Application for extra time in the process of writing a thesis in case you get sick
General Principles
In case you get sick in the process of writing your thesis (Bachelor or Master thesis) and if that sickness notably affects your performance, you have the possibility to apply for extra time to work on the thesis at the responsible Examination Board.
Procedure
The application for extra time due to sickness requires a filled-in form (available on this website). Requests have to be turned in at the head of the Examination Board immediately. Incomplete forms will not be processed.
- Application form for extra time for the thesis in case you get sick
(Use a PDF-Reader, for example Adobe Acrobat Reader, to fill in the form, please!)
Please note that a certificate proving the inability to write the thesis needs to be attached to the application form. Further information about this attachment can be found in the next paragraph.
Proof of the student’s inability to write the thesis
Within the framework of the obligation to co-operate with the examining public health officer the student needs the public health officer to make statements about the diagnosis as indicated in point 3. Without those statements, the application for extra time to work on the thesis cannot be accepted.
- Within the framework of students’ obligation to co-operate, students are bound to fully disclose their health troubles in order to confirm their inability to write the thesis and, if necessary, absolve the public health officer from doctor-patient confidentiality.
- A publication of the diagnosis is not required.
- Physical as well as psychological effects of the sickness have to be disclosed. A general medical certificate about the inability of participating in an examination and/or incapacity to work is insufficient. (Please note: fluctuations in one’s daily performance, fear of examination, stress or any similar concerns do not represent an impairment of one’s performance and ability to be examined according to the study regulation.)
In order to proof the student’s inability to write the thesis, you may use the sample form. However, the medical certification may also be informal, as long as it includes the following information:
- name
- symptoms / type of performance decrease
- length of the sickness
Medical certifications in foreign languages need to be officially translated.
Notes about medical certification by a public health officer in Frankfurt (Oder) (amtsärztliches Attest).
If the student is hindered in his working process due to the sickness of his/her child and the child’s supervision becomes necessary, documentation will be the same as mentioned above. The examination board approves the certificate of the student’s inability to write the thesis, if the sickness of the child can be proved by a certificate of illness. If applicable, the student needs to prove that he/she took all possible measures in order to take care for the child, but that those measures taken did not lead to any success.