Open Theses

Guideline for Bachelor and Master Thesis Applicants

1) Eligibility

• Open to Bachelor’s and Master’s students in the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT).
• Strong academic performance is expected (please include your transcript of records).
• Prior experience in our research areas (e.g., software engineering, software testing, AI for software) is a plus.

2) Application Procedure

Send one email to application(at)seai.cit.tum.de using your university email account. Please include:

• Short CV (max. 2 pages).
• Transcript of records.
• Research interests (2–3 areas relevant to our group; e.g., AI code generation, automated software testing, program analysis, developer productivity, HCI and AI, ML for SE).
• (Optional) Any prior research/project experience (e.g., seminar, HiWi work, internships, open-source contributions).
• If applying for suggested topics: list the topic IDs/titles in order of preference (see our current offerings on the website). These topics are aligned with ongoing research projects; feasibility within the official time frame is essential.
• If proposing your own topic: attach a 1–2 page concept note covering: research question, brief related work (state of the literature), intended contribution, planned data sources, and methods.
• Application email: application(at)seai.cit.tum.de
  Subject: Thesis Application – [Bachelor/Master] – [Your Name]

3) Thesis Process

A) Preparation Phase

• Initial interview with research staff.
• Literature review and scoping; define research questions and draft a working plan.
• Prepare a short proposal (3–4 pages) including a temporary thesis title, matriculation ID, and the official starting date.
• Registration: Only after you successfully complete this phase and your proposal is accepted by the chair can your thesis be registered in the system.

B) Implementation Phase

• Work independently with regular check‑ins agreed with your supervisor.
• Maintain all artifacts (code, experiments, datasets, text) in a version‑controlled repository (e.g., GitHub/GitLab). Your supervisor must have access.
• Practice proactive communication: if issues arise, inform your supervisor early.

C) Final Phase

• Submit your thesis within the official period (Bachelor: 4 months; Master: 6 months).
• Deliver a final presentation (~20‑min talk + 10‑min Q&A). Depending on the arrangement with your supervisor, this takes place shortly before or after completion of the thesis in front of the chair’s staff.

4) Requirements

• Thesis language: English.
• Reproducibility & openness: Results (code, data, reports) must be documented and—where possible—published under an open‑source license (exceptions apply for data protection/NDAs).
• Style & quality: Follow the group’s presentation and writing guidelines.

5) Expectations

• Academic integrity and independent work at a high standard.
• Regular progress updates and responsiveness to feedback.
• Professional conduct and adherence to deadlines.