The Bachelor's thesis is usually written at the end of the 6th semester - after completion of the practical stage. It is often favourable to combine both complexes and prepare the topic of the Bachelor's thesis during the practical stage.

SPO 2014: Both courses - practical stage and Bachelor's thesis - usually begin with the module Scientific Work in Computer Science 2 (WAI-2). The lecturer of the WAI-2 module is usually also the supervisor of the Bachelor's thesis. If you would like a different supervisor, e.g. because they are better suited to your chosen topic, you will need to make your own arrangements. In any case, the WAI-2 module gives you the opportunity to coordinate the topic and content with your supervisor and prepare your Bachelor's thesis.

Please note (SPO 2014): As a rule, the lecturer of Wissenschaftliche Arbeiten in der Informatik 2 (WAI-2) is automatically the supervisor of your Bachelor's thesis. Therefore, if you already know the subject area in which you would like to write your thesis, you should already select the appropriate lecturer for WAI-2 and take the course accordingly.

For students in the general Bachelor's programme (incl. KMI) of the SPO 2021: Regular events are held to provide information about the process and modalities.

The Bachelor's thesis lasts exactly three months. The Bachelor's thesis is supervised and assessed by the university.

The Bachelor's thesis normally takes three months. Dates for the start of the practical stage and the Bachelor's thesis are published on the faculty's website to guarantee an optimal process and completion within the 6th semester.

Admission to the final thesis

According to §12 para. 4 and §13 para. 4 of the BBPO, students who have successfully completed the module Scientific Work in Computer Science 2 and have passed all compulsory modules from the first and second semesters with the exception of 10 ECTS are admitted to the final thesis. At least one examination attempt must be completed in each of the compulsory modules not yet passed, totalling a maximum of 10 ECTS credits.

Supervision of the thesis

In accordance with Section 22 (2) of the ABPO, the candidate is supervised by a supervisor during the preparation of the thesis. The examination of the thesis is usually carried out by the supervisor and a co-supervisor. Both persons must be authorised examiners. In addition, at least one of them must teach as a professor in the respective study programme. Supervision by, for example, an employee of the company in which the thesis is written is therefore generally not possible.

Return of the topic

According to §22 para. 6 of the ABPO, the topic of the final thesis can be returned once within the first third of the processing time without this counting as a failed attempt. At the same time as the withdrawal, a new topic must be requested from the examination board.

Language of the thesis

According to Section 22 (8) of the ABPO, the final thesis must be written in German or English. Upon request and with the approval of the examination board and the two supervisors, the thesis can also be written in another language. However, this is rather unusual.

Important contents of the thesis

In accordance with Section 12 (6) of the BBPO, the thesis must contain a German and an English abstract, regardless of whether the thesis was written in German or English. If, upon request, the thesis is written in another language, three abstracts must be prepared.

Regardless of the language of the rest of the thesis, the declaration of independence must be written in German. A corresponding form is already integrated in the latex template to be used.

The cover page of the thesis is also derived from the Latex template and may not be changed except for the name and title etc.

Submission of the paper

The thesis must be submitted to the faculty's examination office by 4 p.m. on the day of submission at the latest, i.e. on the last day of the processing period or, if this is not a working day, on the next working day. Please note that this is a hard deadline. Late submissions usually lead to failure of the thesis. In this case, the thesis must be repeated on a different topic.

The thesis must be submitted in duplicate in printed and bound form as well as in electronic form, for example as a PDF by e-mail to abschlussarbeiten.fbi@h-da.de or on CD-ROM to the faculty's examination office.

The colloquium is an examination in accordance with Section 13 (6) of the ABPO, in which the candidate presents and explains the final thesis to two examiners, usually the same persons who assessed the thesis.

You will be admitted to the colloquium if the final thesis has been passed, i.e. graded with at least 4.0.

The colloquium begins with a presentation by the candidate lasting between 15 and 25 minutes. The total duration of the colloquium is between 30 and 50 minutes. As a rule, the colloquium is open to the university public, with the exception of the consultation and announcement of the assessment.

Finding a topic for the Bachelor's thesis is often a major challenge for many students. There are several ways to meet this challenge:

• You work on a topic in cooperation with a company.
  Both large and small companies are constantly faced with problems that need to be analysed using scientific methods. These companies often formulate the problem and advertise bachelor theses. This approach is particularly suitable if you would like to join a company after completing your Bachelor's thesis.
• You develop your own idea for a topic of your choice.
  Developing your own topic is certainly the most challenging form for a Bachelor's thesis. You may have an idea for implementing a prototype or want to specialise in a specific topic. In any case, you should communicate with experienced professors at an early stage in order to coordinate the methodology and procedure in detail. This approach is particularly suitable if you are thinking about becoming self-employed after your Bachelor's thesis.
• You work on a topic in a professor's area of interest and collaborate, for example, on a scientific project funded by the EU or other funding bodies.
  Just like companies, professors are always interested in interesting topics for scientific realisation. Ask at an early stage, e.g. the lecturers in lectures of interest to you, whether there are topics and opportunities to write a Bachelor's thesis at the university. This approach is well suited if you want to do academic work after your Bachelor's thesis and start a Master's programme. You can find an overview of potential topics here.

In any case, talk to your lecturer in Scientific Work in Computer Science 2 at an early stage and use this course to develop as detailed an idea as possible for your Bachelor's thesis. Read current literature, i.e. papers but also popular science articles and specialist journals, to identify current problems in computer science. Think about which scientific methods can be used to tackle and solve the problems. Make sure that the topic is clearly defined and can be solved within the given time. The better you define the topic and methodology in advance, the easier it will be for you to work on and write your thesis later.

There are a number of best practices for writing scientific papers, i.e. good and proven procedures. These are usually taught in the modules Academic Writing in Computer Science 1 and Academic Writing in Computer Science 2. In addition, it is advisable to discuss good practices and preferences of reviewers with both the first and second reviewer.

It is also advisable to take a look at the recommendations for writing scientific final theses at the Faculty of Computer Science at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. These recommendations provide detailed information on various best practices, e.g. on the structure and layout of the thesis, outline, language, integration of graphics and source code and correct citation.

A LaTeX template for creating the paper can be found at

https://github.com/mbredel/thesis-template

https://code.fbi.h-da.de/fbi-workspace/thesis-template

Both templates are identical. Further information on LaTeX can be found here.

Example dates* for the Bachelor's project in a winter semester:

Registration for the practical stage by 12 August
Start of the practical stage from 26 August
End of the practical stage by 8 November
Registration for the Bachelor thesis by 8 November
Start of the Bachelor thesis by 18 November
Submission of the Bachelor thesis by 18 February 16:00
Colloquium by 7 March

Example dates* for the Bachelor's project in a summer semester:

Registration for the practical stage by 01.03.
Start of the practical stage from 11.03.
End of the practical stage by 24.05.
Registration for the Bachelor's thesis by 24.05.
Start of the Bachelor's thesis by 03.06.
Submission of the Bachelor's thesis
by 03.09. 16:00
Colloquium by 20.09.

* The dates listed are suggestions intended to ensure completion within one semester - and thus possibly within the standard period of study. The final dates must be agreed individually between the intern, the internship supervisor and the company.

No. The language used at the colloquium is independent of the language of the thesis.

No. The declaration is a formal requirement which has legal effect under German law – namely, where the work constitutes plagiarism to a large extent. It must therefore be written in German.

You are free to reuse the placement report in your Bachelor’s thesis as you see fit. The internship report will not be published; it is a purely internal document produced by you. You may therefore reuse the entire report or parts of it without being guilty of plagiarism – even if you do not cite the report.

The Bachelor’s thesis is an academic piece of work that is assessed at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. The company has no official involvement in the thesis – on the contrary, the findings should be viewed independently of the company. As such, the company should not be mentioned in the thesis. Under certain circumstances, you may wish to acknowledge the company in the acknowledgements. Under no circumstances should the company be named on the title page or, indeed, have its logo included.

Late submission will result in a mark of 5.0 – a fail. In this case, you will have to resubmit your thesis on a new topic. You should therefore pay particular attention to the submission deadline and submit your thesis by 4.00 pm at the examination office of the faculty of […].

Two copies of the thesis must be submitted; one copy each for the first examiner and the second examiner. Both copies must be submitted by the deadline in printed and bound form, as well as in electronic form (CD-ROM, PDF by email, etc.), to the faculty’s examination office. In addition, electronic versions, e.g. as PDFs by email, must be made available to both examiners.

There are no formal requirements regarding the type of binding. The examination regulations merely stipulate that the thesis must be bound. However, it is customary to bind the thesis in a hardback with a solid spine, either glued or sewn. The imprint on the cover should include the student’s name, a short title of the topic and the date of completion. It is advisable to clarify this with the relevant supervisor in advance in all cases.

There are no formal requirements regarding the layout of the paper. For papers with a high page count – 50 pages or more – the paper may be printed double-sided. Otherwise, single-sided printing is recommended. In any case, it is advisable to clarify this with your supervisor in advance.

Students on the SPO2014 programme: As a rule, the lecturer for the module ‘Academic Work in Computer Science 2 (WAI-2)’ will automatically be the supervisor for your Bachelor’s thesis. So, if you already know the subject area in which you would like to write your thesis, you should select the appropriate lecturer for WAI-2 and enrol on the course accordingly.

Students in the SPO2021 cohort: As a rule, the supervisor for the practical phase is also the primary supervisor for the Bachelor’s thesis, unless you choose to find another supervisor for your thesis yourself.