Department of Demography

How to complete your master's programme

In the final phase of the Master Programme Global Demography, you will write a master thesis and defend it during the master's examination. 

On this page, you will find information on the master thesis - how to find a supervisor and register your topic, everything you need to know about writing your master thesis, and how to submit your master thesis - and the master's examination, including relevant deadlines.

Ian Ehm

Step 1: Matchmaking between students and master thesis supervisors

Information on the Master Thesis

  • Short Facts
    General

    Master's theses are academic theses which serve to demonstrate your ability to work on academic topics independently and in an adequate manner in terms of content and methodology.

    Topic

    The topic of the master's thesis must be taken from one of the compulsory modules. If a different topic is selected or if there is uncertainty regarding allocation of the selected topic, the competent body responsible for study matters should decide on whether or not it is admissible. 

    Language

    The master thesis must be written in English.

    Credits

    The master thesis comprises 25 ECTS credits.

    Timeline

    The aim is to develop a master's thesis project that you can realistically complete within six months. However, you are not obliged to complete your master's thesis within this period.

    Study Programme and Curriculum

How do I find a supervisor for my master thesis?

To ensure the ideal allocation of supervisors to student topics, the Programme Coordinator offers a matchmaking service between students and supervisors twice per year. Information on the matchmaking service (including exact deadlines) is sent out to students in their third semester or above in March and October of each year.

Students are expected to send the following information to master.demography(at)univie.ac.at within the given time frame:

  1. A first abstract of their intended thesis (max. 150 words)
  2. The main research question(s)
  3. The names of two preferred supervisors from the list provided below

Available supervisors

  • Fertility and family
  • Late fertility
  • Reproduction

  • Mathematical modelling
  • Formal demography
  • Fertility
  • Mortality

  • Children and youth health
  • COVID-19, longevity and population health
  • Demography of specific subpopulations (monastic populations, etc.)

  • Environment-population research
  • Impacts of climate change on populations
  • Migration and displacement
  • Climate-related mobility and immobility
  • Health and well-being
  • Poverty and inequality
  • Data and statistical modeling
  • Projections

  • Population ageing
  • Life expectancy
  • Healthy life years

  • International migration
  • Internal migration
  • Contribution of migrants to population dynamics
  • Demographic change in migrant populations
  • Human capital and migration

  • Macro-economic returns to education
  • Intergenerational transmission of environmental attitudes
  • (Grand-)parenthood and “generativity”
  • Population projections
  • Education-specific assortative mating

  • Integrating multiple data sources using Bayesian statistics (migration, fertility, or mortality)
  • Machine Learning models for demographic research 
  • Predicting/estimating characteristics of migrants (internal or international)
  • Building migrant composition scenarios for future

Step 2: Meeting with the assigned supervisor and writing the master thesis exposé

As soon as the matchmaking is complete (usually within 2-3 weeks), you will be informed via email whether your topic has been accepted and who has been assigned as your supervisor. Please arrange a meeting with them to discuss the intended research question(s) in more detail. Students are expected to write a master thesis exposé (PDF) based on these discussions. The exposé serves as a blueprint for the master thesis and is meant to help students execute their planned research in a timely and structured manner.

Please send the following documents to master.demography(at)univie.ac.at (the deadlines for submission are communicated via email during the matchmaking procedure):

Using AI for your master's thesis

Students who submit their master's thesis topic on or after 1 October 2026 are required to document their use of AI in the context of writing their master's thesis. For more information, see Step 3: Writing your master's thesis.

What happens next?

After you submit your documents to the MPGD Team, we will seek approval of your topic from the Director of Studies (SPL). Please wait for this approval before you start working on your master thesis.

Step 3: Writing your master's thesis

General formal requirements

The University of Vienna has general formal requirements that are mandatory for all master theses. They are documented in the Verordnung über die Formvorschriften bei der Einreichung wissenschaftlicher Arbeiten (legally binding German orginal (PDF); unofficial English translation (PDF)). Furthermore, the Department of Demography has additional formal requirements you need to adhere to when writing your Master thesis.

Please find a summary of both sets of requirements here:

  • Mandatory formal requirements 
    from the University of Vienna

    Short Facts
    Format

    DIN A4 (210 x 297 mm), portrait orientation

    Page Margins

    Page margins should be chosen to allow binding.

    Printing

    The pages must be printed on both sides.

    Title Page

    The title page will be created automatically when you upload your thesis to u:space, and must be merged with the uploaded document.

    Abstract

    It is mandatory to include both a German and English abstract (min. 500 characters including spaces).

    Citations

    The relevant citation rules must be respected. Please use a common citation style (e.g. APA).

    Please note that images and illustrations (pictures, graphics, etc.) are also subject to citation law and therefore the citation rules. This means that even when using images, the sources must be indicated, and copyrights must be respected. In the case of scientific work found on the Internet, referring to the free use of the work may not be sufficient. You can find details here: Büro Studienpräses - Copyright & Use of Images.

    Translation of the Verordnung (PDF)

  • Further formal requirements 
    from the Department of Demography

    Short Facts
    Language

    According to the curriculum for the Master Programme Global Demography, the master thesis must be written in English.

    Both US and UK spellings are acceptable, but should be consistent across your master thesis.

    Length

    The main body of the master thesis should be between 20.000 and 30.000 words. Please provide the word count to your supervisor.

    Please exclude the following from your word count:

    • Table of contents
    • Reference list
    • Appendices
    Font Style and Spacing

    Please choose a commonly available font that is easy to read (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica; the default font provided in LaTeX is also acceptable), and avoid stylised fonts that are difficult to read.

    The main body of the master thesis should be set to justified alignment with an appropriate font size and 1.5 line spacing. Font size recommendations:

    • Body text: 11pt
    • Chapter headings: 14 pt
    • Subchapter headings: 12 pt
    • Foot notes: 10pt, single line spacing
    Structure & page numeration

    The thesis must have table of contents with page numbers. Tables and figures should be numbered and have a heading. The content must be structured in consecutively numbered chapters. Chapter sections and subsections should also be assigned a numerical index. The chapter structure should not have more than four hierarchical levels.

    Please include page numeration in the footer of every page.

Content recommendation

Generally, we recommend to include the following:

  1. Thorough review of the (ideally, peer-reviewed) literature
  2. Description and justification of the data and methods used in the thesis (including necessary harmonization steps)
  3. Descriptive and analytical results and their interpretation
  4. Discussion of the main findings and contextualization within the existing literature, including limitations
  5. Concluding summary of the thesis

Please discuss with your supervisor whether they have any additional content requirements.

Using AI for your master's thesis

All students who submit their master's thesis topic on or after 1 October 2026, are required to document their use of AI in the context of writing their master's thesis using the form provided below. Please also discuss AI use with your supervisor at the beginning of the supervision process.

The form must be included in your master's thesis, either before or after the bibliography, before you submit your thesis for grading in u:space (see Step 6: Submit your master's thesis).

Step 4: Check your record of examinations

Open your record of examinations in u:space → Studies → Record of examinations.

  • Does it list all courses you have completed?
  • Are all courses assigned to the correct module?
  • Are all relevant traffic lights in the record of examinations ‘green’?

Please contact us if you have any questions or if a grade has been assigned to the wrong module.

Check your record of examinations in u:space now

Step 5: Check your personal data before submitting your master's thesis

  1. Check your name and academic degrees in u:space.

    Check your personal data in u:space 

     

  2. Your name is spelled incorrectly or you would like to add a middle name? Send us corresponding documentation (e.g. marriage certificate, passport, identity card) via the Servicedesk. The admission office will change your name according to the documentation you have provided. 

    Need to change your personal data? Contact us via the Servicedesk

Step 6: Submit your master's thesis

The submission of the master thesis constists of three steps

When will I receive the grade for my master thesis?

After the plagiarism check has been completed and you have sent the signed copy of the “Hochladebestätigung” to the SSC, your thesis will be forwarded to your supervisor for grading. Your supervisor must submit the grading to the SSC within two months of receiving your thesis. The SSC will forward your supervisor's grading and comments to you.

Taking your master's thesis offline

You do not want your master's thesis to be accessible online via the university's thesis server? Indicate this in the final step of the submission process.

Note: Taking your master's thesis offline is not the same as placing the hard bound copies of your thesis under embargo according to § 86 Universities Act 2002. A thesis embargo requires specific reasons.  

Step 7: Register for the master's examination

Registration process

Please contact master.demography(at)univie.ac.at from your University of Vienna email address and include the following information/documents:

  1. Your preferred defensio date taken from the list below
  2. The form Registration for Master's Examination (Defensio) (PDF)
  3. The title page of your Master's thesis (alternatively: title of your Master thesis and your supervisor)
  4. Two preferences for your second examiner

When should I get in touch?

Please feel free to contact us shortly after submitting your thesis so we can start planning for your master's examination.

Available exam dates

  • 28 October 2026

    Registration closed.

  • 9 December 2026

  • 20 January 2027

  • March 2027

    Exact date(s) to be determined.

Completing the master's examination within certain deadlines

If you complete your degree before the end of the admission period and are not admitted to a fee-paying programme at the University of Vienna or any other Austrian university, the tuition fee may be reimbursed. This also applies if your final mark is not entered until a later date. The decisive factor is the date of your final examination: no later than 31 October in the winter semester or 31 March in the summer semester.

If you have already paid the tuition fee, you can submit an application for reimbursement. 

Literature List

Compulsory literature for all master's examinations: 

  • Lutz, W. (2021): Advanced Introduction to Demography

Further compulsory literature depends on the chosen second examiner.

Available Second Examiners

  1. Cleland, J. G. (2017). Trends in Human Fertility. In International Encyclopedia of Public Health (pp. 212–218). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803678-5.00470-7
  2. Reher, D. S. (2004). The demographic transition revisited as a global process. Population, Space and Place, 10(1), 19–41. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.313
  3. Bongaarts, J. and Casterline, J. (2012). Fertility Transition: Is Sub-Saharan Africa different? Population and Development Review, 38, 153-168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2013.00557.x
  4. Frye, Margaret, and Bachan, L. (2017). The Demography of Words: The Global Decline in Non-Numeric Fertility Preferences, 1993–2011. Population Studies, 71 (2): 187–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2017.1304565.
  5. Sobotka, T. and Berghammer, C. (2021). Demography of family change in Europe. In: Research Handbook on the Sociology of the Family. 162-186. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788975544.00019
  6. Lesthaeghe, R. (2020). The second demographic transition, 1986–2020: sub-replacement fertility and rising cohabitation—a global update. Genus, 76(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41118-020-00077-4
  7. Goldscheider, Frances & Bernhardt, Eva & Lappegård, Trude. (2015). The Gender Revolution: A Framework for Understanding Changing Family and Demographic Behavior. Population and Development Review. 41. 207-239. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2015.00045.x
  8. Doignon, Y., & Banerjee, A. (2025). Can Spatial Diffusion Process Explain Family Changes? A Spatio‐Temporal Analysis of Nonmarital Births Over 50 Years in Belgium (1968–2017). Population, Space and Place, 31(7), e70102. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.70102
  9. Cohen SA, Richards CL. The Cairo consensus: population, development and women. Family Planning Perspectives, 1994; 26:272-277. https://doi.org/10.2307/2135895
  10. Gietel-Basten, S., Rotkirch, A., & Sobotka, T. (2022). Changing the perspective on low birth rates: why simplistic solutions won’t work. Bmj, e072670. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-072670
  1. Bergeron-Boucher, M.-P., Alvarez, J.-A., Kashnitsky, I., & Zarulli, V. (2022). Probability of males to outlive females: An international comparison from 1751 to 2020. BMJ Open, 12(8), e059964. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059964
  2. Bongaarts, J. (2006). How Long Will We Live? Population and Development Review, 32(4), 605–628.
  3. Bongaarts, J., & Feeney, G. (2002). How Long Do We Live? Population and Development Review, 28(1), 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2002.00013.x
  4. Christensen, K., Doblhammer, G., Rau, R., & Vaupel, J. W. (2009). Ageing populations: The challenges ahead. The Lancet, 374(9696), 1196–1208. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61460-4
  5. Luy, M. (2003). Causes of male excess mortality: Insights from cloistered populations. Population and Development Review, 29(4), 647–676.
  6. Luy, M., Di Giulio, P., Di Lego, V., Lazarevič, P., & Sauerberg, M. (2020). Life Expectancy: frequently used, but hardly understood. Gerontology, 66(1), 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1159/000500955
  7. Luy, M., Zannella, M., Wegner-Siegmundt, C., Minagawa, Y., Lutz, W., & Caselli, G. (2019). The impact of increasing education levels on rising life expectancy: A decomposition analysis for Italy, Denmark, and the USA. Genus, 75(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41118-019-0055-0
  8. Oksuzyan, A., Juel, K., Vaupel, J. W., & Christensen, K. (2008). Men: Good health and high mortality. Sex differences in health and aging. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 20(2), 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324754
  9. Smits, J., & Monden, C. (2009). Length of life inequality around the globe. Social Science & Medicine, 68(6), 1114–1123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.12.034
  10. Vallin, J., & Meslé, F. (2004). Convergences and divergences in mortality: A new approach of health transition. Demographic Research, Special 2, 11–44. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2004.S2.2

Population History

  1. Biraben, J.-N. (2003). The rising numbers of humankind. Population & Societies, 394 (October 2003), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.3917/popsoc.394.0001 
  2. Bongaarts, J., & Casterline, J. (2013). Fertility Transition: Is sub-Saharan Africa Different? Population and Development Review, 38, 153–168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2013.00557.x
  3. Buettner, T. (2021). World Population Prospects – A Long View. Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, 520–521, 9–27. https://doi.org/10.24187/ecostat.2020.520d.2030
  4. Livi-Bacci, M. (2015). What we can and cannot learn from the history of world population. Population Studies, 69(sup1), S21–S28. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2014.975909

Methods

  1. Kashyap, R. (2021). Has demography witnessed a data revolution? Promises and pitfalls of a changing data ecosystem. Population Studies, 75(sup1), 47–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2021.1969031
  2. Ryder, N. B. (1965). The Cohort as a concept in the study of Social Change. American Sociological Review, 30(6), 843-861. https://doi.org/10.2307/2090964

Environment

  1. Lutz, W., Striessnig, E., Dimitrova, A., Ghislandi, S., Lijadi, A., Reiter, C., Spitzer, S., & Yildiz, D. (2021). Years of good life is a well-being indicator designed to serve research on sustainability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(12), e1907351118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1907351118
  2. Muttarak, R., Lutz, W., & Jiang, L. (2016). What can demographers contribute to the study of vulnerability? Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, 1, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1553/populationyearbook2015s1
  3. Schneider-Mayerson, M., & Leong, K. L. (2020). Eco-reproductive concerns in the age of climate change. Climatic Change, 163(2), 1007–1023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02923-y
  4. Wynes, S., & Nicholas, K. A. (2017). The climate mitigation gap: Education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions. Environmental Research Letters, 12(7), 074024. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541

Step 8: The master's examination

Procedure

The master's examination is a public defence held in front of an examination committee comprised of:

  1. A chairperson who will document the proceedings in an exam protocol,
  2. The master thesis supervisor (= first examiner), 
  3. A second examiner chosen by the candidate from the list provided above.

The defensio consists of three parts:

  1. The candidate holds a 15-minute presentation on the work conducted in their master thesis, using presentation slides.
  2. The presentation is followed by a 15-minute discussion with the first examiner on the research area the master thesis is taken from.
  3. The third part consists of a 15-minute discussion with the second examiner on the agreed literature (see Available second examiners).

Any member of the examination committee may pose questions to the candidate. If time allows, the audience may also be invited to ask questions.

After the discussion concludes, the candidate as well as any audience members are asked to leave the examination room so that the exam committee may evaluate the candidate. The candidate is asked back into the room once the exam committee reaches an agreement. The candidate receives separate grades given by each member of the exam committee, and an overall grade based on these individual grades.

Please note that the use of supporting materials - with the exception of presentation slides to present the research conducted in the master thesis - is not permitted during the exam.

Step 9: Complete the UHStat2 form

The UHStat2 online form is mandatory by law. You will be asked about any study-related stays abroad.

Please note: The month of completion is the month in which you completed your last examination.

To the UHStat2 online form

Step 10: Your graduation documents

As soon as your application has been processed successfully, you will receive an e-mail containing all graduation documents. 

  • Official notice of degree award
  • Degree certificate
  • Diploma supplement specifying your grade point average 

They are usually issued within four weeks after the final examination.

Contact