StudiesServiceCenter Philological and Cultural Studies

Final Phase

The final phase of your master's programme includes steps such as the record of examinations, master's thesis, or final exam. You must complete all of these steps, regardless of your programme of study, and they are all handled through us at the SSC.

Your steps to the master's thesis

Master's theses are academic theses which serve to demonstrate your ability to work on academic topics independently and in an adequate manner in terms of content and methodology. You decide on the topic of your master's thesis in agreement with your supervisor. 

Make sure to obtain approval for your topic and your supervisor early on when you start working on your thesis. Your supervisor may, if necessary, suggest a colleague who holds a doctoral degree as co-supervisor. Please note that you also have to obtain approval for co-supervisors.

The aim is to develop a master's thesis project that you can realistically complete within six months. However, you are not obliged to complete your master's thesis within this period.

Step 1: Find a supervisor for your master's thesis

The master's thesis supervisor provides you with academic and methodological support as you write your master's thesis, helps you identify a topic for your master's thesis, and assigns the final grade.

For information on how to find a supervisor and who is eligible to serve as one, please visit the StudiesServiceUnit website.

Step 2: Register your master's thesis

Open your study overview in u:space → Studies → Study Overview:

  • Does the affected degree programme show the status admitted?

If you answer “yes” to the question above, please send us the following three documents:

  1. Form Topic Registration (pdf) (signed by the advisors; the SPL signature will be obtained by the SSC)
  2. Form Rules of Good Academic Practice (pdf)
  3. Time Schedule Form (pdf)
  4. A brief description of the planned project (Exceptions for the German Studies proposal: at least one additional page of bibliography; Romance Studies: requirements on the Romance Studies Directorate of Studies website)

Submit Your Master's Thesis

Contact Form

Step 3: Write Your Master's Thesis

  • If you need help with academic writing, you can take advantage of the services offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).
  • The Vienna University Library can also assist you with its research and citation experts. Take advantage of the Night Shift.
  • You can find programme-specific guidelines for master's thesis on the website of the relevant StudiesServiceUnit.

Step 4: Check your record of examinations

Open your record of examinations in u:space → Studies → Record of Examinations:

  • Do all completed courses appear?
  • Are all courses assigned to the correct module?
  • Are all relevant status indicators in the Record of Examinations “green”? Only the master's thesis and final exam should be “red.”

If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you can submit your record of examinations to the relevant StudiesServiceUnit (SSSt).

  1. Check with the SSSt to find out which documents are required for submission.
  2. The SSSt will review your record of examinations and forward it directly to us at the SSC.

If you have any questions or notice any incorrect assignments, please contact your StudiesServiceUnit as well.

Step 5: Check your personal data before submitting your master's thesis

  1. Check your name and academic degrees in u:space.

    Check your personal data in u:space

     

  2. Your name is spelled incorrectly or you would like to add a middle name? Send us corresponding documentation (e.g. marriage certificate, passport, identity card) via the Servicedesk. The admision office will change your name according to the documentation you have provided. 

    Need to change your personal data? Contact us via the Servicedesk

Step 6: Submit your master's thesis

  1. Upload your academic thesis to u:space. 
    • After submitting your thesis to u:space, it will undergo a plagiarism check. As soon as the plagiarism check is complete, you will be automatically notified via your u:net email address.
  2. After the plagiarism check, send the signed upload confirmation to the SSC via the contact form.
    • This constitutes the official submission of your master's thesis, and the evaluation period begins at this point.
  3. Then you have two options for submitting two (2) copies of your hardcover master's thesis to the SSC:
    • You may drop off the thesis with the Campus porter at Spitalgasse 2, Entrance 4.5, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
    • You can mail the copies to Spitalgasse 2, Campus Hof 1, Door 1.9, 1090 Vienna. The printed version must match the electronically submitted version exactly.
  4. Wait for the email from the SSC confirming that your master's thesis has been graded. The legal deadline for grading is two months.
SSC PhilKult

Two exemples of hardcover bindings.

Submit the signed upload confirmation

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Taking your master's thesis offline

You do not want your master's thesis to be accessible online via the university's thesis server? Indicate this in the final step of the submission process.

Note: Taking your master's thesis offline is not the same as placing the hard bound copies of your thesis under embargo according to § 86 Universities Act 2002. A thesis embargo requires specific reasons.  

Step 7: Register for the master's examination

Open your program overview in u:space → Studies → Program Overview:

  • Does the affected program have the status admission, and will this status still apply at the time of the final examination?
  • Have you submitted your record of examinations (for MA students) or all three records of examinations (for MEd students) for review?
  • Has your master's thesis already been graded?

If you answer “yes” to all these questions, you can register for the final examination with us by submitting the following completed form:

Please register no later than 14 days before the exam.

Please check the website of the relevant StudiesServiceUnit for information on how to meet with your examiners.

Register for your final exam

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Step 8: The master's examination

You will prepare a 15- to 20-minute presentation in which you will present your master’s thesis and address the comments in the evaluation. Afterward, the examination committee will ask you questions.

Please bring the following

  • u:card/ID card
  • Presentation

The master's examination is open to the public, which means your friends or family may also be present during the examination.

Step 9: Complete the UHStat2 form

The UHStat2 online form is mandatory by law. You will be asked about any study-related stays abroad.

Please note: The month of completion is the month in which you completed your last examination. 

To the UHStat2 online form

Step 10: Your graduation documents

As soon as your application has been processed successfully, you will receive an e-mail containing all graduation documents. 

  • Official notice of degree award
  • Degree certificate
  • Diploma supplement specifying your grade point average 

They are usually issued within four weeks after the final examination.

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