Final Theses

Step 1: Clarify admission requirements

In general, you can start your bachelor thesis if ...

• You have submitted a term paper according to the examination regulations BWL (PStO 2008). Seminars at ISTO where the assignments qualify for a Bachelor thesis according to the examination regulations are indicated respectively. Generally, these are advanced seminars with 6 ECTS.
• You have passed the advanced seminar in the module "Vertiefung der Betriebswirtschaftslehre" (compulsory seminar) in accordance with the examination regulations BWL (PStO 2015).

For master's thesis, no formal prerequisites.

Please pay close attention to the Information and Service Center Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Prüfungen (ISC) for the PStO 2008 and PStO 2015.

Step 2: Check the chair-specific requirements

When assigning bachelor theses, we give preference to students who have demonstrated interest in our topics. Students increase their chances when they

• successfully participated in one of the lectures: "Management and Economics of Platforms", "Technology & Strategy", or "Strategic Organization Design" and
• have participated in at least one seminar that is indicated accordingly.

Note: The choice of the latter may, but does not have to coincide with the (advanced) seminar, which generally entitles you to write a Bachelor thesis according to PStO 2008 or 2015 (see step 1).

For master's theses, preference is given to students who have successfully participated in

• the lecture "Competitive Strategy (formerly Strategy & Innovation)" or
• the seminars "Empirics of Organizations" and "Frontiers in Strategy Research".

Step 3: Choice of topic

Before contacting us, we encourage you to compare your personal interests with the list of possible topics for final papers. Please find information on current research projects of our academic staff on our website.

Step 4: Contact

Based on step 3, consider which topic(s) you would be interested in. Send your preferences to isto.thesis@som.lmu.de. We will then find a suitable supervisor for you.
Please also submit the following documents:

• field of study, matriculation number, current semester, preferred time period for working on your thesis (At ISTO, you can start working on your thesis on the first Monday of a month. The deadline is then automatically determined by the maximum time allowed for completion.)
• current curriculum vitae
• list of courses attended at the ISTO as well as your latest online transcript

Step 5: Select a topic and supervisor

Based on your preferences, we will try to find a supervisor whose research best suits your interests. In a preliminary talk, the supervisor proposes different topics, and you will be able, if applicable, to incorporate your ideas. In the wake of this conversation, we will ask you for a one to two page sketch on the subject as well as an overview of relevant literature. In particular, this should emphasize your contribution to the current state of research.

Step 6: Registration at the Examinations Office

The thesis is registered with the Examination Office at the latest four weeks after agreement on the topic. The deadline for submitting the work is determined at the time of registration. Please agree on a title with your dedicated thesis superviros, fill out the form, print and sign it. Submit this form to ISTO in person or via the mailbos. Registration form (XLSX, 66 KB)

Step 7: Editing, Presentation, and Submission

We recommend that you write your thesis in English. Please adhere exactly to our formal guidelines. Make sure to query formal questions (PDF, 357 KB) with your supervisor at an early stage. Students writing a final paper at ISTO will present their work at the Institute's internal Thesis Colloquium. The aim of the presentation is to give the students constructive feedback on their work. The presentations are each ten minutes long, followed by about ten minutes of feedback, and are held in English. These should usually reveal the status of the work, open questions and further steps, and in particular elucidate the research question and methodology. Make sure you know the formal requirements of the Examination Office (ISC). Please hand in the required number of copies of your thesis independently and on time to the Examination Office and inform your supervisor about your planned filing date. Further information and forms (available in German only)