Final theses at the chair of Prof. Dr. Uwe Wilkesmann

Guidelines for Master and Bachelor theses

If you are interested in writing a Master or Bachelor thesis at the chair of Prof. Dr. Uwe Wilkesmann, a short exposé (1–2 pages) is required. Especially for a Master thesis, the exposé should already clearly indicate how you envision the connection of your research question with the chosen theoretical framework and research method. The exposé should include the following aspects:

Structure of the exposé for the Master and Bachelor thesis

Research question: What is the problem you want to investigate? Please formulate this in a research question. (An evaluation criterion of the thesis is whether you have chosen a good research question that has been answered both theoretically and empirically in the course of the thesis. The argumentation in the thesis must be characterized by a comprehensible common thread).
Theoretical foundations: Which theoretical assumptions are used as a basis? Which important research approaches and results already exist in the narrower context of your research question? Justify these choices with reference to your research question. (An evaluation criterion of the later work is whether you can adequately relate a theory to your research question and whether you know the current state of research and can present it argumentatively).
Hypotheses and research guiding assumptions: Concretization of the research question using theory (exemplary and without claim to completeness).
For quantitative research design (preferred): Which hypotheses do you want to test?
For qualitative research design: With which research guiding assumptions (about expected results) do you enter the investigation?
(For both research designs one important criterion for evaluation is whether the work was conducted in a methodologically correct manner).
Methodological procedure: What data collection and analysis procedures will you use? What is your approach to the research field? Which sample will be used? Why is this method particularly suitable to answer your research question?

Please outline all of the listed points in a short exposé (1-2 pages).

Location & approach

By car

The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is “Dortmund-Eichlinghofen” (closer to South Campus), and from B 1 / A 40 “Dortmund-Dorstfeld” (closer to North Campus). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.

To get from North Campus to South Campus by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at North Campus and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.

By train

TU Dortmund University has its own train station (“Dortmund Universität”). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station (“Dortmund Hauptbahnhof”) and Düsseldorf main station via the “Düsseldorf Airport Train Station” (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 15 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.

You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station “Stadtgarten”, usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At “Stadtgarten” you switch trains and get on line U42 towards “Hombruch”. Look out for the Station “An der Palmweide”. From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop “Dortmund Kampstraße”. From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop “Dortmund Wittener Straße”. Switch to bus line 447 and get off at “Dortmund Universität S”.

By plane

The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.

The H-Bahn (Suspended Monorail System)

The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on North Campus. One (“Dortmund Universität S”) is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the “Technologiepark” and (via South Campus) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at North Campus and offers a direct connection to South Campus every five minutes.

Map

The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent “Technologiepark”.

Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).