ACIT5900 Master's Thesis Course description

The master's thesis is a specialized individual research project.

In addition to the research and thesis work, there will be a series of workshops on the academic writing and effective communication of the thesis project. Students will develop an awareness of the conventions of academic writing and the writing process and use a range of analytical tools and methods to develop their writing and writing practices as part of writing their thesis.

To begin the thesis project, the student must have completed the three specialization courses in addition to the alternative specialization course. Both common courses need to be completed. 

A student without completed 90 ECTs cannot begin the Master's thesis project.

Knowledge

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should:

• have specialized knowledge on the specific areas of a master thesis
• understand scientific writing as a process of both constructing and communicating meaning.
• be able to explain the main stages of the writing process
• understand the role and methods of peer learning and peer review, particularly the "summarize, evaluate, suggest" structure for commenting
• understand the role of revision in writing

Skills

Upon successful completion of the course, the student:

• can clearly define and limit a problem area
• can connect his/her own project to relevant literature
• can plan and carry out limited research or development projects
• can identify types and scopes of results which are required to ensure the claims and conclusions are scientifically valid
• can reflect on the decisions made and their consequences for the project
• can effectively articulate scientific problems through writing
• can give and receive peer-feedback
• can effectively revise writing 

General competence

Upon successful completion of the course, the student:

• can apply knowledge and skills in new areas and carry out advanced projects
• can carry out comprehensive independent study
• can contribute to the innovation of their field
• can discuss their work in an the context of interdisciplinary engineering and ethics
• can apply their research and writing knowledge and skills in other contexts 
• can independently conceptualize, delineate, and execute other academic writing processes that result in effective discipline-appropriate texts.

The academic writing workshops will cover topics such as 

• Variations in academic style
• Audience, purpose and style
• The writing process
• Disciplinary identity
• Academic language
• Vocabulary, grammar, sentence, paragraph and text
• Coherence and cohesion
• Directness and formality
• Avoiding common errors: e.g. digression, lack of thesis statement, misunderstanding one’s audience
• Analysing, discussing and responding to academic texts
• Article structures, including IMRAD

The 30 ECTs thesis will consist of a condensed research project where focus is on identifying and investigating a problem or challenge in the specialization area and to display good scientific craftsmanship in the pursuit of an answer. Throughout the semester, a thesis is written which will be submitted at the end for assessment.

In addition to the project work, there will be a series of workshops during which students will be provided with a range of analytical tools and methods to help develop their writing skills. Students will also receive formative feedback on draft versions of their texts from the course instructor and their peers, with a focus on the final thesis. 

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

1. A draft of the Introduction and Background chapters of the thesis, including an asessment of any relevant potential ethical considerations 
2. A peer review of another students draft text
3. A Process Memo (reflection on the feedback received)

The thesis project consists of the following:

• A written Master thesis (Length: 15,000-30000 words, using one of the available document templates)
• Individual oral presentation (30 minutes
• Any physical or digital artefact that has been developed by the student as part of the research project. If the student wishes to submit an artefact, the mode of submission must be approved by the supervisor beforehand and the artefact must be made available in such a way to be inspected by the examiners. In the case of a physical artefact, video and images may be used to document the properties of it, eliminating the need for a physical inspection.

The master's thesis is assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• The originality and / or relevance of the issues or research questions to the field of study.
• Clarity in the development of issues or research questions being addressed.
• Documentation and use of relevant theory and research, as well as systematic use of sources.
• Clarity in the relationship between issues / research questions being addressed, the method choices / methodologies employed and the resulting discussions / conclusions.
• Ability to collect, systematize, interpret / deconstruct and present knowledge in a clear way.
• Reflection on ethical issues in the research process.
• Written presentation (clear table of contents, accurate literature references, bibliography and appendices).

Theses are written in Norwegian or English. The oral exam can be taken in Norwegian or English, regardless of which language the thesis was written in.

All exams must be passed in order to pass the course. 

Students can appeal against the grade set for the written part of the exam. If the grade is changed after an appeal against the grade, and the oral exam has already been held, the oral exam must be retaken.

New/postponed exam

In case of failed exam or legal absence, the student may apply for a new or postponed exam. New or postponed exams are offered within a reasonable time span following the regular exam. The student is responsible for applying for a new/postponed exam within the time limits set by OsloMet. The Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet.

All aids are permitted.

Grade Scale A-F.

The written thesis must be awarded a grade of A-E (preliminary grade) in order for a student to take the oral exam. The final grade is set after the oral exam. The grade can be adjusted up or down by one grade based on the oral exam.

Two external examiners will be used for the assessment.