Extension of the processing time
The examination regulations stipulate that, in justified cases, the completion period for a thesis may be extended by up to four weeks (Bachelor’s thesis), up to one month (Master’s thesis in International Management), or up to two months (Master’s thesis in all other Master’s programs). Any extension beyond these limits is not permitted. If the grounds for an extension listed below continue to apply, a request to withdraw from the thesis may be submitted. The decision regarding whether such an individual case exists rests with the chair of the Joint Examination Committee.
A special circumstance to be taken into account exists when there is a prolonged limitation on the student’s ability to perform that is relevant under examination regulations.
You must submit a request for an extension of the deadline without undue delay, no later than the expiration of the relevant grounds. To do so, you must submit all supporting documents necessary for a decision to the chair of the examination committee.
A request submitted no later than three business days (including Saturday) after the reason for the extension no longer applies is considered to have been submitted without undue delay. In addition, a request must be submitted no later than the last day of the currently valid processing period. Even if a medical certificate cannot yet be submitted at that time, the deadline must be strictly adhered to. You may submit a medical certificate at a later date.
We recommend submitting a request for an extension to the Registrar’s Office as soon as possible once the reason for the extension has become known. To avoid any uncertainty regarding whether the request will be approved, you may also submit a request for an extension in the meantime—that is, before your academic performance has returned to normal.
Medical certificates stating that a student is unable to take an exam for a period exceeding two weeks from the date of issuance will be accepted only in justified exceptional cases.
The extension of the processing deadline is intended to compensate for the time disadvantage resulting from the temporary limitation of performance capacity. Overcompensation must be avoided at all costs. Rather, strict care must be taken to ensure that an extension is granted only on grounds defined as justifiable for compensation in the examination regulations and that such grounds are sufficiently substantiated. This is also necessary to ensure equal treatment of all students, as even an exam completed within an extended deadline must still be comparable to one completed within the standard deadline.
In the event of an extension of the processing deadline, you will receive a notice specifying the extended deadline as well as the period for which the processing time is or was suspended. If, however, work on the thesis continues during this time, this constitutes an attempt at deception, which will result in the thesis being graded as a failing (5.0).
To simplify the process of requesting an extension of the deadline for submitting a thesis due to illness and obtaining a medical certificate attesting to an inability to take an exam, the Registrar’s Office has created two forms:
• extension request form
• template for a medical certificate
Medical certificates may be issued using the form. There is no requirement to use the form. What matters is not the use of the form, but that the candidate promptly provides the required information in writing to the chairperson via the Examinations Office and that the medical certificate contains the necessary details from the examining physician (name of the physician, physician’s stamp, physician’s signature, date of issuance, date of the last examination, period for which the impairment of performance was determined, brief description of the symptoms leading to the certification of inability to take the exam, and confirmation of acknowledgment of the examination regulations regarding the existence of an impairment of performance in the case of a thesis).
If the medical certificate attests to a reduction in work capacity lasting more than 14 days after the last examination, the physician must explain in detail the specific circumstances on which this prognosis is based.
Requests to extend the deadline for a thesis should be submitted via the WiSo-Inbox.
Additional Regulations for Master's Theses
Another reason that may justify an extension for a Master’s thesis (does not apply to Bachelor’s theses) exists when circumstances arise that significantly impair the candidate’s ability to complete the thesis, are beyond the candidate’s control, and are directly related to the content of the Master’s thesis. This could be the case if data essential for writing the master’s thesis is not available at the agreed-upon time, if interviews that are absolutely necessary take place later than planned, or if tools that are important for writing the thesis and had been promised are not available by the agreed-upon date. Even in such a case, you must submit a written request to the Examination Office without delay—within three business days after the reason ceases to exist and no later than the expiration of the current submission deadline.
The form for requesting an extension may also be used for such a request.
In such a case, in addition to a detailed, freely written explanation of the reasons, you must submit a certificate from the thesis advisor confirming the validity of the stated reasons and providing a recommendation regarding the duration of a possible extension.
Regardless of any reasons that may exist, the deadline for submitting a master’s thesis may be extended by a maximum of two months (in the International Management master’s program, by a maximum of one month).