MSL4200 Research Methods and Theory of Science Course description

The students must acquire the knowledge and skills required to plan and execute the empirical part of the master's thesis in public management. The course provides an overview of the different phases of a research process and raises fundamental issues relating to theory of science.

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On successful completion of the course, the student shall have the following knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge:

The student has:

• in-depth knowledge of key scientific theoretical traditions and positions
• in-depth knowledge of various qualitative and quantitative research designs
• in-depth knowledge of various methods for collecting and analyzing qualitative research data
• in-depth knowledge of various methods for collecting and analyzing quantitative research data, including mulitvariate methods such as multiple regression analysis, logistic regression analysis and factor analysis
• in-depth knowledge of assessing data's relevance and reliability

Skills:

The student can:

• formulate research questions and relate them to the choice of research methods
• analyze qualitative and quantitative data to answer research questions
• apply relevant theory of science, other theory and methods in the master thesis
• use qualitative and quantitative analyses, and interpret the results of these
• apply relevant multivariate analysis methods and interpret the results of these
• carry out an independent, limited research project in the form of a master thesis under supervision and in accordance with current research ethical norms

General competence:

• assess ethical issues that may arise in research and application of research results
• identify and assess relevant issues related to theory of science and research
• interpret and communicate results from empirical surveys
• apply knowledge and skills in the collection and analysis of relevant data sources
• assess the quality of current research
• communicate about methodological social science issues with specialists and to the general public

This course has two coursework requirements. The first coursework requirement is an oral presentation of a theory of science text chosen in consultation with the lecturer. If the student is not able to give an oral presentation, a written presentation can be submitted and approved by the lecturer instead.

The second coursework requirement is a semester assignment of 8-10 pages. The assignment can be written individually or in pairs on agreement with the lecturer. If the semester assignment is not approved, an improved version must be submitted within the deadline stipulated by the lecturer.

Both coursework requirements must be approved before the student can take the exam.

The assessment consists of a four-hour supervised written exam.

No aids are permitted for the written exam.

A grade scale with grades from A to E for pass and F for fail is used.

All answer papers are assessed by an internal examiner. External examiners are used in cases of doubt about whether a pass grade should be awarded and for spot check assessments of approx. 25% of the papers. The grades awarded for the answer papers assessed together with an external sensor form the basis for determining the level for awarding the different grades. The internal examiner shall take the external examiner's assessment into consideration in the grading of all the exams.