final examination
• upon student’s request, the overall grade of the completed degree programme

The certificate can be collected from the Dean’s Office of the TCH Faculty at TU Wien during opening hours approximately two weeks after the examination. You will receive a separate notification when it is ready.

Once you begin your master’s thesis

Your supervisor should register the thesis in TISS as soon as work begins. You must then upload your exposé in TISS and submit the thesis for approval by the Dean of Academic Affairs.

While writing your thesis

Your master’s thesis must be formatted in A4 size and include a title page following the official cover page template provided by TU Wien (https://www.tuwien.at/en/tch/tch-student-services/forms). Apart from this, there are currently no additional formatting requirements from the Dean’s Office.

Preparing for your defense (approximately two months before the planned examination date)

Arrange an appointment with Amy Tindl to submit your documents in person at the Dean’s Office of the TCH Faculty at TU Wien. Please bring all documents listed here under “Submission and required documents” (https://www.tuwien.at/en/tch/tch-student-services/degree-application/master). Important: bring transcripts from all participating universities and your consolidated academic record.

Note: The printed thesis may be submitted later, but must be handed in no later than one week before the examination date. Your hard-bound thesis must include your full name on the spine.

Form your examination committee

Together with your supervisor, propose two additional examiners.

The examination board is usually structured as follows:

• Supervisor = chair + first examiner
• Second and third examiners = selected according to the scientific topic of the thesis

Because this is a joint programme, a committee should involve examiners of at least two participating universities. Please arrange your defense date with the full committee. The defense date must be at least four weeks after official submission of documents, and after final thesis submission in TISS.

Upload your thesis in TISS

Submit your thesis in TISS. The uploaded version may be signed, but a handwritten signature is not mandatory. Your thesis will undergo a plagiarism check before the defense

Supervisor’s assessment

Your supervisor must submit a written assessment report to the Dean’s Office at least one week before the examination date.

During the defense

The master’s thesis defense includes:

• a 15–20 minute presentation of your main results
• questions from the examination board and audience

Please note: a laptop is not provided for in-person examinations, so bring your own.

The total duration of the defense is approximately one hour.

Once you begin your master’s thesis
The thesis must be registered in TISS with the Dean of Academic Affairs of TU Wien as soon as work begins. Please send the following information to the Dean of Academic Affairs of TU Wien: the title of your thesis, the name of your supervisor, the start date and expected completion date, and an exposé.

Writing, submitting, and defending your thesis
The master’s thesis is supervised, submitted for assessment, assessed, and defended at the university to which the supervisor is affiliated. Because this is a joint programme, a committee should involve examiners of at least two participating universities.

Do not forget to consolidate your academic records from all participating universities before applying for a defence. For this purpose, please bring your transcripts from TU Wien, University of Vienna, and BOKU to the Dean’s Office of the TCH Faculty at TU Wien. For details, please contact Amy Tindl.

After the defense
As your certificate is issued by TU Wien, you must submit a copy of the final examination protocol and a hardbound copy of your master’s thesis with your full name printed on the spine.

If you wish to complete your master’s thesis at an institution other than one of the partner universities — for example, at an institution abroad — you must first find a supervisor at one of the universities participating in the master’s programme, such as TU Wien, University of Vienna, or BOKU University. After that, please follow the procedure described above for the respective university.

If you wish to complete your master’s thesis in industry, you must first find a supervisor at one of the universities participating in the master’s programme, such as TU Wien, University of Vienna, or BOKU University. This supervisor assumes responsibility for the scientific and technical quality of your thesis.

Contact with a potential university supervisor is usually established through the industrial co-supervisor, who discusses the scope of the work with the university and arranges the necessary agreement. Once this step has been completed, the master’s thesis can officially begin, and the university supervisor will support you throughout the thesis process. Please do not begin work on an industrial thesis before the agreement has been concluded. Once the agreement is closed, please follow the guidelines of a university, to which your supervisor is assigned to.

At TU Wien, supervisors conclude an “Agreement on Supervision of Theses” (https://www.tuwien.at/en/tch/tch-student-services/forms). In addition, the guidelines for the processing of industrial bachelor’s and master’s theses should be followed in order to enable any associated cost reimbursement (Leitfaden zur Abwicklung von Industriebachelor- und -masterarbeiten).

Public access to your thesis may initially be restricted for a period of two years. Upon request, this restriction may be extended once for up to three additional years, provided that an application is submitted in good time to the competent academic authority before the end of the initial restriction period and that the requirements under § 86 para. 4 UG continue to be fulfilled. During the restriction period, the thesis, including its abstract, cannot be borrowed from or viewed in the library.

Blocked theses cannot be borrowed and viewed in the library during this period (this also applies to the abstract of the thesis).