FAQ Examination Board

Registration is possible from the start of the semester

For each registration, a confirmation email is sent to your student h-da email address. Please check your inbox immediately. This email can be used as proof. Ideally you should bring a print-out of this email to the exam, which makes it easier to control participants and provides clear proof in the event of ambiguity. By doing so you support the work of the assessor and will always be able to take part in the exam without a problem.

You will not be allowed to sit the exam. Unfortunately, no exceptions can be made in the interest of treating all students equally. To ensure that you do not miss the registration deadline, we recommend subscribing for the exam newsletter. It provides a warning before each exam about when the registration deadline expires. In addition, you can also register for all exams at the start of the semester. Later withdrawal is possible without a problem. Furthermore, you receive a confirmation email from the examination system for each registration. If you do not receive this email, please contact ZOE WBDS or the Examination Board immediately.

Please contact the Examination Board immediately by email. This applies in particular if you have not received a confirmation email from the examination system in response to your registration. By sending a message to the Examination Board you express your will, well before the registration deadline, to take part in the exam. If you send the message too late, you will not be allowed to register.

If it cannot be determined without doubts during the examination that you have registered correctly, you will be admitted with the proviso that your examination will only be corrected and marked if the registration can subsequently be established beyond doubt. If this is not possible, the examination attempt never took place.

Tip: Always keep the confirmation e-mails of the QIS system for the respective examination.

Yes, definitely. Even if it is “only” a preliminary assessment in the form of a presentation or a partial assessment. If your assessment has an effect on the overall grade of the module, it is necessary to register on time.

Yes. We recommend registering as early as possible (at the start of the semester/course) to rule out later problems. Please be aware that it is possible to deregister at any time, while registration is not possible at any time.

Compulsory enrolment is indispensable for the planning of courses. Accordingly, courses must be selected and taken after being requested to do so. Regardless of this, registration for examinations takes place during the usual registration period from the beginning of the semester. If you have forgotten to register, please contact the examination board directly to clarify your examination registration, who will then check whether you can be admitted on a case-by-case basis. We are working on registering you for the examination with your courseregistration, however this does not work yet because HIS does not yet offer this option.

The PO 2012 stipulates a deregistration deadline of 48 hours before the examination day to withdraw at the latest, the PO 2018 gives  a deadline of 24 hours. Exceptions are acute illnesses (please submit a medical certificate immediately). In order to ensure equal treatment during the expiry of the examination regulations 2012, the 24 hours deadline before the examination day applies to all students, regardless of the examination regulations.

Yes, in this case the partial assessments already completed do not count.

Yes, although as deregistration is possible via the system even shortly before the exam, you must have an important reason, such as a work obligation that cannot be delayed, or illness, and other unforeseen events, e.g. concerning the close family. Please send an email to the Examination Board. If necessary, the committee will request proof.

You must notify ZOE WBDS as quickly as your illness allows (without delay) and submit a doctor’s certificate. Without a certificate, an exam which you have not sat is deemed to not have been passed.

Normally, you only have to repeat the assessment you have missed. Please contact the respective lecturer immediately about this. If you have further questions that you are unable to clarify with the lecturer, please contact the Examination Board.

Normally, no. If the exam can be easily repeated by you due to its nature, only the modules missed have to be repeated. In special cases it is down to the discretion of the examiner, who shall communicate with the Examination Board about this. In such cases, please clarify the details with the examiner as quickly as possible. In case of doubt, the Examination Board is available to the examiner if there are queries.

In certain conditions, the ABPO offers compensatory measures. To receive this, you need to submit a comprehensive, informal, specialist doctor’s assessment in sufficient time before the respective assessed coursework or exam, for data privacy reasons exclusively to the Examination Board, which also recommends the scope of the compensation. The Examination Board will then notify you and the examiner about the compensation to be granted. Depending on the type of health impairment, the compensation can be restricted in time. The Examination Board will notify you of this explicitly, if applicable.

First talk to the lecturer. Exams should be graded within six weeks. If you receive no answer even after a repeat query and after the expiry of this period, please contact the Examination Board.

You should apply for a viewing or a meeting with the lecturer. In this meeting, you must be explained how the grade was calculated. You must have the opportunity to view your exam and ask any questions you may have.

In general the following applies: If you have received instructions on available legal remedies, you have four weeks to submit an objection about the contents of the statement. If you have not received this notification, the period is one year.

Please talk to your respective lecturers as early as possible and clarify whether an extension is possible. Please note: Extensions must be granted to all students in the course for reasons of equal treatment. If some of the students have already handed in, an extension is no longer possible!

As with all examinations, the assignment is then failed. Group work: In this case, the paper will be graded without the missing part. The missing part has no effect on the grading of the remaining content (since the group as a whole is not responsible for the non-delivery). The parts that were not handed in on time are then failed, and the affected students must take the module again.

No, enrolment is possible at any time. However, please take the end of the semester dates of 31.03. and 30.09. into consideration (see the FAQ about time planning).Please also remember to submit all documents by the deadline. Ideally, you should submit your application 4 - 6 weeks before the planned start date in order to have enough time to clarify any queries. Retroactive applications are not possible!

You can also see the registration     requirements in the BBPO [Special Provisions of the Examination Regulations] of your degree program. You must have obtained at least 54 CPs (for PO 2018: excluding the Professional Experience Module).

In addition, you must have completed the registration form in full and obtained the signatures of both supervisors. The thesis will not be approved until all information is complete. If the documents are submitted too late or incomplete, your application may be rejected. You will then have to find a new topic.

No. Registration in HIS is done after the verification of the submitted enrolment documents, and after the approval of the topic by the Examination Board by ZOE WBDS.

The best way is to count the days back from the last assessed coursework or exam [the thesis defence or Kolloquium].  The thesis defence/Kolloquium is always the last exam. It is normally set between two and six weeks after the submission of the thesis (as the supervisor has to read and evaluate the thesis and doing so requires time – please also take bank holidays and holiday periods into account).

Counting backwards from the submission of the thesis, you have 24 weeks to process your thesis. Submit your enrolment approx. 2 weeks before your planned start, so that the Examination Board has the chance to assess it and contact you in the event of questions. You should submit your registration approx. 4-6 weeks before you plan to start so that the examination board has the opportunity to review it and contact you if there are any questions. Retroactive registrations are not possible! Please make sure that both supervisors are registered and have already signed, especially the respective company supervisor must have signed. If you hand in your thesis shortly before the end of the semester, there is the possibility, in agreement with your supervisors, to schedule the colloquium on the day of handing in the thesis or a few days before or a short time later, as an exception and without any legal claim to this. However, you will not be able to receive your final grade at that time.

No. Just like the thesis, you also register for this exam when you submit your enrolment form. You can simply set a date with your two supervisors.

Yes. Definitely! If you are not enrolled, you cannot be assessed. In certain conditions (if the thesis defence only occurs a few days after the start of the semester) you will be refunded the contributions you have paid. Please enquire with the SSC about this.

To be on the safe side, yes. A refund of the fees is possible, please enquire about this at the SSC in good time.

No, provided no other assessments are outstanding. You have completed all the modules. The later acknowledgement or entry of grades into the examination system or the later issuing of the certificate has no effects on you in this respect.

The role of primary supervisor (reviewer) is allowed to be taken on by all professors in the Economics Department, as well as the specialist departments which “import” teaching into the MBA, as well as all lecturers, who have a teaching position for the semester in which the thesis is supposed to be written. The following can assume the role of second supervisor (second reviewer):

• All professors of the Economy Department as well as the respective specialist departments, which “import” teaching into the MBA, as well as all lecturers, who have a teaching position for the semester in which the thesis is supposed to be written.

• A company supervisor, if you write your thesis at your company. Company supervisors cannot assume the first supervisory role, unless they also have a teaching position at the department. In that case, a professor at the Economics Department, or the respective specialist departments which “import” teaching into the MBA, is to be chosen as the second supervisor.

All persons working in the company for an unlimited period of time at the time of taking over the supervision are allowed to act as company supervisors. The academic qualification of the company supervisor must at least correspond to the degree you are aiming for.

Master’s theses can only be supervised by work supervisors with a Masters      degree or equivalent (e.g. Diploma). Hereby it is irrelevant which specialist department the degree was obtained in, as long as the work supervisor has sufficient work experience in the subject area of your thesies.

If the company supervisor does not meet the criteria, the co-supervision must be taken over by a supervisor from the university.    

No. It is not reasonable for you to have to submit corresponding evidence. You should, however, ensure that the afore-mentioned conditions have been met (also to ensure you receive good support). It if later turns out that this was not the case, the examination process may be declared as invalid in some conditions, and the degree can be revoked.

They should allow you access to information and be available for any questions you might have. In addition, they should discuss the structure of your paper with you (and your respective supervisor at the university) and give you feedback on it. How much time is intended for this is a matter of discretion, there are no specifications from the university about this.
They should, however, actively support the progress of your thesis. You can request that they cooperate with you. In the event of doubt, first contact your respective supervisor at the university, so that you can have a clarifying meeting with them and – if that does not help – the Examination Board, to obtain advice about suitable actions. After submitting your thesis, the respective work supervisors will receive your work as well as a grading sheet (the grading sheet for the reviewer). They will read your thesis and assess it (an official assessment is not necessary, see the following question), where necessary in consultation with your respective supervisor at the university. The respective work supervisors are always present at the thesis defence. Then forward the completed grading sheet to your university, which in turn will forward all the documents to ZOE WBDS. The supervisors can agree on the grade, but their verdicts are independent. Each supervisor contributes 50% to the overall grade.

Of course.

No. Telephone and video conferences are used for coordination, while the same applies at the end for the thesis defence. It is important for an original of the record of assessment to be sent to ZEO WDBS later.

You should contact your respective supervisor at the university immediately, as well as the Examination Board. You can, however continue your work in the meantime.

If there are serious, justifiable and evident problems at the company, which cannot even be solved by a clarifying talk (if necessary between the two supervisors), a change of supervisor can be consented to, after consultation with the Examination Board. In this case, please contact your supervisor at the university immediately, who will then contact the Examination Board to discuss the further procedure. A change of supervisor at the university is only possible under very specific conditions. They are:

• In case of long-term illness, or
• A change of university.

Please contact the Examination Board immediately in each individual case, stating the specific conditions.

The specifications may vary slightly from supervisor to supervisor at the university. Consequently, please make sure you talk to your supervisor at the university in advance.  However the recommended length is, 70-90 pages.

In principle, the title page can be freely designed graphically. It can also contain company logos.

In any case, it must include the following information: 

• Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Darmstadt Business School
• Title of the thesis, subtitle if applicable
• Name, first name, matr.no.
• Supervisor, co-supervisor
• If applicable: created at company XY
• Processing period

No. In the literature, however, there are some general recommendations about the issue of working methods, for example which fonts or line spacings are to be recommended, care is advised with quotations, and a literature reference has to be created. Having said that, only the following are important:

• The cover sheet (Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Economics Department, Title of the Thesis, where applicable a sub-heading, name, enrolment no., reviewer, second reviewer, created at company XY, editing period).
• A restricting note, if applicable.
• The declaration of authorship (please do not forget to sign this declaration) – The thesis CANNOT be accepted without this declaration! In the event of violations of this declaration, the thesis will be graded as “failed”!
• The thesis is normally printed on one side (unless your supervisor at the university allows double-sided printing).
• The submission of two printed and bound copies + one electronic copy (on CD, a USB stick or directly by email as a pdf file, sent to the respective supervisor at the university).

Regarding all other aspects of (graphic) design (including the binding etc.), you are free to do as you wish. However, please make sure you discuss this point with your supervisor at the university. Normally, the two supervisors also communicate with each other about what (topics) should have particular emphasis. Many topics are so specific that general guidelines would be too restrictive or bureaucratic. Some professors also have written guidelines. The guidelines contain corresponding (general) notes. Please address these points in advance.

Yes, in exceptions the time required to write the thesis can be extended to up to double the original period of time. The Examination Board has to approve this. For this purpose, you have to make an informal application, in advance, stating convincing reasons. To do so, coordinate with your respective supervisor at the university before submitting the application for extension (approx. three to four weeks before submission), who will then declare their consent to the Examination Board (by email or by signing your application). Please be aware that there may be delays if there is a lack of consent, which shall be borne by you.

As early as possible, if you know that there might be problems. Normally, however, at the latest three to four weeks before the expiry of the deadline, as then you can anticipate how long you will still have to work on it. In addition, make sure that your application can be processed in time (also see the previous question). In very rare cases, exceptional situations with good justification (sudden serious impairments in the last five days before submission) a short-term extension can also be applied for. Under no circumstances can an extension be made retrospective.
A short-term application for extension, made on the basis of these reasons, which is not submitted at the latest two working days before the expiry of the thesis deadline, cannot be approved. In short-term cases of this kind, which lead more to organisational problems with the work than to problems with the content, the thesis can initially only be sent electronically before the thesis deadline, to ensure the deadline is met. The printed thesis must then be submitted at the next possible opportunity.
In case of doubt, please contact the Examination Board immediately (as quickly as possible) to avoid later problems due to late submission.

In general, reasons for an extension comprise all barriers which are not your fault, i.e. accidents, illnesses, certain events affecting your close family, obstructions and delays due to work, and delays in the project you are working on. In case of doubt, the reason is first to be presented in detail to your respective supervisor at the university, and to the Examination Board, and then, following a discussion with the supervisor at the university, suitable forms of evidence (e.g. reports, certificates of the employee) have to be provided. If in doubt, the Examination Board shall request further documents. You will, however, speed up the process and avoid any disadvantages to you, if you take all the necessary steps as quickly as possible.

You have to make an informal application to the Examination Board. This application must comprise the following:

• The duration of the extension (stating the duration as well as the start and end date)
• The justification (where applicable with evidence)
• Signed consent from the respective supervisor at the university to your application, or a corresponding email from the supervisor at the university.

No. Please discuss this point with your supervisor at the university. Basically, however, it is important for the evaluation from the company's point of view to what extent the results are useful for the company. The extent to which additional scientific aspects are appreciated by the company depends, among other things, on the topic. It is helpful if the supervisors agree on the objective of the thesis itself at the beginning of the processing time and also on the focus of the assessment at the latest after submission/before the colloquium.

No. Only the supervisor at the university has to do that. The work supervisor can, however, create documentation which is suitable, in its opinion and in coordination with the supervisor at the university, to safely justify the work grade even at a later date. To do so, the supervisor at the university can provide templates or templates from another university can be used, at which the supervisor has already supervised theses in the past.

The thesis can only be repeated once (Section 23, paragraph 4 ABPO).

The thesis is considered to have been handed in by the deadline if it is sent in digital form by e-mail as a PDF document to the examination secretariat, lecturer and corrector by the deadline. A print version must be handed in to the secretariat or sent by post no later than 14 days after the present deadline for handing in the thesis. Further printed versions are to be handed in to the lecturer and co-referee if required.

Please note that due to the current pandemic situation, it is currently not possible to ensure that the printed version is handed in personally at the secretariat. Therefore, it should currently only be sent by post. 

Unfortunately, in this case your thesis is classified as a fail. It cannot be accepted and assessed. The thesis defence (if already planned) is also not held.

In this case the thesis is, unfortunately, classified as a fail. The risk of lossin the post shall be borne by the sender (Section 12, paragraph 6 BBPO 2018).

If the submission falls on a Sunday or public holiday, hand in the work by 12 noon on the next working day. In addition, you can also send the work by e-mail (pdf) to your supervisor on the university side. If the university is closed on the next working day (e.g. between Christmas and New Year), you will hand in your work on the next possible date on which the university is open again. Please enquire in advance about the date on which the ZOE WBDS will be open again.

The thesis defence and the thesis are weighted 1:3, i.e. the thesis defence makes up 25 percent.

If you are still abroad, the thesis defence can be arrangedvia video conference.

Normally a thesis defence lasts approx. 90 minutes: a presentation of 40 minutes, followed by a discussion and questions which do not have a specified length, as well as consultation about the grade.
Please contact your respective supervisor at the university regarding what exactly has to be presented in the Colloquium exam. Normally, however, it concerns the inclusion of an objective, selected methodology and, in particular, the results, recommended actions and critical reflection in the presentation.
If your presentation is to be made to a large group in the company, a management-orientated presentation (e.g. without introducing the company) would make sense. Please clarify the details in advance with both of your supervisors.

Yes. The thesis defence is open to the university, so in principle all members of the university are allowed to take part. Often the group of people able to be present is, however, limited (see the restriction note in the thesis).
Particularly with theses that are done at a company, you can invite all interested parties. Presenting something to a larger group of interested parties, or even to the management, is excellent practice for you. The decision of who else should take part, in addition to your two supervisors, is exclusively yours, so you can exclude the general university public or other people. Please clarify these issues with your two supervisors in advance.

The thesis defence is generally open to the university. It can therefore be held at the university or at the company. You can exclude the university public on important grounds (with a restriction note). Please clarify these issues in advance with both your supervisors.

The thesis defence is normally held approx. four to six weeks after the submission of the thesis and a period for corrections. In individual cases, the thesis defence can occur on the day the thesis is submitted or a few days before or after its submission, if the end of semester is close (see above).

You set the date together with your two supervisors. There are no fixed requirements. However, please keep the semester end dates on 31.03. and 30.09 in mind.

Yes. To register the thesis you do not have to have passed all the other modules. It is therefore always independent of these exams. In these cases the respective last exam date in the certificate represents the date of the last exam (and therefore the certificate date) and not the thesis defence.

No. However, similar wording to the following text can normally be used: “This thesis contains confidential internal information of “XYZ GmbH”. Its content is therefore exclusively to be made available to the assessors. It is only allowed to be forwarded to third parties, reproduced or saved electronically, in full or in part, with the explicit written consent of the author/”XYZ GmbH”.
Where applicable, your work supervisor or the Law Department of your company can also help. Please clarify this in advance before submitting your thesis.

In this case the respective supervisor at the university can sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Please be aware that the legal advisor of the university can check this agreement at the request of the supervisor at the university, and advise where applicable changes may be necessary. Please consider this, regardless of the opinion of your company, in your time planning. However, it is usually sufficient to sign the document and send it back by email.

Usually it is applied on the cover sheet or on one of the first pages, before the table of contents.

The declaration of authorship is a core component of each paper. If it is lacking, the thesis may be graded as “failed”. The declaration is as follows:

“I hereby declare that I have created this thesis independently and have not used any aids other than those specified. If I have drawn on third-party materials, texts and thought processes, my statements shall contain full and clear references to the authors and sources. All other content in the submitted thesis comes from me with regards to the copyright, provided there are no references and quotes. This thesis has not been submitted in the same form, or a similar form, to any other examination authorities. I am aware that an attempt at deception exists if this statement turns out to be incorrect.”

The text for the declaration of authorship can also be found in the BBPO (Section 12). Please be aware, however, that the text may change due to new legal regulations, without being corrected in the latest version of the BBPO. You can always find the updated version in this list of FAQs.