Master's Thesis (BEMP)

The master’s thesis is part of the research phase, in which students work on a current problem in the field of biomedical engineering and medical physics. The topic and methodology of the master's thesis are characterized in a special way by the subject-specific qualification profile of the master’s program. Possible topics are based on the research focus of the departments, schools or groups participating in the Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics Master's program. Topics include Biological and Optical Imaging, Morphomolecular Imaging, Biopolymers and Bio-Interfaces, Neuroelectronics, Bio-inspired Information Processing, Computational Imaging, Phase-Contrast X-Ray Imaging, Creation of synthetic biological systems.

In the module Master's Thesis, students perform research on a specific scientific topic. The module involves performing experiments or/and simulations/calculations, writing a thesis, and orally presenting its main results in a Master's colloquium.

The Master’s thesis describes the methods chosen and the results obtained therewith. Moreover, it discusses and evaluates the results within the scientific framework of the current state of research.

After successful completion of the module the students are able to:

• to independently work on a question from the field of medical physics within a given period according to scientific methods and to summarize, to present and to discuss it in a scientific paper,
• apply learned theoretical and/or experimental background knowledge to the given problem in order to obtain results on the problem,
• analyse their own scientific results and classify them with regard to their significance in the subject area.
• summarize and present the methods used and results obtained in a written thesis and an oral presentation.

Admission requirements for the module are the passed modules Master's Seminar (PH1065) and Master's Work Experience (PH1075), as well as the proven participation in the mandatory mentoring.

The students carry out a scientific work independently, i.e. they carry out scientific experiments or theoretical calculations, evaluate the results independently, carry out literature research and summarise this in a written paper at the end and present it in a presentation. They receive the necessary support through regular discussions with the supervisor and members of the working group.

Scientific measurement setups, use of own recordings, topic- and discipline-specific media, computers.

Current scientific publications on the specific topic, depending on the research area.

The module Master's Thesis comprises the practical and/or theoretical treatment of a scientific topic, resulting in a thesis (type of assessment: research paper, 70%), and its oral presentation within the Master’s Colloquium (30%). Assessment criteria in form and content include

• the content structure of the thesis
• the introduction to the topic and the presentation of the state of the art
• the correct presentation of the theoretical principles
• the description of the student’s procedure
• the description of scientific results of the thesis
• the presentation of the student’s contribution in relation to pre-existing work
• the quality of the scientific discussion of the results
• the selection and quality of the illustrations
• the linguistic quality of the work
• the selection and completeness of references
• the contribution of own scientific ideas
• independence in carrying out of work.

The thesis includes:

• An exposition of the state of the art, based on a literature search.
• A description of the experiments or the simulations/calculations which were performed.
• A presentation of the results obtained.
• An assessment of the significance of the results within the scope of the chosen subject area.

Students have to demonstrate the ability to perform independent research on a scientific topic and to properly assess the significance of their results.
After submitting the thesis, its main methods and results are presented orally in the context of the Master's colloquium. It consists of a presentation (30 minutes) and an ensuing discussion (30 minutes), covering both the topic of the Master’s thesis and other related subject areas. The colloquium is evaluated by an examiner and an expert assistant. Students have to demonstrate the ability to discuss their results with experts and to assess their significance in the context of the chosen subject area.