Thesis
In Germany and Austria, a diploma thesis or diploma thesis is the written final thesis of a diploma course at a university or vocational academy . In Austria, the term also refers to project work that must be carried out in addition to specialist exams at a vocational college . The diploma thesis is a written component of a diploma examination and, together with other services such as written examinations ( exams ) and / or oral examinations as well as the defense at universities to obtain the academic degree (diploma or diploma (FH)) and at vocational academies to obtain the diploma as state qualification.
By means of the diploma thesis, the person preparing the thesis should prove that he is able to work on a problem independently within a given period using scientific methods. Independent research is not a required part of the work.
For the external form, similar requirements apply as for dissertations (bound in A4 format , citation rules, etc., please submit approx. Four copies); the average length is 60–100 pages. The processing period is usually six months. If this scope is significantly exceeded in the case of experimental topics or extensive measurements , the detailed laboratory or measurement protocols can be deposited as an attachment in just one copy at the supervising institute.
In contrast to dissertations, for which there is an obligation to submit to the respective university library , diploma theses are only partially submitted and are therefore often not available for interlibrary loan .
With the end of the diploma courses as part of the Bologna process , the final theses in the form of a bachelor's and master's thesis take the place of the diploma thesis at many universities .