Master Thesis
Below, you will find comprehensive instructions to guide you through each step of your EMGS master's thesis journey, from selecting a topic and supervisor to the final submission of your work. Follow these guidelines to ensure a smooth and successful thesis process.
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.
Please note: The University of Vienna does not offer the Option of Co-Supervision.
Two general recommendations
- 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.
- 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. The Website of the SCC explains the procedure step-by-step.
Register your master thesis at the SSC.
How to register you thesis?
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Register your thesis (recommended deadline: by March 1):
After choosing your topic and supervisor, please submit the following documents at teh SCC.
(a) the signed supervision agreement (pdf)
(b) the declaration on good academic practice (pdf)
(c) a short thesis proposal / abstract -
Approval by the SSC
The SSC will approve your request within a month. If you do not hear back from the SSC within this timeframe, your thesis topic and supervisor are approved. If the request has not been accepted, you will be contacted within a month. Once your topic and supervision are confirmed, you can commence the writing process. Aim for a writing period between February and August.
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How to approve a postdoc as a supervisor:
1. Explain your choice of supervision to the EMGS director Juliane Schiel and ask for approval.
2. Fill in the declaration (pdf) that you were unable to find an appropriate supervisor among the professors of the University of Vienna.
3. Submit this declaration to the SSC together with the documents (supervision agreement, declaration on good academic practice and a proposal) as described above.
Review formalities and submit your thesis
Thesis formalities
- Thesis Length: Confirm the exact length with your supervisor. If your supervisor does not provide specific instructions, aim for at least 80 pages, as this is the typical length for Master's theses at the University of Vienna.
- Title Pages: The first title page with the logo of the University of Vienna will be automatically generated in u:space upon thesis upload. The second title page with the logo of your first-year University must be added to your thesis document prior to uploading it to u:space. Templates for this will be provided by Sebastian Messer.
- Format: Use DIN A4 size paper.
- Margins: Maintain suitable margins to avoid binding issues.
- Font: Utilize a standard font such as Arial or Times New Roman.
- Abstracts: Provide both English and German abstracts, each consisting of at least 500 characters (incl. spaces).
- Important note: There is no final oral examination (defence) for EMGS Students. Only thesis submission is necessary.
How to submit your thesis
- Get approval by your supervisor: After finishing your thesis, your supervisor will need to give his/her approval before you can upload it to u:space.
- Inform the SSC and Sebastian Messer: Once uploaded, sign the upload confirmation, send it to the SSC from your unet email address and notify Sebastian Messer.
- Plagiarism check: Once the plagiarism check has been completed, the e-version of your thesis will be sent to your supervisor for assessment. You will be notified of the assessment from the SSC by email.
- Submit hard copies: Please only order the printing of your thesis once the plagiarism check has been successful. Consider to submit two hard copies with hardcover and double-sided printing. You have to submit the two print versions of your thesis within 10 days after your electronic submission at the SSC. You can either submit them during the opening hours of the SSC or at the porter's lodge on Campus (Mon - Fri 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.). Alternatively you can send the hard copies to the SSC by registered mail. Please be aware that you are obliged to submit print versions of your thesis (§ 86 UG).
- Final certificates: You will receive your final certificates from the SSC by email. If you need or want to have the documents as hard copies, please write a mail to the SSC from your unet email address and inform the colleagues about your residential address.
- Congratulations, you have made it! Time to celebrate at the Graduation Ceremony!
Submit your thesis here:
Graduation Ceremony
The final highlight of your EMGS studies is the graduation ceremony, held every November, to celebrate the successful completion of your master’s degree. During this event, we also honor the cohort's top graduate and the best master’s thesis of the year.
Additionally, the day before the ceremony, a graduate conference will be held where you are invited to present your thesis findings to the entire EMGS Consortium.
