Master's Thesis Guidelines

You may write your MA thesis in either during the spring or fall semester. The registration deadline is March and September respectively. The exact dates will be released a few weeks prior to the deadline with the 'MA Thesis Guidelines'.

MA Thesis Colloquium: you must attend the MA thesis colloquium, present your initial proposal and (later in the semester) the full research design, and actively participate in the discussions. Typically, there are around 5 meetings. You will need to register for the colloquium in myStudies.

MA Thesis Workshop: you must attend the MA thesis workshop and present the results of your MA thesis research in front of all MACIS students. This workshop usually takes place March and July respectively.

DownloadMA Thesis Guidelines Fall 2023 (PDF, 646 KB)

DownloadMA Thesis Guidelines Spring 2024 (PDF, 624 KB)

ETH Medal
Outstanding Master’s theses are honoured with the Silver Medal of ETH Zurich and a financial sum. Please find the directives here

Since the number of medals awarded is capped, the D-GESS is typically allocated with one medal over the three MA programs (MA CIS, MA GPW and MSc STP) each year. The directors of study will nominate the candidates and take a joint decision. The ETH Medal will be awarded at the Master's degree graduation ceremony.