Degree programmes

• M.A. Business Administration: Economics & Law (research colloquium according to § 11 para. 2 MPO BWL:W&R)
• B.A. WIWI / BWL jur. (accompanying course according to § 22 para. 5 BPO)
  

Aim of the course

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the basics of academic work and to give them the opportunity to have their thesis critiqued by fellow students at the earliest possible stage. Participation is compulsory for all students writing their thesis in the Department of Finance and Banking.

Programme of the event

The course consists of three parts:

1. introduction to academic work

This is an introduction to formal and methodological aspects of academic work in the field of Finance & Banking by the lecturers.

2. presentation of a scientific article from the subject area of the final thesis

This phase serves to learn and deepen the handling of subject-specific academic literature. Students select an article from a peer-reviewed finance or accounting journal according to their research interests, which they present in the colloquium and discuss in the context of the literature cited in the article. In principle, only journals that are listed in recognised journal ratings - for example, that of the Association of University Professors of Business Administration ("VHB-Rating", available at https://www.vhbonline.org/services/vhb-rating-2024)- are available for selection. The following applies in detail:

• Bachelor's students select an essay in German or English from a journal rated at least C in the VHB rating.
• Master's students select an English-language article from a journal rated at least B in the VHB rating.
• All selected articles must have a quantitative-empirical orientation.

Deviations from these rules require consultation with the thesis supervisor. A PDF of the selected article and the presentation slides must be made available to the other participants via Stud.IP before the presentation.

3. presentation of the concept of the thesis

In this phase, students present their research project to the plenary. The main purpose of the presentation is to stimulate a discussion about the relevance of the research question, the literature context and the methodological approach. If initial results are already available, these can also be discussed. The presentation slides or a meaningful abstract of the presentation must be made available to the other participants via Stud.IP before the presentation.