Master's theses are assigned by the Chair of Corporate Finance twice a year. You can write your thesis in German or English, and the time for completion is four months.
Below, you will find information regarding thesis topics, application deadlines, and the submission process.
1. General information on thesis topics
We offer students the opportunity to write their master's thesis in one of the following areas of finance:
1. Corporate Finance and Governance
- Corporate Investment, Capital Budgeting, and Payout Policy
- Financing Policy
- Corporate Risk Management
- CEOs and the Board of Directors
- Ownership Structure; Family Firms
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Distressed Firms and Corporate Bankruptcy
2. Household Finance
- Household Saving, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
- Financial Literacy
- Roles and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision-Making
3. Sustainable Finance
- Environmental, Social, and Governance Considerations in Corporate Finance
- ESG Ratings
4. Financial Institutions
- Investment Banking, Venture Capital, and Private Equity
- Digital Finance and FinTech
- Ratings and Rating Agencies
2. Application deadlines
Depending on whether you plan to write the thesis in the summer or winter term, the following deadlines apply:
- Summer term: February 15
- Winter term: July 15
3. Thesis assignment procedure
Our goal is to align thesis topics with each student's individual preferences.
Therefore, on our application form, you can choose (and rank) up to two preferred areas of finance:
- Corporate Finance and Governance
- Household Finance
- Sustainable Finance
- Financial Institutions
In addition, you will have the option to provide additional information in free-text format about your topic preferences within your chosen area(s) of finance (e.g. for an empirically-oriented thesis, literature review, or an individually-proposed thesis topic in collaboration with a company).
During a first informal meeting after your submission, we will discuss and identify a thesis topic within your preferred finance area jointly with you (see 5. Thesis Schedule).
Please note that, due to limited supervision capacity, we may not extend offers to all applicants in case of a high number of thesis requests. Thank you for your understanding.
4. How to apply?
To find an optimal match in the thesis assignment process, the submission process requests information about your academic and professional background.
Please fill our application form and also upload a single PDF file including:
- Current CV
- Current transcript of grades of your master’s degree
- Transcript of grades of your bachelor’s degree
- Optional: Additional qualifications, e.g., internships, professional experience, study abroad, ...
5. Thesis schedule
You will be informed about your acceptance by mail within two weeks after the application deadline. Subsequently, you will receive an invitation for a first informal meeting with the thesis advisor.
Note that you can start your thesis at any time (after the deadline) during the semester.
At the beginning of each semester, our chair offers a scientific writing class. In this class, you gain skills into effective scientific writing that help you to enhance your proficiency in articulating research findings and presenting them.
If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact the chair via email at cf@uni-hohenheim.de.
