Thesis

On this page you can find the guidelines, tips, and topics for Bachelor, Master, or Diploma theses at the Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (LEI).

Students have four months to work on their thesis, starting on the date where the thesis is officially registered. During these four months, students are required to take part in the research colloquium of the chair, which takes place one or two times each month. In the colloquium, students have a chance to present the progress of their work approximately halfways through the working time. The colloquium offers an opportunity to exchange ideas with other students and supervisors. Please enroll in OPAL/Final once you have officially registered your work. There you can find all the dates and information about the colloquium.

1. Application Process

The Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation offers you the opportunity to write a thesis (Bachelor, Master, Diploma). For this purpose, you write a 1-2 page abstract and send it until 28.02. (summer) or 31.08. (winter) including your overview of grades per email to the respective potential supervisor(s) and mandy.windisch@tu-dresden.de in Cc. Your exposé for the application includes the following contents:

Problem outline (topic and relevance)
Objective and research question + explanation (theoretical embedding based on scientific literature!)
Method (justification of choice)
List of references (APA; follow the rules of citation!)

An overview of the topics for theses offered by potential supervisors can be found in section 5. For your application, you select a topic that interests you. You present this choice of topic in the abstract and justify it using scientific literature. If your topic does not fit into the research profile of the chair or if your abstract does not have the necessary quality, you will be informed accordingly in the application process. In the course of this application process, a decision will be made in direct conversation with your potential supervisor as to whether supervision can finally be granted and, if necessary, the further supervision process will be discussed. You can write your thesis in German or English. Applications will be accepted until 28.02. (summer) or 31.08. (winter) by mail.

2. Requirements

Applications (= 1-2 page abstract) can be sent to the respective potential supervisors until 28.02. (summer) or 31.08. (winter). Please send your application by mail to the respective potential supervisors and in Cc to: .

Research Seminar:

Attending our research seminar is coupled with the writing of the Master and Diploma thesis in our department. We offer the seminar every semester. By applying for a master's or diploma thesis, you agree to take part in the research seminar in the respective semester.
For Master/Diplom: After accepting supervision of your thesis at the LEI, please register for the research seminar. Course registration is handled through the OPAL site for the research seminar, which you will attend in parallel to beginning working on your Master or Diploma Thesis. Here you can access the Application for the Master/Diploma thesis and research seminar.
We are in general open to proposals for Master and Diploma Theses in cooperation with companies, as long as they are research-oriented and not exclusively of practical relevance to a company. In this case, please plan ahead and get in touch with the department early on, in order to reach an agreement with the company.

Checklist:

Recommended requirements to write a bachelor's, diploma or master's thesis at LEI are:

Attendance in the major or minor or concentration in Management & Marketing.
Good performance in advanced subjects of the department.

The application documents include:

Abstract
Overview of grades (excerpt from HISQIS)

3. Work Procedure for Final Theses

The procedure is laid out in the following document:

Betreuungsablauf-Abschlussarbeiten_Stand-01-02-21.pdf

4. Guidelines for Final Theses

The guidelines for writing academic work provide detailed information about the research and writing process, as well as the format of final theses and seminars papers in the department.

Guidelines

Please use the department’s template for writing your final project. You can find the template here

5. Topics

Below you will find a list of potential supervisors and their topics at the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation:

Sophie Kutzsch, M. Sc.

Sophie Kutzsch offers the following topics for supervision in the summer term 2024

Crowdfunding as an alternative form of financing for potential founders (qualitative or quantitative study)
Crowdfunding and sustainability (literature review)
The development of the gray capital market in Germany from 2014-2024 (literature review)
Emotions in the field of investor relations (literature review or qualitative study)
The application of the principal-agent theory in crowdfunding research (literature review)
Crowdfunding as an alternative investment opportunity for private/small investors (quantitative study; alternatively - by prior arrangement - qualitative)

In addition, individual topics from the following areas can be worked on by prior arrangement:

Entrepreneurial Finance, insb. Venture Capital, Corporate Venture Capital, Crowdfunding/Crowdinvesting
Crowdfunding and Stakeholder Theory
Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Entrepreneurship