Thesis and Completing your Studies
in Mathematics
In order to successfully complete a Bachelor's or Master's degree program in the area of Mathematics, students must write a scientific work: the Bachelor’s thesis or Master's thesis. Here, you will find an overview of everything you need to know, from planning to submission:
When and where?
It is possible to register your thesis on the 1st and 15th of each month.
All final theses starting from 1st February 2024 onwards in the PP Mathematics at the School of Computation, Information and Technology will be managed via the CIT portal.
Once you have found a topic and a supervising chair for your thesis, you will be registered by the supervising chair. You will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your thesis registration. Only after you have confirmed your registration the Academic Programmes Office will be able to check the admission requirements and you will receive an email confirming your binding registration for your thesis.
For more information, see Thesis and Completing your Studies.
Further documents?
If you have completed extracurricular activities or a stay abroad during your studies, these can be included in the Diploma Supplement. To do this, we need the Route Card for the Diploma Supplement by the end of your studies at the latest. Please send the completed form as a PDF or photo/scan (readable) to bachelor(at)ma.tum.de or master(at)ma.tum.de. We recommend you to hand in the Route Card when registering your thesis or shortly afterwards. Please also note the Information on the Diploma Supplement.
For more information, see Thesis and Completing your Studies
Note: The Diploma Supplement is an English-language supplement to the university diploma and describes the qualifications linked to the study program. Under the heading “Additional Information” in this document, you can request the incorporation of specific details of extracurricular activities completed within the framework of your degree course.
Language
The thesis can be written in German or English language. The Bachelor's thesis muss be prefaced with an abstract in the other language, not the one in which it is written.
Formal considerations
Cover page and page 1
Here you indicate the topic of the work as well as your name and that of the supervisor. In addition, you indicate the date of submission (see example).
Page 2
Here you make the following declaration:
“I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and that no other sources have been used except those clearly indicated and referenced.” (Place, date, signature either on a tablet or as a scan of your original signature).
If you do not wish to use a digital signature, you may alternatively submit a separate page with the declaration and your original signature at the Infopoint.
Change of title
Your supervisor can update the title of your thesis in the CIT portal after submission.
Submisson and extension of theses starting until and including 15.01.2024
Digital submission
The Bachelor's or Master's thesis has to be submitted digitally. Please submit the thesis as a PDF file to bachelor(at)ma.tum.de or master(at)ma.tum.de within the deadline. If you have to hand in code or other files, please e-mail all files collected in a zip folder. Printed copies and USB sticks will no longer be accepted.
Date
Should the submission date fall on a weekend or a public holiday, submission on the subsequent workday is also possible. Theses can of course also be submitted prior to the planned submission date.
Extension
In the event that you need more time to work on your thesis, you must submit an application to bachelor(at)ma.tum.de or master(at)ma.tum.de for an extension, at least seven days prior to the planned submission date. This application must have been signed by your thesis supervisor (or you have to send the consent of the supervisor in electronic form). In the event of a second extension, the Chair of the Examination Board must sign the application as well as the thesis supervisor.
Bachelor's Thesis: Application for an extension
Master's Thesis: Application for an extension
Submisson and extension of theses starting from 01.02.2024 onwards
Theses registered from 01.02.2024 onwards are managed entirely via the CIT portal. This portal is also used for submission within the deadline (including all required files, such as codes).
If necessary, you can also apply for an extension of the submission deadline.
For more information, see Thesis and Completing your Studies.
LaTeX
The typesetting system LaTeX is the standard program worldwide for the compilation of theses that contain mathematical formulas. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with LaTeX as early as possible during the course of your studies. It is a good exercise to prepare sheets for seminar presentations using LaTeX.
You can find further information, templates and helpful advice on our LaTeX info page.
Logos
Corporate design and use of TUM logos
Thesis Templates for LaTeX
LaTeX-Template Bachelor / Master
Literature
The TUM Library does not only offer outstanding access to a wide range of books, newspapers, and electronic media, it also offers courses on, for example, bibliographical research and how to correctly cite works.
Please also note subject-specific practices when citing works.
Further seminar papers and tools specific to mathematics
For licensing and contractual reasons, some of these databases are only accessible via domains belonging to the TUM Departments of Mathematics and/or Informatics. Please address queries where applicable to your supervisor or the TUM Library:
- MathSciNet – Mathematical reviews on the web
- JADE – Journal Articles Database
- ERAM – Electronic Research Archive for Mathematics
- Online database at Zentralblatt MATH
English theses
The English Writing Center offers all TUM members free one-to-one advice on writing English texts and helps you to enhance your writing skills.
When to start
Do you have at least 8 credits in Advanced Courses? Then it is the right moment to commence your Bachelor’s thesis. By the eighth semester of enrollment in your current degree program, at the latest, you must commence your thesis as long as there are no reasonable grounds preventing you from doing so in accordance with section 10 (6) of the APSO.
Time frame & length
You have three months in which to complete your Bachelor’s thesis. This period begins on the date of registration. During this period, you should spend an average of at least 30 hours per week on the Bachelor's thesis – an effort equivalent to 12 credits.
The Bachelor’s thesis should not exceed 35 pages.
Choice of topic
In order to reduce the time needed to familiarize yourself with the topic, it is recommended to choose a topic for your Bachelor's thesis which corresponds to the theme of the Advanced Seminar taken.
Examiner and assessment
The Bachelor’s thesis must be evaluated by someone who is authorized to do so (thesis supervisor as defined in the APSO) at the TUM School of CIT. You will find an overview of other eligible persons outside the School of CIT in the list below. It is the written work that is assessed. The talk you give concerning the content does not affect the grading.
Persons outside the School of CIT who are authorized to examine theses
Time frame
You have six months to complete your Master’s thesis. This period begins on the date of registration. You normally complete the Master’s thesis in the fourth semester of your Master’s program after you have fulfilled all other academic and exam requirements.
Examiners and assessment
The Master’s thesis must be approved and evaluated by someone who is authorized to do so (thesis supervisor as defined in the APSO) at the TUM School of CIT. You will find an overview of other eligible persons outside the School of CIT in the list below:
Persons outside the School of CIT who are authorized to examine theses
Completing your Studies
Release of final certificate
Once you have completed all the requirements for your degree, we will contact you by email and ask for the approval to issue your diploma certificate.
Graduation documents and preliminary certificates
After you have given us the approval for the generating of your diploma certificate, your graduation documents will be generated within 4 - 6 weeks at the Graduation Office and Academic Records Campus Garching. You will be notified by post as soon as your certificate has been issued. Please make sure that your current study address in TUMonline is up to date.
If required, you can also apply to the Graduation Office and Academic Records Campus Garching for a preliminary certificate.
Transition Bachelor – Master
If you have applied for a consecutive mathematics Master's program at our school after completing your TUM mathematics Bachelor's degree, please let us know (at bsc-ma.asa(at)xcit.tum.de). It is possible to forward your Bachelor's degree to the Admissions and Enrollment Office for enrollment (not for the application!). The graduation documents are therefore not necessary for enrollment. A green checkmark will then appear in the online application portal for your degree certificate and diploma (Application Status). Please note that it may take a few days until the documents are updated in the portal. If you do not see these two green check marks one week before the enrollment deadline, please contact bsc-ma.asa(at)xcit.tum.de as soon as possible.
Diploma Supplement
If you have completed extracurricular activities or a stay abroad during your studies, these can be included in the Diploma Supplement. To do this, we need the Route Card for the Diploma Supplement by the end of your studies at the latest. Please send the completed form as a PDF or photo/scan (readable) to bsc-ma.asa(at)xcit.tum.de or msc-ma.asa(at)xcit.tum.de. Please also note the Information on the Diploma Supplement.
Please find more information under TUM Graduation.