SYKP3900B Bachelor's Thesis Course description

The bachelor’s thesis is the final academic in-depth paper in the nursing programme. Through the work on the bachelor’s thesis, the student will delve into a delimited area of research, and have the opportunity to develop his/her own academic independence. The topic must be linked to the nursing profession, patients and/or next-of-kin. The bachelor’s thesis must include systematic literature searches to apply results from recent research related to the chosen research question. The bachelor’s thesis must be presented in a systematic and clear manner. The title of the bachelor’s thesis will also be included on the diploma.

Passed first and second year of the programme.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can discuss the nurse’s role and responsibilities in a chosen area of specialisation
• can summarise relevant research and professional development in the chosen specialisation

Skills

The student

• can create a project description, including a time schedule and how he/she intends to complete the bachelor’s thesis with the resources available
• can formulate a clear research question relating to nursing, which is possible to answer within the framework of the thesis
• can carry out an independent systematic literature review in accordance with the applicable research standards
• can clarify concepts, analysing and assessing different sources of information, and using these sources to formulate relevant argumentation
• can present specialist literature in an independent, logical, critical and systematic manner

General competence

The student i

• can disseminate and arguing for strengths and weaknesses of his/her own study in a substantial and methodical manner
• can reflect on relevant research ethics issues

Lectures, seminars, supervision, and self-study. All students will be allocated a supervisor.

In the optional course MJ4800 Scientific Assistant, the student is associated with a research project led by a scientific employee at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, and participates in this research project. The participation must result in a relevant academic production. The subject can only be taken once.

Bachelor’s thesis.

• Literature review.
• Normally written in group with 2-3 students.
• Scope of 8,000 words (+/- 10%).

Resits/rescheduled exam: If the bachelor’s thesis is awarded a fail grade, the student has the right to submit a reworked version once.

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

Knowledge

The student

• has insight into the development of a research project
• has specialized knowledge of various theories relevant to the field of study and the research project
• has advanced insight into quantitative and / or qualitative methods and knowledge of what governs method choices

Skills

The student

• can orientate themselves independently and critically within relevant academic literature and find relevant material for a research project
• can analyze and handle a research material critically and has the ability to think critically and reflect, also methodically, around his/hers own role as a researcher
• can carry out an independent, limited research or development project under supervision and in line with current research ethics standards for the protection of sources and source material

General competence

The student

• has developed competence for independent research work
• has the competence to innovate and to apply their knowledge and skills in new areas

On a given occasion, research projects will announce places for scientific assistants at the master's program. The student contacts the project manager and submits a request for a place on the research project. The research leader decides whether there is room for the student and reports this.

An agreement is made about the content of the scientific assistance work, which in scope will correspond to 6 weeks of full-time studies. The project leader supervises the student in accordance with the agreement before and after the work. The work must end in a professionally relevant production.

No coursework requirements

The exam is an individual semester assignment consisting of a report of approx. 10 pages. Font Arial or Calibri, size 12 points, line spacing: 1.5.

The report shall contain the following components: Introduction, presentation of topic, presentation of the assignment and production, method, method reflections, potential findings and reflections on challenges with the work. The report can also explain the type of publication the work has aimed to include or be realized as, whether this applies to contributions to publications from the project, or as an independent publication (for example a separate article), when relevant.