Diploma/Master thesis
Diploma and Master's theses are scientific papers and serve to demonstrate the ability to work on scientific topics independently and in a way that is justifiable in terms of content and methodology.
Registration of the topic and declaration of the supervisor
The topic of the thesis is determined in agreement between a student and the supervisor. The assigment of a diploma thesis or master thesis has to be arranged so that the work can reasonably be done by the student within six months. Information on who is entitled to supervise a diploma thesis or master thesis can be found here (in German).
Registration of the topic and the supervisor
You can submit the topic of the diploma thesis or the master thesis anytime during your diploma or master study. Please note that it is recommended in the last year of the studies.
As soon as you have a topic and a confirmation about supervision, please register the topic and supervisor by doing the following:
- Hand in the registration form (with the signature of the supervisor) along with the form "Guidelines for good scientific practice" as scanned documents via e-mail (ssc.ktf@univie.ac.at)
- In case of a change of the topic and/or supervisor, an amendment has to be submitted (via the registration form)
Submission of the diploma/master's thesis
At the Faculty of Catholic Theology, diploma and master thesis can be constantly submitted. If you plan to take the final examination at a specific date, please take note of the of the deadlines for submission of the diploma or master's thesis.
- A prerequisite for the submission of the academic paper is the approval of the topic and supervision as well as the submission of the form "Regulations relating to good scientific practice" .
- The formal requirements for academic theses (in german) must be observed. For data protection reasons, no curriculum vitae or affidavit must be included. An English translation of the formal requirements can be found here.
- Further information on the use of publications in academic theses can be found on the website of the office of the Studienpräses (information available in german).
Please note: From 05.03.2024, the digital version of the academic thesis has to be submitted via u:space
Prior to submission
- First, you need to review and verify the data in u:space that will be printed on the title page. This information ia automatically loaded from university's database and includes your name and academic degrees you have already obtained as well as details regarding the supervision of your thesis.
- Every thesis must contain a German abstract of at least 500 characters. The abstract is a brief summary of the central points of your thesis. Optionally, you can also include an English abstract.
- For the title page of the thesis, there are concrete specifications regarding the layout and the data listed. To ensure that your title page is correct in terms of form and content, the system in u:space will automatically create it from your data.
- Please do not use a title page you have created yourself in advance, as this will not be accepted during the formal check!
Submission procedure
- Start by uploading your thesis on u:space. Once you have uploaded the document, you will receive an upload confirmation ("Hochladebestätigung").
- Send a scanned copy of the signed upload confirmation by email to ssc.ktf@univie.ac.at.
- If any textual similarities are detected between yor work and other texts, the study program managment will examine whether it constitutes plagiarism. Please do not proceed with printing your thesis until you have received feedback (via email to your u:account) confirming a sucessful plagiarism check. The printed version must exactly match the electronically submitted version.
- After a successful plagiarism check, you must submit the hard-bound copy of your thesis to the SSC. The thesis shall be submitted in DIN A4, portrait (vertical) format, bound in hard cover and printed double-sided.
- You will need to present the upload confirmation ("Hochladebestätigung") for this submission, if you have not already sent it by e-mail.
If you have any questions:
- For general questions about graduation and the submission process, please send an email to ssc.ktf@univie.ac.at
- If you have any questions about submitting or converting documents, please contact the FirstLevelSupport desk of the Library of the University of Vienna (u-theses.ub@univie.ac.at)
- For all questions after uploading, the SecondLevelSupport desk of the Office of the President of studies legislation and affairs is available (e-einreichung@univie.ac.at).
Submission of the hardcover diploma thesis or master thesis
As soon as your work has been cleared on HOPLA, you can send your hardcover copies to the SSC.
You must submit 2 hardcover copies of your thesis within ten working days of submitting the electronic version. Please note the formal requirements for the print version. If no hardcover copies have been submitted, no graduation documents may be sent to you.
Where can you hand in your hardcover diplomas/Master's theses?
- You can send the work via mail to the SSC (Schenkenstraße 8-10, 1010 Wien)
- You can put the hardcover copies in the SSC mailbox (Important: be sure to use the mailbox in the entrance area on the right, the one in front of the SSC is too small).
- Personal drop-off is possible during opening hours (Wed 10am-12pm, Thurs 2pm-4pm) with advance notice.
Assessment of the diploma thesis or master thesis
The diploma thesis or master thesis will be forwarded to the supervisor for assessment. The thesis has to be assessed within two months after submission, When the assessment is filed, you will be informed by the SSC and receive the review via e-mail. A positively assessed diploma thesis or master thesis is one of the requirements for the admission to the final examination.