Master Thesis

If you would like to write a thesis with the Chair of Statistics & Econometrics, please follow these steps:

Before you start:

  1. Before submitting your application at our chair, make sure that you fulfill all requirements set out in the examination rules (Prüfungsordnung).
  2. Send an email to vanewijk@uni-mainz.de in which you apply for our supervision of your thesis. You should include the following information:
  • A recent transcript of your grades & the courses you have taken
  • A curriculum vitae
  • Your degree program & the number of semesters you have been studying
  • A short letter of motivation that describes your general area(s) of interest
  • If you already have an idea for a topic: a description of this topic, including if possible, an indication of which data set(s) you plan to be using

Please note that you may either work on a topic that you come up with yourself, or you can work on a topic proposed by our chair. (See below for some suggestions.)

  1. We will contact you after your submission to set up an appointment to discuss your topic choice with you.
  2. Next, you are required to draft an exposé based on the discussed topic. The exposé should give an overview of what you plan to write in your master thesis, including relevance of the topic, placement in the literature, contribution of your work as well as an outline of the analysis plan and the dataset you will be using. It should be a maximum of 4 pages long (excl. references).

While writing your thesis:

  1. Only officially register your thesis once you have received access to the data that  you will be working with. After registration, you have four (4) months to complete your thesis.
  2. After each meeting with your supervisor: send your supervisor a document with a summary of the main points discussed and agreed upon during the meeting. Do this within two working days after the meeting.
  3. Stick to the guidelines for writing a master thesis at your chair which can be found here
  4. While you are writing your master thesis at our chari, you are required to attend your chair colloquium, which takes place every 2-3 weeks.
  5. During your work on your thesis, you will be required to informally present your thesis at our chair colloquium. Your presentation will not be graded, but the colloquium will serve as an important source of feedback (optional).

After finishing your thesis:

  1. Your master thesis is to be handed in electronically as a PDF file. In order to hand in your master thesis, send an e-mail from your students account to studienbuero-fb03@uni-mainz.de. The statutory declaration must be included in the thesis or can be attached as a separate PDF-file to the same e-mail (digital signatures are accepted by the examinations office). If you write an empirical thesis, make sure to also attach all files or documents (STATA-Do-files, STATA-Log-files, Excel-files, MatLab-Code etc.) in addition to the thesis. The study office will forward the e-mails unchanged with all attachments to your supervisor after checking that they have been submitted in due form and time.
  2. 4-6 weeks after submission, you need to present your thesis in a graded presentation.

 

Master thesis topics

Below you find a list of proposals for master thesis topics that can be supervised at our chair. If you would like a full description, please send an email to sekretariat.vanewijk@uni-mainz.de. Please note that some topics are tied to a specific supervisor. Availability of the topics may therefore depend on the availability of the respective supervisor.

Exploring the Links between the Natural Environment in Early-Life and Health along the Life-Course

(Examples for potential early-life exposures: temperature/rainfall variation, storms, droughts, floods...)

Weather variation and household nutritional diversity

The effects of shale gas development (SGD) via hydraulic fracturing on infant health and development

Is exposure to Ramadan during pregnancy related to marriage decisions and household emigration?

What did your mother experience while she was in the womb? Intergenerational effects of prenatal shocks

Parental Education & Time Spent on Childcare

A New Normal: Remote Work’s Impact on Employee Satisfaction, Work-Life Balance, and Productivity in Germany

Economic Uncertainty and Its Impact on Fertility Timing and Decisions in Germany