How to find a supervisor

The university of Vienna is one of the biggest universities in Europe. With almost 90’000 students and c. 180 different study programs, it allows for all kinds of specialization. Depending on your research interest in the field of global history and global studies, you may find experts for your topic at the Faculty for Historical and Cultural studies (mainly history, art history, ethnology, and archaeology), the Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies (i.e. among others African studies, Near Eastern Studies, East Asian Studies, and South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies), the Faculty of Social Sciences (development studies, social and cultural anthropology, political science, sociology, science and technology studies et al.) or even beyond.

As the field of global history and global studies cuts across disciplines, you may make contacts with colleagues from different departments and faculties, even though the EMGS program is administratively linked to the Department of Economic and Social History and the Directorate of Studies for history (SPL7).

This wide range of choices opens many opportunities but may also easily feel overwhelming for you. We therefore would like to provide you with some advice on how to find your supervisor and submit your thesis in time.

Two general recommendations

  1. Benefit from a strong EMGS faculty: The ideal scenario and easiest way to develop your master thesis project is to find a supervisor among the members of the EMGS Faculty. Have a look at their research profiles and search for possible matches with your research interests.
  2. Take initiative: Given the size of the university of Vienna, not all professors are familiar with the EMGS program, but they might potentially be very interested in the research you intend to do. So do not hesitate to contact professors via e-mail and go to their office hours to talk about your research plans.

Our recommended schedule

  1. June/July: Meet the representatives of the Viennese EMGS faculty at the EMGS Summer school and tell them about your research interests and your plans and ideas about the master thesis. They can already give you some first guidance on where to find additional experts and relevant courses for your research interest.
  2. August/September: Contact relevant experts via e-mail, explain your study background and your research interest and search for classes these experts teach in the upcoming winter term.
  3. September/October: Choose as many of the elective courses of your 2nd year study program in the field of your master thesis. Attending a research seminar or a reading class is the best way to get to know potential supervisors and find the perfect match.
  4. Winter Term: Tell the teacher of your Graduate College I (Module 8, winter term) and the heads of study about your plans and the contacts you have made and ask for guidance and assistance if needed. Use the open office hours of the EMGS team to chat about your master thesis over a cup of coffee.
  5. January: Write your master thesis proposal, choose your supervisor and decide on the research question and title together with your supervisor. Please note that your supervisor must be a member (preferably a professor, i.e. Univ.-Prof., Assoz.-Prof., Ass.-Prof.) of the University of Vienna. Postdoctoral researchers may also act as supervisors but the thesis registration then needs a special procedure of approval. For more information see here. 
  6. February: Register your master thesis at the SSC.