MAJO5900 Master's Thesis Course description

*The course is also offered to students who have already taken midwifery training as a further education programme under the national curriculum and regulations of 2005, and who have been admitted to the Master's Programme in Midwifery and granted exemption from parts of the programme. These students will follow a separate course of study, and will start the programme in August.

Introduction

By acquiring and combining knowledge from the other parts of the programme, the students will write an independent scholarly work in the form of a master's thesis written under supervision. The master's thesis must have a systematic scholarly structure and be based on topical and relevant literature and/or empirical data that provides an answer to the research question that the student has formulated.

Students must have passed MAJO4200 Research Theory and Methodology in Midwifery before they can start this course. All courses other than MAJOPRA4 must be passed before the students can submit his/her master's thesis for assessment.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has the advanced knowledge about relevant research, scientific theories and research methods required to work on a delimited research question in the field of midwifery
• is capable of using recognised scientific methods to carry out a delimited research project
• has an in-depth understanding of data collection and the most common forms of quantitative and qualitative data analysis
• has in-depth knowledge of research ethics and the formal requirements that apply to research projects

Skills

The student is capable of:

• formulating a clear research question for the material to be used
• demonstrating an understanding of the relationship between the theoretical framework and relevant empirical material or theoretical findings
• carrying out methodological assessments and analyses and concluding in a manner that demonstrates understanding
• communicating about issues, analyses and conclusions in midwifery, both with specialists and with the general public
• developing a research design and carrying out an independent, delimited research or development project in accordance with applicable scientific and research ethical standards
• carrying out critical analyses of theories and methods and using them to structure argumentation in the field of midwifery

Competence

The student:

• has the competence required to initiate and carry out delimited research and development projects in his/her future professional practice
• is capable of designing, initiating and carrying out small-scale studies
• is capable of assessing the methodological and theoretical preconditions for scientific studies
• is capable of disseminating the results of his/her own and other people's research
• is capable of using his/her knowledge and skills to engage in innovative thinking and further development of the midwifery discipline
• is capable of communicating extensive independent work and masters the forms of expression used in midwifery
• is capable of analysing relevant academic, professional and research ethics issues

The master's thesis

The master's thesis is an independent scholarly or development work carried out under supervision and must be written in pairs. In special cases, students can apply to write the thesis alone. The thesis must be based on a research question, a topic or a hypothesis of relevance to midwifery. The master's thesis can be included as a delimited, but independent part of internal or external research or development projects in midwifery.

The master's thesis can be written as a monograph, a scientific article or a set of clinical guidelines, a procedure, information brochure or information video. Some students will collect and process the data for their master's thesis in other countries, which will provide an opportunity to take a broader global perspective on women's sexual and reproductive health.

Relevant research designs and sources of data for the master's thesis

• Empirical approach: students can choose qualitative or quantitative research designs
• A research-based midwifery development project based on clinical guidelines, established clinical practices or user experience relating to the midwife's functions and areas of responsibility
• Systematic literature studies

The following work and teaching methods are used in the course: lectures, individual and group work, written and oral presentations of the project description and master's thesis, seminars where students can develop their skills in scientific argumentation and critical reflection on their own work and that of fellow students by taking the role of opponent, and academic supervision. These work and teaching methods are practised in three seminars held during the course. The seminars focus on methodological and material issues. Students will present and discuss their master's thesis in a larger forum and with different participants, including fellow students, researchers and any other contributors to the project. Important research-related topics relating to the work on the master's thesis are discussed as required, and further methodology training will be provided in the form of lectures. Students must participate actively in lectures and seminars.

Supervision

The student and supervisor will sign a supervision contract that regulates responsibilities and rights, time frames and availability. The students are entitled to up to ten hours' supervision during the work on their master's thesis (including supervision relating to the project description, if relevant). Each group will be assigned a principal supervisor and, if relevant, a co-supervisor. The students will also be given supervision in three seminars.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

1. Project draft. The purpose of the draft is for the student to describe an overall plan for project implementation and ensure that the project complies with the research ethics framework. Scope: up to 1,500 words. The project outline must be approved by two supervisors. The student cannot proceed with the course until the project outline has been approved.

2. Presentations and acting as an opponent at three internal seminars. Students who are absent from seminars must make up for this by presenting the project to the supervisors. The required coursework must be approved before the student can submit his/her master's thesis for grading.

Assessment content: The learning outcomes

Assessment arrangement: Written master's thesis in pairs. The group process during the writing of the master's thesis must be explained in a 1 (one) page long appendix.

The content and scope of different forms of master's theses:

• Monograph: The scope of a monograph thesis is up to 15,000 words.
• Scientific article: the thesis must include a manuscript in the form of at least one article that meets the requirements for publication in a relevant scientific journal, and a supplementary memo/introduction to the article-based thesis ('kappe') that elaborates on the theoretical and methodological considerations underlying the article. The layout, structure and scope of the article must comply with the guidelines of the journal in question, and the introduction to the article-based thesis must have a scope of up to 7,000 words.
• Guidelines, procedure, information brochure or information video: The thesis must contain a supplementary memo/introduction ('kappe') of up to 10,000 words that elaborates on the theoretical and methodological considerations underlying the product.

All aids permitted

Grade scale A-F

The master's thesis is assessed by one internal examiner (not a supervisor) and one external examiner.