Examination module in the Master of Communication Science
Master's examination module and registration requirements
The examination module consists of an examination colloquium (5 CP) and a Master's thesis (25 CP), which are supervised by a first assessor from the IfK. The examination colloquium serves as methodological and subject-specific preparation and support for the Master's thesis. In the Master's thesis, students work independently on a scientific question. This question can be both theoretical and empirical in nature.
The following applies to students in the Master's degree programme in Communication Science: The requirements for registering for the Master's thesis and the examination colloquium is the successful gaining of at least 50 CP.
Procedure of the Master's examination module
1. Schedule
Summer semester
| Submission of an exposé to desired first supervisor | end of March |
| Feedback on the exposé and acceptance/rejection | end to mid-April |
| Registration of work | mid to end of April |
| Submission of work | mid to end of September |
| Submission of assessment report | by mid-November |
Winter semester
| Submission of an exposé to desired first supervisor | end of September |
| Feedback on the exposé and acceptance/rejection | end to mid-October |
| Registration of work | mid to end of October |
| Submission of work | mid to end of March |
| Submission of assessment report | by mid-May |
2. Independent contacting with first and second supervisor
Well before you register, usually in the course of the third semester, you should contact your preferred first supervisor with a proposed topic and a request for supervision. You will then look for a second supervisor in consultation with the first supervisor.
Supervisors for Master's theses are usually professors. In exceptional cases and by arrangement, staff with a doctorate can also supervise a thesis. If the first supervisor is a member of staff with a doctorate, the second reviewer should be a professor. In many cases, your Master's thesis topic will result from a research project or an event in which you have participated and which was organised by your chosen first supervisor. Ideally, your second assessor will also have a good knowledge of the subject area of your Master's thesis topic, recognisable, for example, from current publications, research projects and research priorities.
3. Exposé (as part of the exam colloquium)
Once you have found your first and second supervisors and agreed on a broad topic for your Master's thesis, you will write an exposé as part of the examination colloquium in which you concretise your Master's thesis topic. The first supervisor will inform you about the exam colloquium procedure.
The exposé is a brief description of the Master's thesis, in which the research question and structure of the planned thesis are concretised in consultation with your first supervisor. The exposé should be a helpful working basis for you and your first supervisor. The exposé must be submitted to your first supervisor by the deadline (see schedule).
The exposé should consist of five to a maximum of eight pages (without cover page, including bibliography). Further information on the design of the exposé for Master's theses at the Department of Communication can be found here.
For the exam colloquium, you must book your participation and register for the required coursework in SAP SLcM directly after registering your Master's thesis (see point 4). You can book your participation and register for the required coursework in the course catalogue app. FAQs on SAP SLcM can be found here.
You will receive feedback on your exposé within around two weeks and will be informed by your first supervisor whether your Master's thesis topic has been accepted or rejected. Under certain circumstances, the acceptance of the exposé is not only linked to revision requirements, but even to a completely new draft. You may only register your Master's thesis once your first supervisor has approved your exposé.
4. Registration of the Master's thesis
Once the exposé has been accepted by the first reviewer, you must register your Master's thesis in SAP SLcM. This is done in the Theses app (App Abschlussarbeiten) (Anmeldung, eng.: Registration). You will need your title – and subtitle if applicable – in German and English. The responsible examinations office (Examinations Office I, Münzstraße 10, 48143 Münster) will confirm your topic and the exact submission deadline in writing (usually by email).
Please note: The 5-month processing period for your Master's thesis starts on the date on which your first assessor has accepted the thesis in SAP SLcM
5. Submission of the Master's thesis
After the 5-month processing period, the Master's thesis must be submitted to the relevant examinations office by the deadline. Two printed copies (typewritten, bound, paginated) including the declaration of plagiarism and two Compact Discs (CDs) are required. The Master's thesis must be available on the CD, once as a Word document and once as a PDF. The Master's thesis should not exceed 80 pages (i.e., approx. 24,000 words excluding title page, table of contents, bibliography and appendix).
Please note: If the deadline is not met, the work will be graded as "insufficient" and is therefore failed. The thesis can then only be repeated once. A one-off extension of the deadline by four weeks is only possible for serious reasons and must be clarified with the Dean's Office (Dekanat).
6. Assessment
The first and second supervisor have around eight weeks after submission of the Master's thesis to assess it. The grade of the thesis is calculated from the arithmetic mean of the assessments of both supervisors. If there is a difference >2.0 between the assessments of the two assessors or if one assessment is "insufficient" but the other is "sufficient" or better, a third supervisor will be consulted.
7. Tips
Register for the following semester to avoid being exmatriculated before the grade of your Master's examination module has been posted! You can apply for a refund of the semester fee by 15 November or 15 May of each year.
If you are planning a stay abroad or a longer internship before the Master's examination module, it is worth applying for a break semester. Since the break semester is not counted as regular study time, you can still complete your degree programme within the standard period of study.
Further information and advice on exmatriculation, refund of semester fees and leave of absence can be obtained from the Student Admissions Office.
Further information on the Master's examination module can be found in the examination regulations for the Master's degree programmes in Communication Science and Strategic Communication.
If you have any questions, please contact the programme coordinator Dr Katherine M. Engelke (currently on parental leave) or Dr Lars-Ole Wehden.