Starting with the winter term 2024/25, the faculty will allocate theses centrally: Central allocation procedure.

The Chair of Finance & Banking supervises theses in the field of finance with a reference to issues of financial risk management, banking or behavioral finance. Bachelor theses are usually literature reviews with a focus on recent scientific topics; in the case of Master theses, we mostly offer empirically-oriented theses with a focus on the latest scientific topics. However, this does not preclude occasional literature reviews for master's theses as well.

In addition to the necessary interest in financial issues and the corresponding knowledge acquired during their studies, students should be able to handle statistical analysis software (e.g., R or STATA), especially for empirical work (especially relevant for master's theses).

The supervision of theses in cooperation with firms is generally possible - preferably in cooperation with consulting companies, providers of financial services, and insurance companies.

Theses can be written in German or English, regardless of the topic.

Prerequisite for the preparation of a Master's thesis

•     Successfully completed seminar with a focus on financial economics

Below are some possible topics:

Bachelor theses:

• Analyzing investor sentiment using topic modeling / Analyse von Investorenstimmungen durch Topic Modeling: Eine empirische Untersuchung
• Behavioral finance and algorithmic trading: can AI compensate for human bias? / Behavioral Finance und Algorithmic Trading: Kann KI menschliche Verzerrungen ausgleichen?
• Beyond Banks: How Private Debt Funds are Reshaping Global Finance / Jenseits der Banken: Wie Private-Debt-Fonds das globale Finanzsystem verändern
• CEO character and firm performance / CEO-Charakter und Unternehmensperformance
• ChatGPT and LLMs in finance / ChatGPT und LLMs in Finance
• Cultural differences in the perception of money and finances / Kulturelle Unterschiede in der Wahrnehmung von Geld und Finanzen
• Cybersecurity risks in AI-supported online trading: a systematic overview / Cybersecurity-Risiken im KI-gestützten Online Trading: Eine systematische Übersicht
• Detection of Financial Market Risks Using Topic Modeling: Opportunities and Challenges / Erkennung von Finanzmarktrisiken durch Topic Modeling: Chancen und Herausforderungen
• Does gamification in online trading increase risky behavior? / Verstärkt Gamification im Online Trading risikoreiches Verhalten?
• Economic and financial risks due to loss of biodiversity  / Ökonomische und finanzielle Risiken durch Biodiversitätsverlust
• Exploring the Market for Exchange Traded Funds / Der Markt für Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): Eine kritische Analyse
• Financial education as the key to financial inclusion / Finanzielle Bildung als Schlüssel zur finanziellen Teilhabe
• Financial education in social networks: opportunities and risks for the next generation / Finanzwissen in der sozialen Netzwerken: Chancen und Risiken für die nächste Generation
• Financial products for sustainable finance / Finanzprodukte für Sustainable Finance
• Finfluencer: Exploring the impact of financial influencer on social media / Finfluencer: Erforschung des Einflusses von Finanzinfluencern in den sozialen Medien
• Gender differences in investment behavior: Influence of risk appetite and financial knowledge / Geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede im Anlageverhalten: Der Einfluss von Risikobereitschaft und Finanzwissen
• Learning from YouTube, TikTok and co.: The quality of video content for financial education  / Von Youtube, TikTok und Co. lernen: Die Qualität von Videoinhalten für die finanzielle Bildung
• LLMs in finance / LLMs im Finanzwesen
• Narratives in the Cryptocurrency Market: Applying Topic Modeling for Sentiment Analysis / Narrative im Kryptowährungsmarkt: Anwendung von Topic Modeling zur Sentiment-Analyse
• Open Banking: Potential and Risks of API-Driven Finance / Open Banking: Potenziale und Risiken einer API-gesteuerten Finanzwelt
• Powerful prompts for ChatGPT in finance and banking / Leistungsstarke Prompts für ChatGPT im Finanz- und Bankwesen
• Retail investors and the usage of leverage / Kleinanleger und der Einsatz von Leverage
• Risk factors and pricing of cryptocurrencies / Risikofaktoren und Preise von Kryptowährungen
• Should we move from behavioral finance to social finance? / Sollten wir von der verhaltensorientierten Finanzierung zur sozialen Finanzierung übergehen?
• Social interactions in behavioral finance research / Soziale Interaktionen in der verhaltensorientierten Kapitalmarktforschung
• Social media and their role in the financial education of young people / Soziale Medien und ihre Rolle in der Finanzbildung junger Menschen
• Social Trading: Is collective investing more successful than individual strategies? / Social Trading: Ist das kollektive Investieren erfolgreicher als individuelle Strategien?
• Structured financial products: An overview / Strukturierte Finanzprodukte: Eine Übersicht
• The diversification and welfare effects of robo-advising / Die Diversifizierungs- und Wohlfahrtseffekte von Robo-Advising
• The impact of advances in artificial intelligence on corporate information disclosure / Auswirkungen von Fortschritten bei künstlicher Intelligenz auf die Informationsveröffentlichung von Unternehmen
• The impact of narratives on investor sentiment and returns / Der Einfluss von Narrativen auf das Sentiment von Investoren und Renditen
• The Rise of Neobanks: Can Digital-Only Banks Replace Traditional Institutions? / Der Aufstieg der Neobanken: Können digitale Banken traditionelle Institute ersetzen?
• The role of fintechs in modern financial advice: opportunities and risks / Die Rolle von Finfluencern in der modernen Finanzberatung: Chancen und Risiken
• The role of narratives for crypto returns  / Der Bedeutung von Narrativen für Kryptorenditen
• The Role of Pay-Per-Order-Flow in Modern Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Review / Die Rolle von Pay-Per-Order-Flow in modernen Finanzmärkten: Ein umfassender Überblick

Master theses:

• A review of the state-of-the-art of automated trading strategies / Ein Überblick über den Stand der Technik bei automatisierten Handelsstrategien
• Active and passive portfolio management: do we need more active ETFs? / Aktives und passives Portfoliomanagement: Brauchen wir mehr aktiv-gemanagte ETFs?
• ChatGPT and LLMs in finance / ChatGPT und LLMs in Finance
• Crowdsourcing von Peer-Informationen zur Änderung des Ausgabeverhaltens / Crowdsourcing peer information to change spending behavior
• Financial education as the key to financial inclusion: An empirical investigation / Finanzielle Bildung als Schlüssel zur finanziellen Teilhabe: Eine empirische Untersuchung und Bewertung
• Finfluencer: Exploring the impact of financial influencer on social media / Finfluencer: Erforschung des Einflusses von Finanzinfluencern in den sozialen Medien
• How do investors react to Elon Musk’s Twitter activity? / Wie reagieren die Anleger auf Elon Musks Twitter-Aktivitäten?
• How do retail investors pick their stocks? / Wie wählen Kleinanleger ihre Aktien aus?
• How do retail investors react to news? / Wie reagieren Kleinanleger auf Nachrichten?
• Learning from YouTube, TikTok and co: The quality of video content for financial education  / Von Youtube, TikTok und Co. lernen: Die Qualität von Videoinhalten für die finanzielle Bildung
• On the communicability of investment alternatives / Über die Gesprächsfähigkeit von Investitionsalternativen
• Powerful prompts for ChatGPT in finance and banking / Leistungsstarke Prompts für ChatGPT im Finanz- und Bankwesen
• Structured financial products: An overview / Strukturierte Finanzprodukte: Eine Übersicht
• Text mining finfluencers: uncovering key topics in finfluencers' content / Textmining bei Finfluencern: Aufdeckung von Schlüsselthemen in den Inhalten von Finfluencern
• Textual analysis of WallStreetBets posts: Do investors feel the mood of the market? / Textanalyse von WallStreetBets-Beiträgen: Fühlen Anleger die Stimmung des Marktes?
• The future of financial education: gamification, interactive tools and the power of social media / Die Zukunft der Finanzbildung: Gamification, interaktive Tools und die Macht von Social Media
• The impact of advances in artificial intelligence on corporate information disclosure / Auswirkungen von Fortschritten bei künstlicher Intelligenz auf die Informationsveröffentlichung von Unternehmen
• The Oprah Winfrey effect: Investigating the influence of celebrity endorsements on investor behavior / Der Oprah-Winfrey-Effekt: Untersuchung des Einflusses von prominenter Werbung auf das Anlegerverhalten
• When do investors perceive assets to be risky? / Wann empfinden Anleger Vermögenswerte als riskant?

Other topics and suggestions are available upon request.

Having received a slot to write your thesis at the chair of finance and banking, please submit your own topic suggestions or 3 preferences from our suggested topics. Please send your Transcript of Records with your application. In the transcript, you will find the indication whether you are eligible for a thesis. If this indication is missing from your Transcript of Records, but you are convinced that you do meet the requirements, please contact the Examination Office first. If you have proposed a topic of your own, please submit a short synopsis in which you describe what you imagine the topic to be and, if applicable, provide initial literature references.

Within approximately 2 weeks we will be able to provide you with a topic proposal. You will then have 2-3 weeks to prepare a short synopsis of your topic and submit it to your supervisor, who will return it to you for any necessary revisions. Once the exposé has been satisfactorily revised, the thesis can be registered.

At the beginning of each registration phase there is also an introductory meeting for all thesis writers. The respective date will be published on our website (next meeting: April 2025). We also offer the possibility of an interim presentation about halfway through the thesis. Please fix a date with your supervisor.

There are mandatory colloquia for all theses registered from October 2024 onwards. The next colloquia for theses at the Chair of Finance and Banking will take place on February 5, 2025 and on March 26, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. in room LB 338. If you submit your thesis before January 15, 2025, you will take part in the colloquium on February 5, 2025. If you hand in your thesis before 05.03.2025, you will take part in the colloquium on 26.03.2025. Further dates will be published in the course of time.

The schedule for the theses in the summer semester 2025 looks like this:

04.04.2025: Distribution of topics

27.04.2025: Submission of synopsis

12.05.2025: Registration of the theses

As an alternative, we offer Master's thesis writers the option of submitting their synopsis by 18.05.2025 and registering their Master's thesis on 02.06.2025. Please note that in this case the Master's thesis with the colloquium will no longer be completed in this summer semester.

Nina Klocke (nina.klocke@uni-due.de) is available as your contact person. Please approach us with suggestions for topics in which you are interested.

FAQ

Can I apply for a thesis outside the deadlines mentioned above?

• No, it is not possible to apply outside the above-mentioned deadlines.

Can I start my Bachelor's thesis at a different time?

• It is only possible to apply at a different time in very well-founded exceptional cases. Please contact Ms. Klocke for this.

What happens if my exposé has not yet been accepted?

• We will give you time to revise your exposé. If no improvements are apparent, we reserve the right not to register your work. In this case, you will have to reapply in the next application phase.

Which style sheets should I follow? How do I cite correctly?

• You are welcome to use common standards for working papers as a guide. You can find an example here. You can find additional information in the slides from the introductory event and in our guidelines for theses. Both are available in the Moodle course.

The chair is not listed in the MSM document on writing scientific papers. Which guidelines do I follow?

• All formatting requirements will be explained during the introductory event. Requirements can be also found in the documents provided in the Moodle course.

Do I have to attend the interim presentation? Are there any negative consequences if I do not attend?

• The interim presentation is an offer from our chair that allows you to receive feedback on your work and to clarify open questions.

How should I hand in my thesis?

• The thesis must be handed in as specified by the examination office. You will find information on this in your respective examination regulations. In addition, please send the paper as a PDF to Prof. Pelster and your supervisor.