Steps to Finalise your MA Studies
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At the moment, only Prof. Frank can supervise your thesis. Ideally you have an outline of your MA thesis ready from the seminar "Research Seminar and Monitoring Class for the Master's and PhD Thesis" which you finished among the last of your courses at EcoS. Contact Prof. Frank in order to discuss your intended MA topic with him.
How, when and where should I register my MA thesis? Which documents do I need?
How: Write an exposé of your planned MA thesis and discuss it with your supervisor. To formally register your MA thesis, you must complete the following two forms:
- Ansuchen um Thema und Betreuung ["Request for Topic and Supervision"]
- Regeln der guten wissenschaftlichen Praxis (SL/W1) ["Rules of Good Academic Practice"]
When: The SSC advises you to register your MA thesis six months before your planned date of graduation. It is strongly recommended that you have at least finished some work on the theoretical part before officially registering your topic. In any case, please make sure to register your topic at least 2 months before the planned submission date.
Where: Hand both documents together with your exposé at the StudiesServiceCenter Philological and Cultural Studies [SSC] .
Note: The 'Ansuchen' form requires three signatures: Yours, your supervisor’s and the SPL’s- in that order. When delivering the form at the StudiesServiceCenter [SSC], you only need to have your signature and your supervisor's. The SSC is in charge of procuring the SPL's signature.
Make sure to use the official University of Vienna Cover Page for Master Thesis.
Please review the EcoS Guidelines - How to Format your MA Thesis, where you will find all necessary information on format, length and citation.
How and where should I submit my MA thesis?
- Before submitting your Master thesis, send your supervisor the final version of your thesis via email. He/she will tell you whether the thesis is likely to be graded with at least a “4”. If that is the case, no further information will be provided, and no further consultation will be held at this point. The actual grade will be determined through the official grading process. However, if you are told that the thesis is unlikely to be graded positively, you should consult again with your supervisor to discuss how the thesis can be improved. If you get a “yes”, you can proceed to electronic submission.
- Electronic submission: Upload the complete and final version of your thesis as one single PDF-file here
- Submission in hard copy: Hand in person two hard copies of your MA thesis together with the forms: 'Prüfungspass', 'Anerkennungsliste' (if student took classes abroad) and the 'Studienblatt' of the current semester at the StudienServiceCenter [SSC] within 10 working days after electronic submission. Please note that issuance of the Elektronischer Prüfungspass (Electronic Record of Examination) can take up to 8 weeks.
- How long does it take? Realistically, you will have to consider a time span of about 4 months between the formal submission of your MA Thesis and your actual graduation.
Since none of the official copies will remain with your supervisor and/or EcoS, please consider Prof. Frank's request to also receive a personal copy of your thesis.
Your MA studies at EcoS will be finalised by an oral examination (defensio). After having received a grade for your MA thesis, you can register for your defensio.
The examination committee at your defensio will consist of three persons: the head of examination committee (the Director of Studies [SPL], currently Prof. Weigelin-Schwiedrzik) and two examiners. Your supervisor will be first examiner. All professors and staff with doctoral degrees at the Department of East Asian Studies are elegible to be your second examiner. Preferably, contact the person most closely related to your own field of research. If in doubt, contact EcoS staff for help on your choice (ecos[at]univie.ac.at).
After knowing who your second examiner will be, you must contact the Director of Studies and ask for a possible date for your defensio. Defensios take place on Wednesdays between 10:45 to 13:00. The Director of Studies will get back to you with the next available dates. Once you have the date, please contact your supervisor and second examiner to confirm their availability.
Once the date and time is confirmed with all members of your examination committee, you can complete and submit (in person) the form SL/P4 Anmeldung zur Defensio ("Registration of Defensio") to the SSC at least 14 days prior to your actual examination date.
What kind of exam is my oral MA examination? What do I have to prepare? What is the exact procedure of the oral examination?
At the very end of your EcoS studies, you will defend your MA thesis in front of an examination committee composed of three people.
Your examination will be a defensio type of exam (see EcoS Curriculum), i.e. a public defence of your MA thesis. The defensio gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in your MA topic by answering complex questions.
Preparation
- Prepare your MA Poster and send it to ecos[at]univie.ac.at, together with a scanned copy of the signed Declaration of Consent.
- Remind both of your examiners to send you their questions.
- Prepare handouts for the entire examination committee (at least one A4 copy of your MA poster for each person, and one A3 colour print)
- You may prepare notes for your presentation as well as the ensuing Q&A sessions. However, make sure not to read out a manuscript during your examination.
- You may also bring additional material (maps, pictures etc.) to your examination. However, you are not advised to use Power Point, Prezi or any other electronic presentation method. Laptop and beamer are not provided for your defensio.
Please note: You must submit the pdf version of your MA poster at least one week in advance. Expect to receive feedback (orthography and layout, not content) on your poster. Download and read the instructions for the MA Poster here.
Please note: You are expected to be able to elaborate on each of your exam questions in a detailed manner. In your own interest, be prepared to discuss each bloc of questions for about 20 minutes.
Please do not forget to bring your MA Poster as well as handouts for the examination committee.
The examination will be a defensio type of exam [see EcoS Curriculum], i.e. a public defence of your MA thesis. It will take approximately 1 hour. First, you explain the main points of your thesis in a 20 minute presentation. You can present either in English or in German. After your presentation, each examiner will question you for 20 minutes.
Please note: The date of your final examination is also the day of your graduation.
We summarized the procedure of your defensio here
Please note: All the information was assembled from official documents. They were translated from German into English to the best of knowledge. In case of doubt, the original German document of the responsible academic institution does apply. If you notice any outdated information please inform us at ecos[at]univie.ac.at.