MAFAR5900 Master´s Thesis Course description

The master's thesis is an independent research work conducted under supervision.

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.

Students choose their master’s thesis topic based on their academic background and interests. Relevant project outlines are made available digitally.

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 in both scientific and popular science form
• can identify and discuss ethical issues in research in accordance with applicable laws and international conventions

This course focuses on individuals' needs for information and their information seeking behaviour.

The teaching language is in English when there are foreign exchange students present.

No prerequisites.

Knowledge

The student has

• advanced knowledge of information needs as well as of use of information and knowledge in different contexts such as everyday life, working life, research and education, etc.
• good overview and specialized knowledge of the role of various channels for satisfying the information needs and their prominence for seeking and sharing information and knowledge
• advanced knowledge of the theoretical models for understanding seeking and sharing of information and knowledge
• advanced understanding of the relationship between human information behaviour and methods of information and knowledge management

Skills

The student is able to

• use empirical and theoretical models on information behaviour and information mediating institutions' role in information seeking processes to design research projects
• reflect upon how information needs and information use is affected and changed by political, demographic, cultural and technological changes, the emergence of new forms of learning and experience, etc.
• plan, develop and lead information and knowledge management in practice with reference to in-depth knowledge of information needs and information seeking behaviour

The course is organized as a series of three three-day sessions.

The course is given either in Scandinavian languages with occasional English contributions, or exclusively in English.

No course requirements.

Assessment consists of a written term paper and a and a three-day written home examination. The term paper may be written individually (approximately 15 pages), or in groups of 2-3 students (approximately 20 pages).

Exams are assessed separately. Both exams must be passed for an approved grade for the course. The term paper counts for 75 percent and the unsupervised examination for 25 percent of the course grade. The grades for both exams are specified in the course certificate.

Students who have failed the regular examination are entitled to sit a new examination for parts not approved. If a term paper is written by a group, all group members are requested a re-examination at fail.