MAPSD5900 Master's Thesis in Mental Health Care Course description

The master's thesis is an independent and systematic piece of scientific work. The master's thesis should have a clinical and/or organisational focus on mental health, mental disorders and mental health care. The student(s) can be affiliated with internal and external research environments and development projects in the field of mental health.

Study groups, lectures, seminars and self-study.

The syllabus amounts to approx. 800 pages.

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

• advanced knowledge of mental health, mental disorders and mental health care
• in-depth knowledge about theories of science and research methods of relevance to the completion of the master's thesis

Skills

The student is capable of

• carrying out a limited research or development project under supervision in accordance with applicable research ethics standards
• using relevant methods in research and development work

Competence

The student

• has competence in research and development work and can assess the methods used and results from scientific investigations and evaluations
• is capable of taking an analytical and critical approach to the research process and knowledge development
• is capable of reflecting on the ethical aspects of the research process and knowledge development

Seminars will be held where the students submit drafts of the master's thesis text, which will be reviewed and discussed at the seminar.;

Ten hours of individual supervision is available for the master's thesis.

The master's thesis shall be submitted as a monograph or as an article script. Up to two students can co-write a joint master's thesis. A note must accompany the submission of the thesis, stating the parts of the thesis that each student has had main responsibility for.

Individual assignments in monograph form are expected to have a scope of 50 pages (+/- 20%). Monograph theses written by two students are expected to have a scope of around 70 pages.

Individual theses in article form shall comprise one scientific article. The student(s) must also write an explanatory text, in which they shall present and discuss thematic and methodological aspects of the master's thesis that are not adequately covered in the articles. Theses in article form written by two students shall consist of two scientific articles that are thematically linked, and an explanatory text. In the explanatory text, the student(s) shall present and discuss thematic and methodological aspects of the master's thesis that are not adequately covered in the articles. The article and the explanatory text shall together constitute a maximum of 50 pages for individual theses and a maximum of 70 pages when two students write articles together.

The following must have been completed and approved in order for a student to be permitted to submit the master's thesis:

Supervision

• Five hours of supervision, three of which must be given by the main supervisor
• The supervisor's overview of the supervision the student has received in connection with his/her work on the master's thesis serves as documentation of completed supervision.

Written master's thesis with adjusting oral exam

• individual or in groups of two students, and an individual oral exam based on the master’s thesis (approx. one hour)
• only students who have passed the written master's thesis are permitted to take the oral exam
• the thesis must be written in accordance with the applicable guidelines for the master’s thesis in Mental Health Care

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

All answer papers are assessed by two examiners. At least 20% per cent of the exam papers will be assessed by an external examiner. The external examiner's assessment shall benefit all the students.

The master's thesis is assessed by a commission consisting of one internal examiner and at least one external examiner. The supervisor cannot be an internal examiner.