Completion of the practical module also includes the submission of an INTERNSHIP REPORT (please use the cover sheets in the download area!). In the examination regulations valid from summer semester 2016, it refers to the entirety of the practical experience, but can highlight individual activities in particular. The report should be about 2 to 3 pages long and – in a form adapted to the respective activities – should address the following points as far as possible: Access to internships, concise description of the activity (if applicable, access to special internships) and, if applicable, the (external) institution where the internship was completed, own experiences, both positive and critical, with a view to own program of study and career goals. Please submit the report to the module leader (P. Schollmeyer; VFG: P. Haupt; Byzt. Arch.: V. Tsamakda).

When submitting an application, especially in the case of institutions not involved in archaeology, it is essential to state that internships are a compulsory part of the study program.

The umbrella organization of archaeological student representations has institutionalized an archaeological internship exchange under the name ArchaeNoah: www.dasv-ev.org/archaeonoah/index.php

The Bachelor’s examination is not necessarily at the very end of the program of study: registration is possible as soon as 120 credit points have been earned. This regulation has the advantage of allowing you to organize your studies flexibly: you can define the start of the processing time yourself, taking into account your own time budget (during or outside the lecture period). However, avoid the mistake of placing the fulfillment of the requirements in the old languages at the very end of the program of study!

Discuss a provisional date for the oral examination with the examiners in good time!

The examination office of Faculty 07 is responsible for the technical-administrative side. Its website(https://www.geku.uni-mainz.de/zentrales-pruefungsamt/) provides all the necessary information and has the registration form and other documents available for download. You will receive the required proof that you have completed at least 120 LP from Mr. Maisuradze. The processing period for the bachelor’s thesis begins with the submission of the completed registration form. Registration is possible at any time. The oral examination must be logged in separately.

All teaching staff in the respective subject area are eligible to take the examination. The examination regulations stipulate that one of the two examiners of the bachelor’s thesis (does not apply to the oral examination!) must be a university teaching staff member (= university or junior professor) or habilitated (in B.A. Archaeology, one of the two examiners must be a professor).

The topic and examiners are determined on the initiative of the examinees. Bachelor’s theses are generally designed as ‘literature papers’, which demonstrate the ability to systematically describe the subject matter and critically present the state of research. However, the topics can also be developed from employees working on research projects.

The supervisor will help with the exact definition within a topic area. In order to avoid misunderstandings when tailoring the thesis, it is advisable to ensure that the topic is precisely defined and can be easily completed within the deadline.

The processing time is 8 weeks. This can be renewed by two weeks “in special cases”; an informal proposal must be submitted in good time to the chairperson of the examination committee (if necessary via the examination office). Delays caused by illness must be evidenced by a medical certificate.

All questions relating to the bachelor’s thesis should be clarified with the supervisor; interim discussions are expressly permitted under the examination regulations. The scope of the bachelor’s thesis is defined in the examination regulations for the B.A. Archaeology as approx. 30-40 pages of text (excluding bibliography, illustrations, etc.), which also applies as a guideline for the B.A. Classical Archaeology. The information on formalities on the website of the examination office is not binding. Unless otherwise agreed with the supervisors, the following can be used as a standard: Text font Times Roman 12 (or comparable serif font), 1.5 lines, notes Times Roman 10, also 1.5 lines, page margin top 2.0 cm, left 2.5 cm, right 3.0 cm, bottom 2.0 cm; page numbers bottom center or right.

The bachelor’s thesis must be submitted bound in duplicate and in electronic form (PDF).

The evaluation of the bachelor’s thesis should be completed within six weeks. The oral examination should take place within four weeks of the submission of the two evaluators for the bachelor’s thesis.

For the 30-minute oral examination, the regulations stipulate: “The subject of the final examination is the content of the Bachelor’s thesis as well as questions and tasks in the context of the topic chosen for the Bachelor’s thesis and another suitable module of the candidate’s choice, which must be agreed in advance with the examiners (…). The candidate must be given the opportunity to present his or her work during the examination period; the presentation may not exceed five minutes.” The – not obligatory! – presentation of the candidate’s own work should not consist of a summary, but should focus on individual points that can be meaningfully discussed. Everything else can be freely agreed on the initiative of the examinee (free topics or courses of one or both examiners as the subject of the examination). The examiners do not have to be the same as the evaluators of the thesis if, for example, there are scheduling problems.

If the bachelor’s thesis is evaluated as “insufficient” (5.0), it has not been passed. The failed examination can be repeated once, the oral examination twice. You must apply to retake the examination within six weeks of being notified of the examination result. Examinations evaluated as “sufficient” (4.0) or better may not be repeated.