MALK5000 Master's Thesis Course description

No obligatory prerequisites.

Knowledge

The student

• has an extensive vocabulary in economic/financial English
• knows the main points of grammar necessary for correct and idiomatic usage of the English language at an advanced level
• has knowledge of various cross-curricular business topics
• has knowledge of international relations, e.g. the EU, WTO, NATO and US foreign policy
• has knowledge of several issues in the international world of business and the world economy, including the economies of China and Japan
• has knowledge about globalization and its effects
• has knowledge about various different business cultures
• is familiar with some works of fiction in English

Skills

The student

• can write professional and academic texts in English at an advanced level
• can speak fluently about a wide range of business topics and various aspects of international cooperation, economies and business cultures
• can interact well in a number of professional business situations involving people from different business cultures
• The student can understand spoken and written English used in a business context
• can use a wide range of professional vocabulary in oral and written contexts
• is able to discuss, analyse and reflect on various issues in English
• The student has developed his/her practical problem-solving skills

Competence

The student

• has further developed his/her communicative competence in English, which includes linguistic, intercultural and strategic competencies
• can function well in a wide range of professional situations internationally
• can adapt to new situations and requirements abroad
• can apply his/her skills and knowledge of business English
• can understand English language curricula and lectures in other subjects well

The pedagogical approach includes:

• Lectures, group work, discussions and case studies
• Written and oral assignments
• Assignment review in class
• Student talks/presentations
• Independent study

Regular attendance and active participation in classroom activities are expected.

The following assignments are obligatory:

- Two written assignments (text analysis and essay)

- An individual 7-minute oral presentation

- Participation in obligatory case

Feedback will be given on all assignments. In order to take the final exam, all obligatory assignments must be approved by the instructor. Students will be given the opportunity to re-submit obligatory assignments that have not been approved. If assignments are not approved after re-submission(s), students will not be allowed to take the exam.

Thesis. Submission of master’s thesis according to program specifications, consisting of 1 scientific article. Technical standards according to the current APA manual. Submitting dates each year: June 15th  and November 15th.

Thesis format

The 30 ECTS Master’s thesis for BSCA consists of one article written in accordance with the author guidelines specified in the current APA Publication Manual. The length should be appropriate for the work that is reported, but should commonly not exceed 40 pages, including the title page, references, talbes, and figures, but excluding appendices.

Ethics and data protection

An account of ethical considerations is required if the thesis includes empirical data on humans or nonhuman animals. A risk -and vulnerability analysis (ROS-vurdering) should normally be conducted, and a case number should be included in the title page of the thesis article. If data on humans are included in the thesis, an account of data protection issues is typically required. The description of ethical and data protection considerations can be included in the main body of the thesis. If the decision is made that such an account is not appropriate in the main body of the thesis, a reflection note on this topic should be attached to the thesis. A reflection note is a short description of ethical and data protection considerations, maximum 6000 characters, including spaces. For theses that do not include empirical data, research ethics relevant to the thesis should be discussed, either in the main body of the text or a reflection note. 

Some Master projects may require consideration or approval from external bodies, such as Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD), the Regional Committee for Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics (REK), National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH), and/or internal or external data protection officials. It is ultimately the responsibility of the main supervisor to ensure that the relevant bodies are consulted. If external bodies are consulted, a case number should be included in the title page of the thesis article. If a decision is made that there is no need to consult external bodies regarding ethics or data protection, a description of the deliberations preceding this decision is required, either in the main body of the thesis or in the reflection note. If the thesis is an empirical work, the main supervisor must state in writing that the research is conducted in accordance with current laws and regulations before the thesis can be submitted.

A list of reference aids allowed will be published on our website.

Letter grading A-F.

In addition to the course instructor, an external or internal examiner will be used to grade the exams.

In the written exam, a selection of at least 25% of the exam papers will be assessed by two examiners. The grades awarded to exam papers assessed by the external and internal examiner will be used to determine the level of all exam papers.