Writing Your Thesis Abroad
Would you like to develop your professional skills and strengthen your intercultural competencies at the same time? Why not combine your bachelor's or master's thesis with a stay abroad? Below you will find all the important information you need about preparing your thesis abroad - from finding a supervisor to choosing the right timing through to potential scholarships. Get inspired by reading the travel reports of former outgoing students who wrote their theses abroad.
Thesis Supervisors
As a rule, you will need two thesis supervisors if you want to write your thesis abroad:
- one supervisor at the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT), who will register the thesis at the appropriate time and evaluate it upon submission,
- and one supervisor at the host university or research institute abroad.
For this reason, we recommend that you contact a qualified examiner at the CIT and the university or research institution abroad to clarify the issue of supervision six to nine months before your planned stay abroad. It is your decision which to approach first. In some cases, certain chairs at our school already have personal contacts with working groups at institutions abroad. Speak to your supervisor to find out.
Research Modules Abroad
Aside from your thesis, you can also complete selected predominantly research modules of your curriculum abroad, such as Guided Research (Informatics) or Research Practice (Electrical and Computer Engineering). The same regulations and deadlines apply as those for writing a thesis abroad.
Preparing Your Stay Abroad
Whether deadlines, insurance, or permit of stay, if you plan to write your thesis abroad, you need to consider the following as you plan:
Carefully consider the timing of your stay abroad. If you have completed all modules of your curriculum except the thesis module towards the end of your studies, you will have the greatest flexibility in choosing when to start your stay abroad. If, for example, you decide to move your thesis forward by one semester and complete the final modules of your curriculum after your stay abroad, you will have to finish your thesis in good time so you do not miss the start of the new semester at TUM.
A stay abroad for the purpose of writing your thesis is self-organized. When choosing your destination, you are not tied to any of CIT’s partner universities or institutions.
In some cases, it may be possible to participate in one of our regular research programs and write your thesis based on that work. This, however, depends on the willingness and consent of the respective cooperation partner.
The thesis regulations and deadlines of your subject area apply equally to a thesis written abroad:
Find out in advance whether you will be insured through the university or research institution abroad. If not, find out what kind of insurance you are required to hold – for example, travel health insurance, personal liability, and accident insurance. These requirements may vary depending on whether the country you visit is an EU member or not.
Find out in advance what the visa requirements are in the country where you intend to complete the stay abroad. Each country has its own regulations on the type of visa you require. You can obtain information on visa requirements at the consulate or other representative of your desired host country.
You are not allowed to earn examination credits at TUM during a leave of absence. It is, therefore, not possible to take a leave of absence if you want to have credits for your thesis recognized at TUM.
A stay abroad often involves high costs. There are a number of scholarships available to offer financial support:
- ERASMUS+ internships (Europe & worldwide)
- SEMP internships (Switzerland)
- Other scholarships
Please note: Students in the subject area of Electrical and Computer Engineering can also apply for one or more of the subject-specific foundation scholarships.