How to find a topic for your thesis – (tips for Economics and Business Students)

Towards the end of your degree writing a thesis is one of the major challenges that still await you. Before getting started with researching and writing your thesis the first important step is to find a topic to write about. This step often proves not only to be one of the most decisive steps in the process of producing a first-class thesis. It also tends to be one that students tend to struggle with. After all, there are so many potential topics!

It goes without saying that, of course, the topic you choose needs to be relevant to your course or major. Within the realm of your subject, though, you are usually very free to choose a topic that just interests you. Ideally, there are some modules in your degree that you found particularly interesting and about which you already have a profound general understanding. Maybe you are also aware of some topical research that you would like to study more thoroughly.

Spotting your interests may not be too hard, but coming up with a sufficiently concrete, relevant research question may prove to be much harder. This article is, therefore, dedicated to guiding you through the process of finding a suitable and exciting topic for your thesis.

How to find interesting subject areas

1. Your course

The most obvious way of going about finding a thesis topic is to reflect on past topics in your course. By now, you will have attended many lectures, seminars, labs, or tutorials. Ask yourself: Which module did I enjoy most? Which essay did I find the most interesting to write? If there is a module/ essay you particularly liked it is worth thinking about which further, in-depth questions you might have about the topic. A long-term strategy to find an exciting thesis topic would also be to listen attentively to which topical research your tutors mention in lectures. Beyond, you can, of course, always walk up to your tutor after a lecture or seminar and ask them about more niche topics in the broader subject area which they would recommend writing a thesis about.

2. Current publications

Looking into some recent publications in your subject area is a further source of inspiration. You will find a plethora of recent research topics that are highly relevant in the modern world. Often times you will also find literature reviews that summarise the state-of-the-art research and suggest further questions to be asked. If there are no literature reviews to a certain topic yet, you might also want to consider dedicating your thesis to doing one yourself. In his paper, State-of-the-Art dynamischer Methoden zur multikriteriellen Entscheidungsunterstützung JUMS-author Sebastian Schär did exactly that.

Literature reviews are not only helpful for gaining a good overview of state-of-the-art research. Oftentimes, researchers often include an entire “Future Research”-section at the end of their article/ paper which can serve as a direct source of inspiration for you.

3. Personal Interests

You may also want to ask yourself whether there are any hobbies which you can somehow connect to your course. Maybe your sport has some hidden relevance to game theory? Maybe your family’s history is a good starting point for an enquiry into a certain historical period? You get the gist. There are plenty of opportunities to connect your interests and identity to a thesis topic if you want. Many of our JUMS-authors have done exactly that. Niklas T. Bretschneider, for instance wrote about Revenue Sharing in European Football: An Assessment of the Bundesliga’s New Four-Pillar Model, combining his interest in the German Soccer League with his Business studies.

4. Brainstorming

Sometimes it is a good idea to let your thoughts flow. Just take a piece of paper and write everything down that comes to your mind. You can also choose a specific word such as “digitalisation”, “new work” or “Industry 4.0.” and brainstorm about it. Mind-mapping may help you with it.

5. Fellow students and friends

Talking to fellow students and friends who are also looking for a thesis topic at the moment can be a helpful approach, too. Conversations often lead to new ideas and hearing other people’s thoughts on your ideas will assist you in sharpening your plans and thoughts.

6. Work experience

Have you gained work experience or interned? Have you witnessed or heard about issues that are relevant to your field of study? Have you become aware of practical topics that   could use some theoretical investigation? In these cases, your work experience or internship may prove helpful in formulating a concrete and highly relevant thesis topic.

Alternatively, if you have a clear idea of what kind of career you want to work in after graduating, you could choose your topic according to your career plans and impress a potential future employer with your apposite thesis. A thesis that proves your theoretical expertise in your preferred area of work might give you that necessary edge over other candidates.

7. Tenders

If you don’t have any ideas yourself or feel overwhelmed by the breadth of choice, you can also check whether the departments at your university are currently offering topics for theses. This will save you the trouble of looking for a topic and, in many cases, you will already have a supervisor. With advertised topics, you are usually contributing to larger research projects. Your thesis will therefore become part of a greater scientific puzzle. Benefits of taking up thesis-tenders do not only include the satisfaction derived from helping a bigger, more influential project succeed but also the highly intense supervision you will profit from. By the way: Not all departments are communicating digitally yet. Thus, it is sometimes also worth looking at the noticeboards at the departments.

8. Companies

You can also write your thesis as part of work experience at a company. Usually, you will be working for the company for three to six months as an intern. During this time, you can simultaneously gain professional experience and write your thesis. Sometimes the topics are already specified in the job advertisement whereas in other cases it is only the subject area that is specified in which case you have more room for making a personal topic choice. If you want to write your thesis in a company, you can combine theory and practice, but you have to satisfy both the university and the company with your work. This is usually much more time-consuming than writing your thesis at university, but in many cases, you also get paid by the company.

General Tip: Choose a topic that genuinely interests you rather than the one the first that comes to your mind! You will have to work on the thesis topic for several weeks or months, so it is imperative to be passionate about the subject you are researching and writing about! Choosing an exciting and relevant topic will pave your path to receiving the distinction you are aiming for!