Writing your Thesis

Thesis on “Heat Aggression Hypothesis”

The “Heat Aggression Hypothesis” states that uncomfortably high temperatures can lead to increased aggression by making people more irritable, heightening hostility, and distorting their interpretation of social situations. A possible thesis project would involve a literature review that systematically compiles and analyzes empirical findings related to this theory in sport and/or the general population, as well as the implications derived from these findings.

If you are interested in this topic, please contact Dr. Jan Schmid-Ellinger

Thesis on Heat-Related Health

Climate change is leading to measurable changes in average temperatures worldwide. Already, tens of thousands of people die each year in Europe alone as a result of heat. In Germany, climate change will also become noticeable particularly through higher average temperatures and a significantly increased number of hot days and heat waves. This has long become a relevant field of concern within the health sciences. There is therefore an urgent need for measures aimed at helping the population cope with these changing heat-related conditions.

A possible thesis project will examine the status quo of various constructs within the population based on a nationwide survey, including: heat-related health burdens, heat-related health behavior, heat-related health literacy, knowledge about heat-related health behavior, heat-related risk perception, and a variety of related determinants. In addition, the relationships between these constructs will be explored.

Thesis period: possible from now on; data collection will take place around the turn of the year.

If you are interested in this topic, please contact Dr. Jan Schmid-Ellinger

Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Teaching Units Using Different Teaching and Learning Methods

In physical education classes, teachers can use various teaching and learning methods to help students achieve competencies and learning objectives as defined in the LehrplanPLUS curriculum. Common teaching and learning approaches used in physical education include experiential learning, genetic learning, differential learning, methodical exercise sequences, methodical game sequences, cooperative learning methods, and station-based learning. As part of thesis projects (especially for teacher education students), innovative teaching units are to be developed, implemented in real classroom settings (in schools), and evaluated. If you are interested in this topic or have further questions, please contact filip.mess@tum.de 

Dealing with Heterogeneity; Inclusion in Physical Education

Students in physical education classes are characterized by increasing diversity, for example in terms of motor and physical abilities, motivation for sports, cultural background, language, and more. Therefore, the topics of dealing with heterogeneity and integration/inclusion play an important role. Within thesis projects, these topics can be addressed both theoretically (e.g., through literature reviews) and practically, for example by developing teaching units and testing them in schools (for teacher education students). If you are interested in this topic or have further questions, please contact filip.mess@tum.de 

Artificial Intelligence and Physical Education

Digitalization and text-generating artificial intelligence have developed rapidly in recent years and have entered many areas of our lives (work, school, private life, leisure, etc.). In schools, and particularly in physical education, there are already initial approaches demonstrating how text-generating AI can be used by PE teachers. The aim of this thesis is to provide a systematic overview of current approaches and possible applications of AI in physical education, while also discussing potential opportunities and risks. If you are interested in this topic or have further questions, please contact filip.mess@tum.de 

Changes in Organizational Health Literacy in Primary Schools

Health literacy is an important determinant of health behavior. By transforming school structures into a health-literate organization, personal health literacy, and consequently the health of children as well as school stakeholders, can be strengthened in the medium and long term. Organizational health literacy is also an important prerequisite for effective school-based health promotion. Within the fit4future project, the aim is not only to promote children’s health but also to establish health-literate schools. This master’s thesis will examine how organizational health literacy changes over the course of the project period. Additional potential influencing factors include the deprivation index, willingness to change, and the stage of the health promotion process at the school. These factors may be analyzed using a longitudinal multilevel model, contributing to the current research on change processes in organizational health literacy. The basis for this thesis is data collected within the fit4future project, including a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 educational institutions. If you are interested in this topic or have further questions, please contact katharina.sterr@tum.de or simon.blaschke@tum.de

Dancing Strengthens Personality!? Evaluation of a Dance-in-Schools Project

Within a master’s thesis, an already implemented dance-in-schools project in the Munich area will be scientifically evaluated. The project targets children or adolescents and is planned and conducted by experienced dance educators. Using a quantitative measurement instrument, the effects of participation in the dance project on a selected aspect of the self (e.g., self-efficacy, perceived competence in movement/dance, self-awareness or body awareness) will be assessed. The thesis includes data collection (pre–post test) as well as statistical analysis of the results. If you are interested in this topic, please contact tina.schwender@tum.de

Comparing Primary School Handball Players from Urban and Rural Areas

The German Handball Federation places high priority on the broad development of children’s motor skills in the early stages of youth handball. While other sports associations have already developed test batteries to assess sport-specific skills, such a test battery does not yet exist for handball-specific abilities. However, several motor performance tests for primary school children exist that can also be applied to the team sport of handball. The aim of this thesis is to examine which handball-specific skills primary school children possess in both urban and rural areas. Depending on the scope, this topic may involve two theses, allowing two students to work on the project: one conducting testing in rural schools and the other in urban schools. Both testing phases can be combined with a handball event day organized by local sports clubs. If you are interested in this topic, please contact ben.schulze@tum.de

Conducting a Psychosocial Risk Assessment as Part of a Workplace Health Management Project

For more than ten years, companies and public authorities in Germany have been legally required to conduct psychosocial risk assessments in the workplace. Within the framework of a cooperation project with an authority of the City of Munich, there is an opportunity to plan and conduct a real psychosocial risk assessment (“GB psych.”). The assessment will be survey-based, using an established tool (MOLA), and is scheduled to take place in the first half of 2026. The collected data will subsequently be analyzed and documented. If you are interested in this topic, please contact Filip Mess

Effectiveness of Residential Workplace Health Promotion – Focus on Objective and Subjective Health Parameters

Objective health parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate variability, or VO₂ max are highly relevant indicators for assessing cardiovascular health and physical fitness, while health-related quality of life (HrQoL) is a key indicator of subjective well-being. Both parameters are essential for comprehensively evaluating the effects of health promotion interventions. As part of an ongoing intervention study conducted by Siemens AG, employees are being monitored over several months. In addition to standardized questionnaires, an innovative method, seismocardiography (SCG), will likely be used to measure VO₂ max non-invasively. This dataset provides a solid basis for analyzing the effectiveness of residential workplace health programs at Siemens AG.

This project offers several interesting research questions, for example:

• How do VO₂ max and HrQoL change over time?
• What differences exist between different intervention groups?
• How valid is the SCG measurement method in a workplace setting?

Within this topic area, a data-based master’s thesis is possible, focusing on statistical analysis, effectiveness evaluation, and the derivation of practical recommendations. If you are interested in this topic, please contact Simon Blaschke.

Master’s Thesis: Evaluation of the Moodle Course “Sleep Good – Feel Good”

Compared to their peers, university students often suffer from poor sleep quality, which may manifest in difficulties falling asleep and chronic sleep deprivation. These problems can impair cognitive performance and lead to additional health risks. Therefore, prevention programs aimed at improving students’ sleep behavior are becoming increasingly important. This master’s thesis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Moodle self-learning course “Sleep Good – Feel Good” among participating students from various study programs at TUM. Among other aspects, the study will examine the effects of course participation on subjective and objective sleep quality, sleep behavior, and sleep-related health literacy.

Requirements:

• Interest in the above-mentioned topics and research questions
• Very good knowledge of statistics
• Experience with RStudio (programming, data analysis, and statistical evaluation)
• Experience working with wearable data and/or willingness to learn
• Very good English language skills
• Ability to work independently and in a structured manner

The thesis is planned as a publication-based master’s thesis written in English, with the aim of submitting the results to an internationally recognized academic journal. The thesis can start immediately. If you are interested, please send your application including a motivation letter and CV to Johanna Schmickler.

Climate change has numerous effects on people’s health behavior and consequently on their health. The school environment, particularly schools and physical education, is also affected by climatic changes such as heat and UV radiation. This gives rise to many research questions and challenges that should be addressed by the scientific community.

For example, one area of interest is analyzing which regulations and recommendations the 16 German federal states provide to ensure that outdoor school sports can continue to take place in the future. Another important question concerns which competencies physical education teachers need (“climate health literacy”) in order to conduct PE classes in a health-promoting way despite increasing exposure to heat and UV radiation.

Several thesis projects are possible within this topic area. If you are interested, please contact Filip Mess or Jan Ellinger

Handball on Sand in Training and Competition – A Qualitative Evaluation of Beach Handball

The discipline of beach handball has been gaining increasing popularity in Germany. The Bavarian Handball Association was one of the first regional handball federations to introduce and establish beach handball within its high-performance sport concept. Through the Bavarian support center system and the Bavarian Beach Tour, several project ideas have been successfully implemented. Other regional federations are now following the Bavarian approach and are adopting similar beach handball initiatives within organized sport.

However, the boundary between an emerging sport with a growing high-performance structure, including national teams, and recreational events remains complex and fluid, particularly with regard to the perceived competition with indoor handball. The development of dedicated publications (e.g., a Beach Handball guideline) as well as the introduction of a specific licensing level within organized sport illustrate the increasing recognition of this discipline.

Through the implementation of a qualitative evaluation design, the current status of beach handball will be analyzed using the example of the Bavarian regional federation. Based on this analysis, concrete recommendations for the future development of beach handball will be formulated. If you are interested in this topic, please contact ben.schulze@tum.de

Referees in Amateur Sport – A Hopeless Volunteer Role?

In major team sports, competitions require a referee who officiates the game between two teams according to the respective rules. In recent years, sports federations and clubs have increasingly reported a decline in volunteers willing to work as referees, as well as verbal and sometimes physical attacks against this group. At the same time, major team sports use different organizational concepts to ensure that matches in amateur sports, both in youth and adult competitions, can still be officiated effectively.

Using the sport of handball as an example, this thesis will analyze the role of refereeing in amateur sport. Possible questions include:

• How are referees trained for amateur sport in other European countries?
• How is the basic training for referees organized within federations?
• How has the number of referees developed over time?
• What problems and challenges exist within the organizational structures of sports federations?
• Which competencies are particularly important for referees in the execution of their role?

Based on an analysis of the current situation, data collection will be used to provide a systematic overview of basic referee training in Germany and to identify practical challenges.

The topic can be updated and expanded, and it may also be divided into two thesis projects with a shared foundation but different research focuses. The project is offered in cooperation with the Membership Development Department of the German Handball Federation (DHB).

If you are interested in this topic, please contact ben.schulze@tum.de