Master’s Thesis with Accompanying Colloquium (30 credits)

The master’s thesis is meant to prove the student’s ability to work independently on an advanced problem from the bioinformatical field using scientific methods, as well as the student's ability to evaluate the findings appropriately and to depict them both orally and in written form in an adequate manner. (SPO 2019, § 9)

Please read § 9 of the Study/Examination regulations (SPO 2019)

If the study regulations of 2012 apply to you, please have a look here.

If you're looking for a thesis, here are some suggestions.

Unofficial Extract from the Regulations:

• Students can only be admitted to the master's thesis if they have successfully completed modules totaling 60 credits or more within the master's degree program.

• For the registration of the master thesis please use the form "Registration for the master thesis". You can find it on the pages of the examination office!

Important: Be sure to register your master thesis right at the beginning of work! Late registration can lead to non-recognition of the Master's thesis!

• The master's thesis should be approximately 70 pages in length.
• The processing time is 23 weeks. Note: An extension is not possible. If your thesis is delayed for an important reason (for which you are not responsible), please contact the Examination Office with the relevant supporting documents.
• Early submission (well before the deadline) may lead to a review of the actual processing time, e.g. by consulting the supervisors.
• The thesis cannot be submitted before half of the processing time has elapsed!
• The written part must be written in English.
• The master's thesis must be evaluated by two authorized examiners. One of the two examiners should be the supervisor of the master's thesis. At least one of the two authorized examiners* must be involved in teaching the master's program and simultaneously be a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science or the Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy of the Freie Universität Berlin or at Charité.
• If approved by the examining board, the work on the master's thesis can also be done externally at a suitable business or scientific or research institution, as long as scientific and scholarly supervision by an examiner in the program in bioinformatics is ensured.
• The master's thesis is accompanied by a colloquium, which usually takes place in the assigned working group during the processing time. Students are expected to give a one-time presentation lasting approximately 30 minutes on the progress of their master's thesis.
• The master's thesis must be submitted in electronic form (PDF), by e-mail to the examination office. When submitting the thesis, the student must certify in writing that he or she has written the thesis independently and has not used any sources or aids other than those specified. Use the Declaration of Authorship provided by the examination office for this purpose.

*These are usually all PhD scientists involved in teaching in the Master's program in Bioinformatics. However, persons who are not directly involved in teaching may also be authorized. In case of doubt, please contact the examination office, which can check if a certain examiner or combination of examiners is possible or not.
Note: The two examiners of a master thesis should come from different working groups.

The Informationen & Anleitungen of the examination office offer further information concerning the registration and submitting regulations of the master’s thesis (in german). The registration form is available in English.

It is advisable to make an appointment with the examination office towards the end of your studies, i.e. around the start of your Master's thesis. There it can be clarified whether your courses are complete or which courses you still need to complete. Your questions about the Master's thesis (registration, examiners, submission, defense) can be answered. In addition, the further steps towards graduation will be explained to you in detail. Then you have a good basis for planning and can concentrate on your master's thesis without fearing unpleasant surprises.

Please note: If you have completed all the coursework and only need to finish the master's thesis, you no longer need to be enrolled, (but you are allowed to, of course).

Every summer semester the Mentoring organizes the workshop “How to write a bachelor’s / master’s thesis in bioinformatics”. Here you receive helpful tips and are free to ask your questions.

Here you can find a compilation of important information (FAQ Abschlussarbeit, in German).