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Physik-Institut

Master Thesis and Degree

Step-by-Step to Graduation

  • Registration Master Thesis
    Registration for the master's thesis must take place at the beginning of the master's thesis.
    Please fill out the "Master's thesis registration (PDF, 87 KB)" form, have it signed by the supervisor and send it to the study coordinator (studium@physik.uzh.ch, Seminar webpage for defenses). If the master's thesis is carried out externally, a faculty member must sign as the person responsible for the module
  • Registration Master exam
    The master examination takes place as part of the "seminar for bachelor's and master's presen-
    tation" every Thursday between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. in Y36-K-08 (webpage). Registration for the master's exam must be made as early as possible, at least 2 weeks before the desired date. Please fill out the form "Registration Master Exam (PDF, 179 KB)", have it signed by the supervisor and send it to the study coordinator (studium@physik.uzh.ch).

  • Master exam
    The module exam for the master’s thesis consists of two parts, which each take about 30 minutes and are both graded. Firstly, students present their master’s thesis in a public presentation. In the second part, which is not open to the public, students must defend their thesis against a minimum of two lecturers. The questions focus on the field of the thesis.

  • Submission of the Master Thesis
    The master's thesis must be submitted no later than 2 weeks before the date of the master's
    examination to the supervisor (if nothing else is agreed upon).

  • Application for an MSc Degree in Physics
    Send the study coordinator (studium@physik.uzh.ch) a copy of your master thesis, bound and a PDF file, as well as thedeclaration of consent (PDF, 107 KB) and the signed list of attended seminar talks (PDF, 37 KB). Once you have obtained all the required credit points (usually after the Master's examination), you can apply for your master`s degree online via the link “Application for Degree in Student-Admin (Link)

  • A degree can still be issued for the previous semester, provided that all modules (including examinations) are completed at the latest before the start of the lecture period of the following semester.

For supervisors

Thesis

The central focus of the master’s program is a master’s thesis. It consists of an independent research contribution within one of the research teams in physics at our university. The work required for a master’s thesis along with the preparation for the module exam corresponds to 50 credit points, usually approximately 9 months of full time work. Part-time work or vacations of up to 3 weeks are possible in consultation with the supervisor and extend this 9-month period duration accordingly. All master’s theses must be documented in a written report, which will be graded.

You can find suggested topics for a bachelor’s thesis at  www.physik.uzh.ch/de/studium/bachelor-Masterarbeiten.html. We also recommend to ask directly in the research groups.

Latex template (ZIP, 802 KB) for thesis (PDF, 430 KB).

External theses

Theses may also be completed with an external research team. Students must submit a written request along with a work outline to a faculty member in the UZH’s physics department, who has to be willing to accept responsibility for the thesis and designate the courses the students should attend. Such a thesis must centre on a question within the field of physics. Theses with external research groups need to meet the requirements of a master’s thesis in physics at the UZH in duration, quality, mentorship and grading. The corresponding credit points will therefore be counted as credit points earned at the University of Zurich.

Exam

The module exam for the master’s thesis consists of two parts, which each take about 30 minutes and are both graded. Firstly, students present their master’s thesis in a public presentation. In the second part, which is not open to the public, students must defend their thesis against a minimum of two lecturers. The questions focus on the field of the thesis. The overall grade for a student’s master’s thesis is composed of a weighted average of their written report (2/3) and their module exam (1/3). A student must achieve at least a 4.0 for both the thesis and the exam.

Grading criteria for a master thesis (PDF, 147 KB)

Dates

Dates for the master’s thesis defense and module exam are set individually in consultation with theresponsible faculty member. The forms necessary to sign up can be found at http://www.physik.uzh.ch/de/studium/studienberatung/formulare.html
The defense seminar usually takes place Thursday between 15 and 17

Study guide

The Guide to Physics Studies provides comprehensive information about the Bachelor's and Master's programs.