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 term behavioral science has no agreed-upon definition and may refer to different things in different settings. When used as part of the current program, the term should be understood in the context of the idea that a natural science approach to human behavior is both interesting and important to explore. Aspects of natural science relevant for this master´s program in behavioral science include a focus on empirical investigation, the use of experimental methods, and resulting empirically defined units of analysis. Behavioral science aims to explore and develop a natural science approach in several domains, including in conceptual development and philosophy, in experimental analysis and other parts of basic science, and in the application of scientific principles to generate desirable change. A type of behavioral science called behavior analysis is central to the program. Behavior analysis is concerned with investigating systematic relationships between the environment and behavior and considers both public and private events. Behavior analysis may be viewed as a selectionist science taking into consideration both phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and cultural phenomena.

The knowledge, skills and competence from the program are useful when designing, implementing, managing and documenting processes of change for individuals and in 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 a variety of settings both in the private and public sector. Former students are working in the fields of:

• general, special, and higher education
• health and social services
• leadership an human resource management
• scientific research

(The list is not exhaustive)

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

Exams are held in each course, and various forms of assessment are used. The form of assessment, assessment, examiner arrangements and aids permitted for each course are specified in each course description.

Suitability assessment

The Master in programme Child Care is covered by the Regulations on suitability assessment in higher education adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research.

A suitability assessment is a comprehensive assessment of the student’s academic and personal qualifications for work as a health care or social worker. More information about the suitability assessment can be found on the intranet for OsloMet students.

SERNB1200, SERNB1300 og SERNB1400 eller tilsvarende.

Arbeids- og undervisningsformene veksler mellom forelesninger, gruppearbeid, praktiske øvelser inkludert tilberedning av mat og selvstudium.

Følgende arbeidskrav må være godkjent for å fremstille seg til eksamen:

• en praktisk gruppeoppgave med muntlig framlegg, inntil 6 studenter i gruppa
• en teoretisk gruppeoppgave med skriftlig rapport (2000-3000 ord) og muntlig framlegg. Inntil 6 studenter i hver gruppe.

Eksamensinnhold: Læringsutbyttene

Eksamensform: Individuell skriftlig eksamen under tilsyn, 5 timer

For all courses except MALKA213 Laboratory exercises – experimental analysis of behavior and MALK5000/MALK5900 Master’s thesis, there is a final individual written home examination. Exams are tailored to the learning outcomes, course content and teaching and learning methods.

The examination in MALKA213 is an empirical article based on experiments (project examination).

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.

Interne