If you are interested in pursuing a final theses in management at the Institute for Innovation, Strategy and Organization, you will find an overview of the subject areas in which we offer theses, as well as all relevant information about the process, on this website.

• Application & registration

  Note: Unfortunately, we have already reached our quota for theses for the third quarter of 2026. Registration will therefore not be available again until the fourth quarter (starting in early May).

  Applications can only be submitted within the period specified for the desired pickup quarter (see table below). Applications submitted outside these deadlines will not be considered.

   

  Please use the form on our website to apply. There you will specify five prioritized topics that you would like to work on as part of your bachelor's thesis. In addition, please upload your transcript of records and indicate on the form whether you have already taken courses at our institute—and if so, which ones.

   

  Once we have received your application, we will usually review it within ten working days. Please refrain from making any inquiries during this time. You will then receive feedback as to whether we can offer you a supervision place and which subject area your thesis will be assigned to. Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to academic suitability. We therefore recommend that you apply as early as possible, as the number of places available is limited. Once we have stopped accepting applications for a quarter, the application portal will be closed early.

  Once your application has been accepted, you will officially register for your bachelor's thesis via PAM.

  Shortly before the start of the respective quarter, a bachelor's thesis tutorial will take place, during which you will receive an introduction to academic work at our institute. You will receive further information about the tutorial after your application has been successfully accepted.

  Please note: We only supervise bachelor's theses in the field of management. If you would like to write in the field of finance, accounting, or marketing, please contact the relevant departments.

  Pickup of the topic	Registration period PAM	Priority query Institute
  First quarter of the year (January 1 - March 31)	August 1 - October 30.	August 1 - October 15.
  Second quarter of the year (April 1 - June 30)	November 1 - January 31.	November 1 - January 15.
  Third quarter of the year  (July 1 - September 30)	February 1 - April 30.	February 1 - April 15.
  4th quarter of the year (October 1 - December 31)	May 1 - July 31.	May 1 - July 15.

• Guidelines for Theses

  Bachelor’s theses at the Institute for Innovation, Strategy, and Organization are generally systematic literature reviews. The goal is to provide a structured overview of the current state of research, compare key concepts, and identify gaps in the research.

  Master’s theses, on the other hand, are empirically oriented. Whether the thesis takes a quantitative or qualitative approach depends on the specific research question.

  When registering, students may submit their own ideas and specific topic proposals within the topics listed below. However, these proposals serve only as a guide for the advisors. There is no guarantee that these proposals will be considered when assigning topics.

  Innovation Management

  The field of innovation management deals with the emergence, management, and impact of innovations in organizations. The focus is particularly on strategic decisions, leadership influences, and organizational conditions that enable or hinder innovation.

  Sample research questions for bachelor’s theses (systematic literature review)

  • The influence of the top management team’s long-term orientation on innovation strategy

  • Top management teams as drivers of AI innovation: Factors influencing adoption and implementation

  • The influence of artificial intelligence on sustainable innovation

  Sample Research Questions for Master’s Theses (Empirical)

  • The influence of gender-specific emotional differences among CEOs on innovation

  • The influence of CEO characteristics on companies’ innovation capabilities

  • The influence of artificial intelligence on companies’ innovation capabilities

   

   

  Sustainability Transformation

  This research area examines how companies can successfully transition to sustainable business practices (ecological, social, and economic). Particular emphasis is placed on the strategic management of this transformation, taking into account tensions between symbolic and substantive measures, as well as the roles of top management, governance, transparency, and external pressure.

  Sample Topics for Bachelor’s Theses (Systematic Literature Reviews)

  • The Role of the Chief Sustainability Officer in Corporate Sustainability

  • Corporate Governance and Greenwashing

  • The Interplay Between Physical Climate Impacts and Corporate Sustainability

  Sample Topics for Master’s Theses (empirical)

  • Sustainable business practices – between symbolic and substantive measures

  • The influence of governance structures on sustainable corporate practices

  • The relationship between ESG strategies and corporate success

   

  Digital Transformation

  Digital transformation is changing the way we live and work. In this thematic focus, we aim to understand how digital technologies (e.g., AI, platforms, data analysis) are transforming businesses and how digital technology can be effectively leveraged. We examine both strategic and organizational impacts, as well as the role of leadership and international experiences. The interplay between digitalization and sustainability is also explored.

  Sample topics for bachelor’s theses (systematic literature reviews)

  • The role of digitalization in the success of startups

  • The influence of artificial intelligence on employee identity in organizations

  • The influence of AI on sustainable innovation

  Sample Research Questions for Master’s Theses (Empirical)

  • The Impact of Digital Technology on Innovation Processes in Companies

  • The Impact of Digitalization on Decision-Making Processes in Companies

  • The Relationship Between AI and Corporate Sustainability Performance

   

  Transformation of the World of Work

  This topic area examines changes in work and organization in the context of technological, social, and economic developments. These include new work models, changing employee expectations, and new demands on leadership and organizations.

  Sample topics for bachelor’s theses (systematic literature reviews)

  • Recruiting employees in SMEs: Challenges and opportunities

  • Reasons for introducing a four-day workweek

  • The four-day workweek and its impact on companies

  Sample topics for master’s theses (empirical)

  • The impact of remote work on productivity and collaboration

  • The relationship between new work models and employee satisfaction

  • The impact of organizational changes on employer attractiveness

• Topic assignment

  The topic assignment for the final theses always takes place on Wednesdays, usually by email from the secretariat. To pick up your topic, you must fill out the candidate section of the Index Card  (last name, first name, student ID number, email, degree program, topic proposer, supervisor) on the Monday before the Wednesday of the pick-up and send it to  iso@uni-muenster.de . For the bachelor's thesis, the 8-week processing period begins when the topic is assigned. If the bachelor's thesis is to be completed during the course of study (i.e., fewer than 168 ECTS credits have been completed at the time the topic is picked up), the processing period can be extended to 12 weeks at the student's request. To do so, please mark the appropriate box on the index card and submit a transcript of grades (not older than 3 days). The chair will review the request and determine the processing period. For the master's thesis, a processing period of 5 months begins, when the topic is assigned. Public holidays during the processing period will be added as credit accordingly to final theses. Nevertheless, the submission date is decisive for allocation to the respective quarter, regardless of credited public holidays. Please take this into account when calculating your desired submission date. You can find the online calculator for calculating your processing period here. If you wish to extend the processing time, e.g., due to illness, please inform your supervisor and submit an official request directly to the Examination Office.

• Formal Requirements

  Further information on the formal requirements can be found in our Guidelines for writing academic papers.

• Submission of Thesis

  Bachelor's theses should be submitted digitally by the last day of the processing period at the latest. The deadline ends at 11:59 p.m. The affidavit and the declaration of consent to the plagiarism check must be included at the end of the thesis (download from PAM). Department 04 provides an application, the Thesis Uploader, for submission, which must be used. In addition to the thesis in PDF and Word format, empirical theses must also include the data sets (e.g., questionnaire data, archive data, or interview transcripts) and the analysis codes (e.g., the Do file in Stata), which must be uploaded via the Thesis Uploader. If the data cannot be transmitted in this way due to size restrictions, discuss with your supervisor at an early stage how you can transmit the data (e.g., via WeTransfer). A quick guide and FAQ can be found here.