MABIOD5900 Master´s Thesis Course description

The master's thesis is an independent research work conducted under supervision and corresponding to ten months' full-time work (one academic year).

The students are offered research topics that can be related to either research projects at OsloMet or external Norwegian and foreign institutions with which the university has signed agreements. In special cases, the topic may stem from the student's own idea for a research project. It is also a possibility for students to be affiliated to projects in research environments or laboratories with which they have contacts.

Students choose their master's thesis topic based on their academic background and interests. Relevant projects are presented in writing in a booklet of project outlines. The projects are also presented verbally, and students are given the opportunity to visit the relevant research environments that offer master's thesis topics. The choice of topic is a process that takes months. Students receive written information about this process and about how to choose a thesis topic.

Students must have passed all their exams for the first year before they can be given access to laboratories and academic supervision to work on their master's thesis. The course is not offered as an individual course.

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 specialised knowledge about the master's thesis topic
• has advanced knowledge about previous research and theories that form the basis for the research question in the master's thesis
• is capable of analysing and discussing previous research in relation to his/her own results
• is knowledgeable about innovation and entrepreneurship

Skills

The student is capable of

• independent work under supervision on a research or development assignment
• carrying out and quality assuring analyses, methods and/or investigations relevant to the master's thesis
• analysing and assessing theoretical and practical issues in the field of the master's thesis
• writing scholarly texts and presenting research results in accordance with the applicable conventions for biomedical research and reporting
• carrying out critical analyses of and combining knowledge from different sources

Competence

The student

• is capable of applying statistical and biomedical methods in new and unknown subject areas
• is capable of communicating extensive independent work and masters the forms of expression used in biomedicine
• is capable of communicating research results to both specialists and the general public
• demonstrates an ability for ethical reflection on issues of relevance to the master's thesis
• is capable of formulating new research questions
• is capable of identifying ethical problems and acting in accordance with the applicable laws and international conventions

Projects are presented to students during the first semester of the programme. Students' own projects must be approved by the programme management during the first semester.

Academic supervisors are assigned in connection with the allocation of thesis topics. The supervision is intended to ensure satisfactory work progress and quality. The student and supervisor sign a supervision contract that regulates responsibilities and rights, time frames and availability.

Students meet for seminars during the period they are working on the master's thesis. At the beginning of the second year of the programme, students and supervisors attend a start-up seminar. A few weeks later, another seminar is held to present and discuss the individual project plans. Several sessions dealing with relevant topics are held during the year. The process concludes in a seminar where students present their results.

Detailed guidelines for the master's thesis will be published in Canvas.

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

• a minimum attendance of 80% at seminars
• project outline with a progress schedule in accordance with specified criteria

Exam content: The learning outcomes

Exam form: An individual thesis and an individual oral exam including a presentation of the thesis, up to 1.5 hour. The master’s thesis can be written as a monograph of up to 100 pages or as an article manuscript with an elaborated addition, where the addition can be up to 45 pages.  

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 oral examination may adjust the final grade up or down a grade.

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.

Students can appeal against the grade set for the written part of the exam in accordance with Section 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges.

The exam is assessed using a grade scale with grades from A to E for pass and F for fail.

An external and internal examiner will assess all exams.