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Content and procedure of the Thesis defense

The following information is taken from the "Guideline Transfer Project". In addition to the information provided here, it is strongly recommended that you read the entire guideline, as it contains much more important information about th e Transfer Project.

The defenses take place online and last 60 minutes. It consist of three parts:

Part 1: 20-minute visual presentation of the thesis

The presentation can be customized, but must reflect the core content of the thesis:

  • Research objective/research question
  • Course of the investigation/methodology
  • Research results
  • Transfer to practice or transfer guide
  • Typical methods of visualization are:
  • Presentations with visual tools such as PowerPoint, Mural, Prezzi
  • Presentations with flipchart

Notes on visualization:

  • The Thesis document itself (e.g. as a PDF in a PDF reader) is not a sufficient visualization.
  • A prepared video can complement the live presentation, but not replace it.
  • A purely verbal presentation of the thesis is not a sufficient visualization.
  • If students want or need to deviate from these regulations due to physical or technical limitations, this can be approved by the examiners.

Important note: If the form of the presentation does not meet the requirement of visualization, the examination board may cancel the defense. The examination attempt is considered failed.

Part 2: 20-minute discussion

The examining committee asks questions about the thesis and the presentation, e.g., about the justification of the research method, hypotheses or research questions, content-related questions about theoretical foundations, the practical transfer of the research results, etc.

Part 3: 20-minute closing

Following the presentation and discussion, the examination board awards the grade for the defense. If the defense has been passed, students are informed of the overall grade for the thesis at this point, which is calculated from the grade for the written thesis and the grade for the defense.