Master’s Program in Behavioral Science - Specialisation in Innovation and Implementation Programme description

The Master's Program in Behavioral Science comprises 120 ECTS credits in accordance with § 3 of the National Regulations Relating to Requirements for a Master’s Degree, appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research on December 1st, 2005. A successfully completed program leads to the degree Master of Behavioral Science /master i atferdsvitenskap.

The study program is established in accordance with the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges of 1 April 2005 and Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University 26 June 2012.

A specialisation in one of the two specialisations; in Concepts and Applications and in Innovation and Implementation forms part of the master’s degree program. The name of the specialisation will appear on the diploma alongside the name of the degree: Master of Behavioral Science. The specialisation in Concepts and Applications is taken full-time over two years, while the specialisation in Innovation and Implementation is taken part-time over a maximum four years.

The program teaches modern behavioral science. The knowledge, skills and competence from the program are useful when designing, implementing, managing and documenting processes of change for individuals and in systems. The program content adds value to all professional repertoires, and prepares graduates for working with complex systems. Interventions taught in the program are empirically based and well suited for measuring and assessment of outcomes.

The program comprises compulsory common courses, compulsory specialisation courses and elective courses, in addition to the master’s thesis. While the specialisations share the overarching learning outcomes, the specialisation in Concepts and Applications contains more compulsory theoretical courses, and the specialisation in Innovation and Implementation emphasizes practical implementation and reporting skills to a greater degree. A more detailed overview of the program’s structure for each specialisation is given under the section Content and structure.

Students and faculty share the goals of OsloMet for sustainability and environmental friendliness.

Master’s Program in Behavioral Science - Specialisation in Innovation and Implementation (BSII)

The specialisation in Innovation and Implementation aims to provide students with an overview of basic concepts in behavior analysis, and to prepare them for implementing an innovative practical project in a workplace, organization or institution, which will serve as the basis for the master’s thesis. The objective of this project is to introduce what are the best practices in the chosen field. This specialisation has a 40 ECTS compulsory course package, with 20 ECTS elective courses (two courses each worth 10 ECTS) and a master’s thesis worth 60 ECTS.

With a lighter load of compulsory courses, students must seek out and study the scientific literature that will be most relevant for their project work. The thesis will be a project report of the work they have done, describing in details the whole process including evaluation, and written in such a way that the project can inspire and guide others with similar challenges in their work. Projects reports, including an executive summary, will be available to the public in a project bank.

Career opportunities and post-graduate studies

Graduates of the program will usually have a set of professional skills from their undergraduate studies, and the program enhances and adds value to those skills. Graduates have found rewarding work in

• planning, implementing and evaluating change processes for individuals and in organizations
• risk assessment and management
• general and special education
• higher education

The program prepares the graduates for Ph.D. studies.

The master program is accredited by Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).https://www.abainternational.org/accreditation.aspx

Program Structure

The master's program comprises 120 ECTS credits, or a workload of two years full time study. Classes and projects are organized for student flexibility, making it possible to complete the program as a part-time student over maximum 4 years (minimum 50% progression).

The languages of instruction are Norwegian and English. Textbooks and reading packages are in English.

Elective courses are offered every Fall term. Students enroll for courses by deadlines each semester and the department reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrolment. Depending on the number of students enrolled, changes may be made in the way the courses are conducted.

The program constitutes a scientifically and pedagogically integrated whole; with mandatory and elective components (all comprising 10 ECTS).

Mandatory courses (a total of 70 ECTS)

These courses are mandatory for all students:

• MALK4000-401 Complexity, Science and Society;
• MALK4000-402 Relational Skills;
• MALK4000-403 Introduction to Behavior Analysis;
• MALK211 Introduction to Concepts;
• MALK212 Refinement of Terms;
• MALKA213 Laboratory and Practical Exercises
• MALK214 Experimental Design and Functional Analysis.  

Elective courses (a total of 20 ECTS)

Each student chooses two (2) of the following courses:

• MALKA215 Complex Human Behavior;
• MALKA218 Ethical Considerations in the Application of Behavior Analysis;
• MALKA217 Early intervention for children with pervasive developmental disorders;
• MALKA219 Organizational Behavior Management;
• MALKA220 Behavioral Economics
• MALKA221 Complex Systems and Risk Management.

Master's thesis

The individual thesis constitutes the final 30 ECTS credits and is usually a work in progress during the elective courses, when students participate in research projects with faculty.

The 2 mandatory seminars on research ethics are open for students from all levels of the program, but must have been completed before submitting the proposal for the thesis. One seminar is held every semester; both must be completed. 

Note: 

To sit for the BACB-exam, students must complete MLAK4000-403, MALKA211-215 and MALKA218.

MALKA 217 may be substituted for MALKA218.

Fulltime students attend two of the elective courses during the Fall term of the second year of the program.

Academic Content:

Mandatory course sequence (MALK4000-401 to MALKA214)

These courses provide basic insight and practical skills in behavior analysis.

The philosophy of science that is fundamental to behavior analysis is introduced and placed in a wider context of philosophy of science. The status of various scientific approaches in modern society is discussed. The courses place the study of human behavior in a natural scientific tradition and emphasize a selectionist understanding of change processes. Basic ontological and epistemological questions are discussed: unity of knowledge; the relationship between natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities; determining and defining analytical units in research; and methodological approaches suitable for promoting effective action based on functional analyses. Behavior analysis - experimental, conceptual and applied - is introduced as a cumulative science of behavior. Laboratory techniques; experimental design, and scientific method in behavioral research conclude the mandatory course sequence.

Elective courses

In the elective courses, various behaviorally based approaches to initiating, facilitating and managing change processes in individual behavior repertoire, organizations and systems are studied. Behavioral technology comprises everything from basic self-control techniques to sophisticated tools for initiating and managing complex processes in large organizations. Important features in this methodology are operational measures of change and continuous data collection.

Master's thesis

The master's thesis is prepared from the start of the elective courses, at the latest. Students theses will usually be written with a basis in research projects run by faculty in the program, or projects in institutions with which the university has a formal collaboration agreement. The program appoints a thesis advisor.

The mandatory seminars in research ethics cover academic honesty; the work of Regional Ethics Committees; the guidelines of OsloMet on research ethics and research fraud; current publication manuals and APA style manuscript preparation, and the use of electronic reference management tools.

Progression Requirements

All coursework requirements must be approved to sit for the final course exam. Coursework requirements must be approved to participate and submit coursework requirements according to the following:

• MALK4000-402:  MALK4000-401 or equivalent
• MALKA211:  MALK4000-401 or equivalent
• MALKA 212:  MALK4000-401, MALK4000-402, MALKA 211 or equivalent
• MALKA 213:  MALK4000-401, MALK4000-402, MALKA 211, MALKA212, or equivalent
• MALK4000-403:  MALK4000-401, MALK4000-402, MALKA 211, or equivalent
• MALKA214:  MALK4000-401, MALK4000-402, MALKA 211, MALKA212, MALK4000-403, MALKA213, or equivalent
• MALKA215: MALK4000-401, MALK4000-402, MALKA 211, MALKA212, MALK4000-403, MALKA213, MALKA 214, or equivalent
• MALKA218, MALKA 217, MALKA219, MALKA220 and MALKA221: MALK4000-401, MALK4000-402, MALKA 211 and MALKA 212 or equivalent
• MALK5000: All courses must be completed with pass grades and the coursework requirements must be approved before the candidate may submit the master's thesis

Exemption from the provisions of progression requirements may in special cases and upon application by the student, be granted.

Readings and lectures present research-based knowledge. Students are trained in demonstrating and documenting their own academic progress. Learning and teaching methods include lectures; interteaching; discussions (in plenum or in smaller groups); supervision and feedback on all written assignments; laboratory exercises; skills training; computer simulations; projects related to practical/clinical work; oral presentations by students; various writing assignments (abstracts; reaction papers; reviews) multiple choice tests, and programmed instruction. Learning and teaching methods are chosen to help students attain the specific learning outcomes for each course.

The courses in the master's program constitute a scientific and pedagogical coherent whole. We work to ensure this coherence even when students combine courses from different specializations or take courses at other institutions for credit transfer.

Lectures are mainly used to present new research; provide overviews of a field or topic; point out main elements of the subject and show how they are connected, and to place a topic in the relevant scientific and historical context. Lectures are mainly given in Norwegian, otherwise in English.

Interteaching is a technology of classroom instruction based on the principles of behavior analysis. The interteaching method includes pre-session reading; discussion of pre-determined questions in pairs with perambulating instructors; summarizing lectures based on questions from the discussions, and data collection including student evaluation of each session.

Written assignments vary according to learning outcomes, course content and work methods. The assignments usually consist of written work, in the form of essays, reaction papers or reviews of literature, or multiple-choice tests. The coursework requirements ensure steady academic progress and stimulate the students to acquire new knowledge; testing their knowledge, skills and competencies against the standards of the course outcomes. Coursework requirements get feedback from instructors and are specifically designed to give students practice in academic writing and prepare them for thesis work.

Required reading - self-paced: For each course, the students are responsible for readings. The students' individual initiative outside of organized activities, constitutes an essential part of the study program. Such activities mostly consist of self-study/individual work, but may also include cooperation with fellow students, online and/or in terms of face to face meetings.

Simulation/laboratory exercises/skills training is used to design and execute learning experiments (virtual rats), giving hands-on experience with basic learning processes and experiments.

Oral presentations by students are skills training in preparing/designing a presentation, present and discuss course content with fellow students.

Projects related to practical/clinical work:  are related to a self-management project to observe, plan an intervention for the student's own behavior and to measure the effects of the intervention. The projects give hands on experience with planning behavior change, measure behavior, and assessing the outcome of the behavior change.

Programmed instruction and multiple-choice tests are used to teach theoretical concepts.

Master's thesis: The final exam is a thesis. By the end of the final course at the latest, the student submits a thesis outline, including a research question, a plan for progress, and a plan for dissemination (see guidelines, Thesis outline).  When faculty approves the thesis outline, the student is assigned a supervisor for his thesis work. The thesis can be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

The program complies with the quality assurance systems required by the university.

A graduate of this program has acquired the following learning outcomes defined as knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The graduate can

• demonstrate thorough familiarity with basic and advanced principles of experimental, conceptual and applied behavior analysis
• discuss the relationship between theoretical knowledge, experiments, and applied science
• analyze and state the difference between description and explanation
• generalize knowledge over settings and phenomena
• demonstrate theoretical and working knowledge of the ethical principles that govern scientific research

Skills

The graduate can

• analyze practical problems in terms of applied behavior analysis; Organizational Behavior Management; complexity, and systems dynamics, and argue for the analysis with reference to relevant scientific literature
• conduct experiments and demonstrate working knowledge of the natural scientific method
• demonstrate appropriate strategies for measuring effects of interventions by using different designs and inferential statistics
• critically assess various sources of information

Competence

The graduate can

• contribute to the development of evidence-based methods for intervention and change
• manage complexity in projects and processes of change, and promote the development of learning in complex systems
• share knowledge and skills with public and peers according to the standards of professional scientific communication, including the current APA standards
• justify his/her professional behavior with reference to relevant professional and ethical guidelines, general ethical considerations, and assessment of the situation
• enhance processes of individual and organizational change by optimizing human, technological and economic resources

Additional learning outcomes for specialisation in Innovation and Implementation (BSII)

The following additional learning outcomes apply to candidates taking the specialisation in Innovation and Implementation:

Skills

The graduate can

• conduct and report a supervised innovation project with a behavioral perspective in accordance with research ethical guidelines and regulations
• implement new knowledge in social systems, or implement established competence in new settings

Program Structure

The program constitutes a scientifically and pedagogically integrated whole; with compulsory and elective components (all comprising 10 ECTS), in addition to master’s theses of 30 ECTS (BSCA) and 60 ECTS (BSII).

Content of common compulsory courses

These courses provide basic insight and some practical skills in behavior analysis. The philosophy of science that is fundamental to behavior analysis is introduced and placed in a wider context of philosophy of science. The status of various scientific approaches in modern society is discussed. The courses place the study of human behavior in a natural scientific tradition and emphasize a selectionist understanding of change processes. Basic ontological and epistemological questions are discussed: unity of knowledge; the relationship between natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities; determining and defining analytical units in research; and methodological approaches suitable for promoting effective action based on functional analyses. Behavior analysis – experimental, conceptual and applied – is introduced as a cumulative science of behavior.

Compulsory courses

These courses are compulsory for all students:

• MALK4000-401 Complexity, Science and Society
• MALK4000-403 Behavior Analysis and Radical Behaviorism
• MALKA211 Introduction to Behavior Analysis
• MALKA214 Experimental Design and Functional Analysis

For students in the Concepts and applications specialisation, these courses are also compulsory:

• MALK4000-402 Relational Skills
• MALKA212 Refinement of Behavior Analytic Terms
• MALKA213 Laboratory Exercises – Experimental Analysis of Behavior

Content of elective courses

In the elective courses, various behaviorally based approaches to initiating, facilitating and managing change processes in individual behavior repertoire, organizations and systems are studied. Behavioral technology comprises everything from basic self-control techniques to sophisticated tools for initiating and managing complex processes in large organizations. Important features in this methodology are operational measures of change and continuous data collection.

Elective courses (a total of 20 ECTS)

Each student chooses two (2) of the following courses:

• MALKA212 Refinement of Behavior Analytic Terms*
• MALKA215 Complex Human Behavior*
• MALKA217 Early Intervention for Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders
• MALKA218 Ethical Considerations in Applied Behavior Analysis
• MALKA219 Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)
• MALKA220 Behavioral Economics
• MALKA221 Complex Systems and Risk Management (Not offered 2024)
• MALKA222 Clinical Behavior Analysis

* Students at the BSII-specialisation who choose MALKA215 as one of the two elective courses, has to choose MALKA212 as the second elective course. MALKA212 should then be carried out in the spring semester the first year of study. This will cause a higher workload during this semester for students at the BSII-specialisation who choose MALKA215 and MALKA212 as elective courses.

Elective courses are normally offered every Fall term. Students enrol for courses by deadlines each semester, and the department reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrolment. Depending on the number of students enrolled, changes may be made in the way the courses are conducted.

Master’s theses – 30 and 60 ECTS credits

Students admitted to specialisation in Concepts and Applications write an individual master’s thesis worth 30 ECTS (MALK5000). The thesis is usually a work in progress during the elective courses, when students participate in research projects with faculty.

By the end of the final course at the latest, the student submits a thesis outline, including a research question, a plan for progress, and a plan for dissemination (see guidelines, Thesis outline). When faculty approves the thesis outline, the student is assigned a supervisor for his thesis work. See the course descriptions for MALK5000 for a more detailed description of the master’s thesis worth 30 ECTS.

Students admitted to specialisation in Innovation and Implementation write an individual master’s thesis worth 60 ECTS (MALK5900). Students’ theses will be written with a basis in innovation projects designed and implemented by the candidates in the program. The program appoints a thesis advisor, and the candidate works with a dedicated field supervisor trained by the Department of Behavioral Science. The thesis reports the planning, design and implementation of the innovation project, and includes an executive summary that will be made publicly available through a Project Bank. See the course descriptions for MALK5900 for a more detailed description of the master’s thesis worth 60 ECTS.

The 2 compulsory seminars in research ethics cover academic honesty; the work of Regional Ethics Committees; the guidelines of OsloMet on research ethics and research fraud; current publication manuals and APA style manuscript preparation, and the use of electronic reference management tools. The seminars are taken place digitally and are open for students from all stages of the program. One seminar is held every semester, and both seminars must be completed before the proposal for the thesis is submitted.

The master’s thesis can be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

The program complies with the quality assurance systems required by the university.

Progression Requirements

All coursework requirements must be approved to sit for the final course exam. Coursework requirements must be approved to participate and submit coursework requirements according to the following:

• MALK4000-403: MALK4000-401, or equivalent
• MALKA211: MALK4000-401, MALK4000-403, or equivalent
• MALKA212: MALK4000-401, MALK4000-403, MALKA211, or equivalent
• MALKA213: MALK4000-401, MALK4000-403, MALKA211, MALKA212, or equivalent
• MALKA214: MALK4000-401, MALK4000-403, MALKA211, or equivalent
• MALKA215: MALK4000-401, MALK4000-403, MALKA211, MALKA212, MALKA214, or equivalent
• MALK5000: All courses in the specialisation must be completed with pass grades and the coursework requirements, including seminars in research ethics, must be approved before the candidate may submit the master’s thesis.
• MALK5900: All courses in the specialisation must be completed with pass grades and the coursework requirements, including seminars in research ethics, and thesis seminars must be approved before the candidate may submit the master’s thesis.

Courses in the BSII-specialisation are digitalised and to some degree self-paced. They are designed according to the principles of dr. Fred Keller’s Personalized System of Instruction (PSI), which require that students master the content of a specific learning unit before they are allowed to proceed with the next unit in the course sequence.

Exemption from the provisions of progression requirements may in special cases and upon application by the student, be granted.

All courses except MALKA 213 have one or more coursework requirements. Each assignment is graded Approved/Not approved. All assignments must be approved before the student can sit for the exam in each course. The assignments are submitted digitally, and written feedback is delivered in the same electronic platform. When the coursework requirement is delivered according to deadlines in the course schedule the student has the right to receive feedback on the assignment.

A student may submit the same obligatory assignment a maximum of three times. Failed assignments must be reworked before resubmission. If the second submission fails, the student is not eligible for the regular examination. The student is entitled to a third attempt before new/deferred exam.

If one or more assignments are not approved after three attempts, the student must attend the course the next time it is arranged, usually the subsequent year. Application for a fourth and final attempt to complete the assignment to sit for the exam are decided on an individual basis by the Head of the Department.

Two research ethics seminars are 100 % attendance required before submitting the thesis outline. The seminars are held annually, one each semester.

For all courses except MALKA213 Laboratory and practical exercises and MALK5000 Master's thesis there is a final individual written exam with invigilation. Exams are tailored to the learning outcomes, course content and teaching and learning methods. The exam in MALKA213 is an empirical article based on experiments and lasts for 3 weeks (hjemmeeksamen).

Exam questions are in English. Students may submit their exams in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English. All ordinary exams are held in the same term as the corresponding course.

All exams are evaluated and graded by two examiners; one from program faculty and one external to the program. The grading scale on all exams is:  A (highest) to F (lowest) where A to E are pass grades and F is a fail grade.

All examinations taken are specified on the diploma, as is the title of the master's thesis.

Assessments are carried out in accordance with the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges, Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet and Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet. See http://www.hioa.no/eng/Programs/Acts- and-regulations.

In accordance with Regulations Relating to Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet, external program supervisors are affiliated with this study program. The external program supervisors shall through feedback and advice contribute to ensuring that:

• the Master's Degree program is a high-quality program judged by the standards for equivalent degrees at other national and international higher education institutions
•  there is a coherence between the learning outcomes, teaching and forms of assessment
• there is a coherence between the different courses of the program
• the students knowledge and skills are tested and assessed in an impartial and satisfactory way.

The external program supervisors prepare a report that will be included in the department's quality assurance work.

Approved by NOKUT on April 15th, 2004

Approved by the Board of Akershus University College on September 7th, 2004

Last amendments approved by the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences

on February 19th 2021

Exam questions are in English. Students may submit their exams in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English. All ordinary exams are held in the same term as the corresponding course.

All exams are evaluated and graded by two examiners, one from program faculty and one external to the program. The grading scale on all exams is: A (highest) to F (lowest) where A to E are the pass grades, and F is a fail grade.

All courses included in the specialisation are specified on the diploma, as is the title of the master’s thesis.

Assessments are carried out in accordance with the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges, Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet and Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet.

In accordance with Regulations Relating to Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet, external program supervisors are affiliated with this study program. The external program supervisors shall through feedback and advice contribute to ensuring that:

• the Master’s Degree program is a high-quality program judged by the standards for equivalent degrees at other national and international higher education institutions
• there is a coherence between the learning outcomes, teaching and forms of assessment
• there is a coherence between the different courses of the program
• the students’ knowledge and skills are tested and assessed in an impartial and satisfactory way.

The external program supervisors prepare a report that will be included in the department’s quality assurance work.

Approved by NOKUT on April 15th, 2004

Approved by the Board of Akershus University College on September 7th, 2004

Last amendments approved by the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences on February 19th 2021