MAFAR5900 Master´s Thesis Course description

Language of instruction: English (Norwegian if no English-speaking students have registered for the course)

Development and changes in the health and social care field are often based on new research. To become a good professional practitioner within health sciences, it is necessary to understand and apply research literature and to see it in conjunction with clinical experience and professional development. Theory of science is an important part of the basis for understanding scientific activity. The course stimulates students to take an inquisitive and critical approach to knowledge development in order to make them better equipped to assess the grounds on which health-related decisions are made. The course also provides an overview of the most commonly applied methods in qualitative and quantitative research, and of key principles of research ethics. Insight into the various methods means that as professional practitioners, they will be able to identify research literature that is suitable to answer questions related to the health sciences.

Students must have passed all exams in the first year of study before they can begin the course.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:;

Knowledge

The student

• can acquire advanced knowledge in the subject area of the master’s thesis from relevant research and specialist literature
• can explain the theoretical basis for the topic of the master’s thesis and for the methods included in the work
• can critically evaluate previous research, existing theory and methods that form the basis for the research questions in the master’s thesis
• can assess previous research as a basis for critically evaluating own results

Skills

The student;

• can develop a project description for the master’s degree project under supervision and in line with research methods
• can carry out an independent, limited research or development project under supervision and in accordance with applicable standards of research ethics
• can explore methods, calculations, analyses and examinations of relevance to the master’s thesis in an independent manner
• can quality assure his/her own work
• can present results in a scientific manner and discuss these in relation to previous research

General competence

The student

• can apply research methods to new and unknown disciplines and formulate new research questions
• can carry out critical analyses of and combine knowledge from different sources
• can communicate an extensive independent work, both orally and in writing, in relation to applicable conventions for scientific reporting;
• can communicate research results to both specialists and the general public
• can identify and discuss ethical issues in research in accordance with 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 person responsible for the course 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 online.

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:;

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

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A-F.

Two internal and two external examiners control the exam questions. Each examination paper will be assessed by one internal examiner.