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M30-FOL Master's Thesis

Credits (ECTS):30

Course responsible:Emma Charlott Andersson Nordbø

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk, norsk

Course frequency:Every semester. Start up in autum and spring.

Nominal workload:750 hours.

Teaching and exam period:The course runs both during autum and spring with equivalent exam periods.

About this course

Master Thesis consists of an independent research work carried out during the last term of the study. The thesis can be written as a monograph or as a scientific article with a synthesizing/introductory chapter. The thesis is compulsory in the master's degree. The thesis is based on a project plan, which the student has prepared as part of the course FHV353 (Project Plan for Master's Thesis in Public Health Science). The student will receive supervision by an appointed supervisor (40 hours). The supervision shall ensure that the student receives relevant advice during the process, including searching for literature, data collection, and that ethical guidelines are followed. The exam consists of the submission of the master's thesis and an oral examination that includes a presentation of the thesis by the student followed by a discussion of the work with the examiners. The oral examination can be used to adjust the final grade on the thesis.

Learning outcome

After a completed master’s thesis, it is expected that the student should:

Knowledge

  • Have specialized insight into the topic of the master’s thesis.
  • Have advanced knowledge of scientific methods.
  • Have advances knowledge of the research process.

Skills

  • Be able to formulate a clear research objective/question.
  • Be able to critically assess and apply relevant research methods and theories as tools in the research process to elucidate a research objective/question.
  • Be able to process and analyze data used in the master’s thesis.
  • Be able to interpret and discuss results in light of existing empirical evidence and theory.
  • Be able to draw conclusions from an independent research project.
  • Be able to master use of literature sources and referencing.

General competence

  • Be able to plan and conduct research independently and in accordance with ethical norms and guidelines, as well as guidelines for handling personal data in research.
  • Be able to communicate extensive independent work in an orderly and clear manner both written and orally.
  • Individual research work under supervision.
  • A total of 40 hours are set aside for student supervison, including examination.
  • The course is reserved for students whom attend the master programme in Public Health Science. The courses FHV315, FHV320 and FHV330 must be passed before any work on the master's thesis can commence. The course FHV353 Project plan for the master's thesis in public health must be passed before the thesis can be submitted.
  • The written thesis and the oral exam counts for 100 % of the grade. Graded A-F.

    Master thesis with oral defence Grading: Letter grades Master thesis Grading: Letter grades
  • An external examiner will participate in both the assessment of the written thesis and the oral exam.

  • Supervision can be provided in English.

    The main supervisor must be one of the scientific staff at NMBU. Staff from other educational- and research institutions may be used as co-supervisors. If there is to be such an agreement, this must be approved by the main supervisor and the institute. The hours set a side for supervision will then be divided between the supervisors, and this must be described in a supervisory agreement.

    About reuse of own written work in the master’s thesis: As a general rule, it is not permitted to reuse of one’s own written work/assignments in the master’s thesis. However, this rule does not apply for the project plan submitted to fulfill the requirements for the course FHV353. Written material from your own project plan can be reused without referring to the project plan.

  • Individual work with supervision.
  • The course is reserved for students whom attend the master programme in public health (M-FOL and M-FOL-DEL).