MABY5900 Master's Thesis Course description

The master's thesis is an independent scientific or industrial project carried out by a student or a group of students (max 2), with a minimal guidance of a faculty member in one of the key subject areas of the Master program in Civil Engineering (MABY) relevant to one of the chosen specialisations: Structural Engineering, Building Technology, Transport Infrastructure Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering and Smart Water Process and Infrastructure Engineering. The project can be related to relevant issues within the respective industries or to ongoing research projects at the department. Group work is encouraged if the master's thesis is related to a large-scale industrial or research project. The master's thesis should adopt a scientific approach, and its results should contribute to the existing body of knowledge or explore innovative methods or topics. 

The master's thesis builds on all the courses taught in the previous semesters. Students must have passed all their first-year exams before they are entitled to supervision on the work on their master's thesis.

After completing the master's thesis, the student is expected to gain several skills, defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence, that go beyond the realm of academic expertise and are highly transferable to various professional contexts.

Knowledge:

The student:

• has specialised knowledge in the topic of the master's thesis.

• has in-depth knowledge of theories and methods of relevance to the topic of the master's thesis.

• has knowledge of new solutions, technologies or processes in the field.

Skills:

The student:

• is capable of analysing and taking a critical approach to different sources of information and using them to structure and formulate argumentation in the field.

• is capable of analysing existing theories, methods and standardised solutions and of working independently on practical and theoretical problem-solving.

• is capable of using relevant methods for research and development work in an independent manner.

• is capable of carrying out an independent, delimited research or development project under supervision and in accordance with applicable research ethical standards.

General Compentence:

The student:

• is capable of applying his/her knowledge and skills to new fields for the purpose of carrying out advanced tasks and projects.

• is capable of communicating extensive independent work and masters the forms of expression used in the field.

• is capable of communicating on issues, analyses and solutions in the field of structural engineering and building technology, both with specialists and with the general public.

• is capable of contributing to new ideas and innovation processes.

The master's thesis is an independent piece of work planned and carried out by a student or a group of students (max 2). The student is responsible for conducting and managing his/her own master's thesis. The master's thesis shall take the form of a dissertation of a scientific nature (e.g. report, research paper, etc.) or project work, original and specially created for this purpose, and an oral presentation. 

If the master's thesis is conducted in cooperation with an external partner, the student(s) shall be assigned an external supervisor in addition to their internal supervisor and should sign an agreement with the external partner. Agreements are provided here: Studentavtaler | Rettigheter og plikter - Student - minside (oslomet.no).

There is no teaching offered in this course.

None

The master's thesis consists of a:

(1) A dissertation of a scientific nature (e.g. monography, research paper, etc.). It should not exceed 100 pages including appendices.

Or

(2) A project work (e.g startup, software, digital or physical objects, etc.) original and specially created for this purpose. A written report, not exceeding 40 pages including appendices, should be submitted along with the project work. 

and 

(3) An oral presentation and examination. Student will be informed about the the time and place of the presentation on canvas.

The dissertation/report should be written and presented in English. It is necessary to provide an abstract in both English and Norwegian. 

The dissertation/project work and the oral presentation will be assessed as a whole, but if there is doubt about the grading of the dissertation/project work, the grade can be adjusted up or down by one grade on the basis of the oral presentation and answers to pertaining questioning. After having reached mutual agreement, the examiners will provide the grade within 6 weeks after the submission deadline. Students has the right to an explanation for the determination of their grade.  If the grade is changed as a result of re-assessment, the student must take the oral presentation and examination again. This oral presentation and examination grade cannot be appealed.

All aids are permitted.

Grade scale A-F.

In accordance with the regulations governing studies and examinations at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University, a student receiving a grade of "F" on a master's thesis is permitted to submit a new or revised master's thesis once. However, it is important to note that submitting a new or revised master's thesis within the same program is not allowed if the original submission received a grade of A-E.

Two examiners, of whom at least one shall be external. The external examiner (from academia or industry) must be an expert in the field of the study. 

Sara Drissi