Master's Programme in Health Sciences - specialisation in Physiotherapy for Musculoskeletal Health Programme description

The programme was established under the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

Candidates who pass the programme will be awarded the degree Master of Health Sciences (Norwegian: Master i helsevitenskap) in accordance with Section 3 of the Regulations concerning Requirements for the Master's Degrees. A specialisation in one of the following 15 specialisations forms part of the master’s degree programme:

Specialisations for applicants with backgrounds in health or social care:

• Health Sciences
• Empowerment and Health Promotion
• Mental Health and Addiction
• Rehabilitation and Habilitation

Specialisations for applicants who are authorised health personnel in the specified professional fields:

• Nutrition for Health Personnel
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy for Children and Adolescents
• Physiotherapy for the Older Adult
• Physiotherapy for Musculoskeletal Health
• Psychomotor Physiotherapy
• Advanced Nursing Practice
• Public Health Nursing
• Cancer Nursing
• Nursing – Clinical Research and Professional Development

Specialisations for applicants from the professional field of nutrition:

• Public Health Nutrition

The specialisation will also be stated on the diploma alongside the name of the degree: Master of Health Sciences.

The master’s degree programme has a scope of 120 ECTS credits. Some of the specialisations are taken full-time over two years, while others are taken part-time over three or four years.

The programme comprises compulsory common courses, compulsory specialisation courses and elective courses, in addition to the master’s thesis. A more detailed overview of the programme’s structure for each specialisation is given under the section Content and structure.

According to the UN Agenda 2030, a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development is that everyone is able to live healthy lives. The Master’s Degree Programme in Health Sciences is primarily aimed at the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, Good Health and Well-being, while SDGs 4, 5 and 10 on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, and achieving gender equality and reducing inequality, are also relevant. The 17 SDGs must be seen as a whole, however, where each goal is seen in conjunction with the others. The purpose of the programme is therefore to educate candidates who are qualified to help to ensure good health and promote quality of life for everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, education, sexuality and functional ability, while also attempting to address considerations relating to sustainability, including life-long learning.

The students taking the programme can choose a specialisation in health promotion, illness prevention, treatment, palliative care and (re)habilitation work. The programme teaches the students to handle professional problems at the individual, group and system level in close cooperation with other professions, patients, users, next of kin and other services. The candidates should also be able to contribute to safe, effective, holistic and integrated services with good use of resources, and to innovation, improvement work and systematic user involvement.

Relevance to working life

Possible fields of work and careers after completing the programme include:

• research and development in the health sciences
• teaching, development and advisory functions in the guidance, administration and dissemination of knowledge in the health professions
• clinical work that is based on specialised expertise
• health and social care management positions

Relevance to further education

Students taking the Master's Degree Programme in Health Sciences who choose to write a master’s thesis worth 50 ECTS credits can apply for admission to the research programme for health sciences while taking the master’s programme. This is taken in parallel to and as an extension of the master’s programme. The research programme develops researcher expertise over and above that provided during the master’s programme and results in a research work that can later form part of a PhD-level work.

Candidates with a Master's Degree in Health Sciences are qualified to apply for admission to PhD programmes, including the PhD Programme in Health Sciences at OsloMet.

Specialisations

The Master's Degree Programme in Health Sciences has a number of specialisations that candidates can choose. Applicants must choose and apply directly for the specialisation they wish to take when applying for the master’s programme. The specialisations are subject to different admission requirements. However, the students will take a significant part of the programme together with students from the other specialisations, partly through compulsory common courses and partly through elective courses across the specialisations. More information about this is found in the section Content and structure.

MAMUS: Physiotherapy for Musculoskeletal Health

This specialisation focuses on concepts, theories and research related to injuries, diseases and conditions of the spine and joints, osteoporosis and other musculoskeletal conditions such as fibromyalgia and tendinitis. A broad understanding of causal connections and approaches is emphasised, both from an individual and a societal perspective.

The target group is students with a bachelor’s degree in health or social care who want to work on professional development and/or participate in research in their field, and potentially conduct clinical work in their chosen specialisation. The programme is a relevant additional education to a number of health and social care programmes.

Admission takes place directly to the chosen specialisation. The requirement for admission to the Master’s Degree Programme in Health Sciences is a bachelor's degree or an equivalent degree within a specified field, with an average grade of at least C. However, an average grade of C does not guarantee admission. If the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of places on the programme, the applicants will be ranked according to the applicable ranking rules.

Admission to individual courses

For admission to individual courses, the admission requirements are described in the course description. The grade C requirement does not apply to admission to individual courses. More information about admission to individual courses can be found on the programme’s website.

Reference is made to the Regulations relating to Admission to Studies at OsloMet. The specialisations and single courses will only be run if a sufficient number of qualified candidates apply.

Admission requirements for the Specialisation in Physiotherapy for Musculoskeletal Health

A bachelor's degree or an equivalent degree in physiotherapy. Applicants must also hold Norwegian authorisation as a physiotherapist. Applicants with an internship license can also be admitted.

Learning outcomes at the programme level for the Master's Degree Programme in Health Sciences

The student’s overall learning outcomes for the Master’s Degree Programme in Health Sciences fully cover the description of master’s degree level (level 7) of the Norwegian Qualifications Framework.

A candidate who has completed his or her qualification should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• has advanced knowledge of health-related services and health-promoting work within their field of specialisation
• can analyse academic problems on the basis of the history, traditions, distinctive character and place in society of the health sciences
• has knowledge of different perceptions of body, health, illness, function and functional impairment
• has in-depth knowledge of the individual’s right to autonomy and user participation, and of important considerations in the development of equitable health services and health-promoting work
• has insight into the role of interprofessional cooperation in achieving results in health-related services and health-promoting work
• has insight into the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being, and an understanding of the connection between health and sustainable development in society
• has thorough knowledge of the theory of science, research methods and ethics of particular relevance to health sciences and the area of specialisation

Skills

The candidate

• can understand, motivate and cooperate with individuals and next of kin undergoing health-related learning, coping and change processes
• can analyse existing theories, methods and interpretations in the field of health sciences and work independently on practical and theoretical problem-solving
• can adapt health services and health-promoting work to different groups in society
• can contribute to the expedient and correct use of technology to improve the quality of the health services
• can use knowledge of quality improvement and implementation to improve the services
• can analyse and deal critically with various sources of information and use them to structure and formulate scholarly arguments
• can use relevant methods for research and scholarly and/or professional development work in an independent manner
• can carry out an independent, limited research or development project within their specialisation under supervision and in accordance with applicable norms for research ethics

General competence

The candidate

• can analyse the relationship between the individual, service and societal levels when designing health-related services and in health-promoting work
• can contribute to innovation and quality improvement that builds on relevant knowledge of nursing gained from research and experience, and knowledge of users
• can work in interprofessional teams in order to more efficiently address complex health challenges
• has an international perspective in their field of specialisation
• can assess their own research design and research method based on a specific research question
• can disseminate relevant problems, analyses and research results to specialists and the general public in a way that meets research ethics requirements
• can contribute to new thinking and innovation processes in the health services and in health-promoting work

Specialisation in Physiotherapy for Musculoskeletal Health

The following additional learning outcomes apply to candidates taking the Specialisation in Physiotherapy for Musculoskeletal Health:

• can critically assess and apply current knowledge of the most common musculoskeletal injuries, diseases and disorders (MSDs) in the field of practice
• can critically assess the physiotherapist’s role in the current health services in terms of interprofessional cooperation and the implementation of well-documented knowledge
• can describe knowledge on the relationship between work and musculoskeletal health
• can contribute to the whole process involved in research and development projects on MSDs

The master’s programme is designed to be comprehensive, and the academic content and educational tools are interlinked, showing a clear context between learning outcome descriptions, learning activities and forms of assessment.

The Master’s Degree Programme in Health Sciences has three or four compulsory common courses, depending on the chosen specialisation. In addition to these, there are at least two compulsory specialisation courses for each specific specialisation, and a master’s thesis worth either 30 or 50 ECTS credits, depending on the specialisation. The students can also choose one or more elective courses depending on their chosen specialisation. This does not apply to the specialisations cancer nursing, public health nursing and mental health and addiction as they only have compulsory courses in their programme structures.

The courses in the programme description build to some extent on each other to ensure progress, with increasing requirements for knowledge and understanding within each specialisation. The courses are mainly taken over the course of the semester, with start-up at the start of the semester and examinations towards the end. The exceptions are certain compulsory specialisation courses that include external supervised practical training.

The academic year is 40 weeks long, and the expected workload for a full-time student is 40 hours per week. This includes scheduled activities, students’ own study activity and examinations. The course descriptions provide more details about learning outcomes, work methods, coursework requirements and examinations.

Content of compulsory common courses

The programme includes a compulsory common course MAVIT4100 Quality Improvement and Implementation of Evidence-based Practice, 10 ECTS credits. The purpose of this course is to enable students to actively contribute to promoting safe and high-quality health and care services. By health and care services is meant both public and approved private services, as well as health promoting work in the public and private sectors. The course introduces students to the organisation and management of health and care services, and prepares for interprofessional quality improvement work. It also gives students experience of interprofessional quality improvement cooperation. Through the course, the students will learn about different quality improvement models and the interaction between user knowledge, experience-based knowledge and research-based knowledge in clinical decision-making processes.

There are also three common courses in the theory of science and research methods: MAVIT4050 Theory of Science and Research Methods, 10 ECTS credits, MAVIT4060 Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods, 10 ECTS credits and MAVIT4070/MAMUS4070 Research Design and Project Description, 10 ECTS credits. These courses aim to help the student to read, understand and critically assess research literature, to critically assess various sources of knowledge that form part of clinical decision-making processes, to acquire in-depth knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and lead up to the development of a project description for their master’s thesis.

In the first course, MAVIT4050, the students are introduced to theory of science and research methods and research ethics.

The second course, MAVIT4060, provides students with a deeper understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods.

The third course, MAVIT4070/MAMUS4070, the students will work more thoroughly with their chosen method and develop a project description for their master’s thesis. This is to ensure that the students get to grips with work on their master’s thesis at an early stage.

Master’s thesis – 30 and 50 ECTS credits

The master’s thesis in the programme is worth 50 ECTS credits (MAVIT5900/MAMUS5900) or 30 ECTS credits (MAVIT5910), respectively. Whether the students are able to choose the scope of their master’s thesis depends on the specialisation they have been admitted to. Normally students will develop a project description as part of the course MAVIT4070/MAMUS4070 Research Design and Project Description, 10 ECTS credits. The project description is developed with the support of the lecturer, who quality assures the project with respect to scope and degree of difficulty.

The same requirements apply to scientific and research-related work regardless of the length of the thesis. Students can choose to write the master’s thesis individually or in pairs. Students can also apply to write the master’s thesis with students from other specialisations, provided that the scope of the master’s thesis is the same. On application, interdisciplinary innovation projects can be written in groups of up to four students. Students are encouraged to contact potential supervisors about possible project ideas.

Elective courses

In the course of the master’s programme, the students can choose one or more elective courses depending on their chosen specialisation. This does not apply to the specialisations cancer nursing, public health nursing and mental health and addiction as they only have compulsory courses in their programme structures. Which elective courses that are available will vary. These elective courses cover a broad area of the health sciences. Students must apply for a place on elective courses no later than the semester before, subject to specific deadlines. More information about the elective courses can be found here. https://student.oslomet.no/valgemner-master-helsevitenskap

There will be an upper limit for places on each elective course. Elective courses could be cancelled by the Faculty if enrolment is below the minimum of 20 students.

The following courses are elective for all students taking the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences:

MAFAR4100 Innovation within Healthcare, 10 ECTS credits.

MAVIT4600 Supervision / Counselling, 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT4700 Food, Health and Sustainability, 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT4800 Personalised Nutrition, 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT4900 Quality of Life, 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT5100 Health communication 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT5300 Knowledge Translation, 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT5500 Adolescent Health, 10 ECTS credits.

MAVIT5600 Physical Activity and Exercise in a Life Course Perspective and with a Special Focus on Aging, 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT5700 Pain – Multidimensional Assessment and Health Professional Interventions, 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT5800 Introduction to Clinical Studies for Healthcare Personnel, 10 ECTS credits

MAPSY4400 Mental Health of Migrants and Minorities, 10 ECTS credits

MSLV4200 Collaboration and collaborative management, 10 ECTS credits

MAVIT4400 Clinical Neurophysiology, 10 ECTS credits

VSHSO6000 Sexual Abuse - Prevention, Detection and Follow up, 10 ECTS credits

VSHFS6000 The Impacts of Disability and Illness on Sexual Health, 10 ECTS credits

HETEK4300 Bacteriology and Antimicrobial Resistance, 10 ECTS credits

Students can also choose some compulsory specialisation courses from other specialisations as elective courses. This is on condition that the student meets the prerequisite requirements given in the relevant course description and that there is a place on the course. This applies to:

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences.

MAEMP4100 Public Health, Empowerment and Health Promotion, 10 ECTS credits

MAEMP4200 Health Pedagogy, 10 ECTS credits

MAHAB4100 Coping and Participation in the Rehabilitation Process, 10 ECTS credits

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences and hold authorisation as healthcare personnel.

MAERN4100 Energy and Nutrients, 10 ECTS credits

MERG4200 Complex Interventions in Work and Everyday Life, 10 ECTS credits

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences and have 20 ECTS credits in nutrition

MAPHN4100 National and Global Nutrition Challenges, 10 ECTS credits

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences and hold authorisation as a general nurse.

MAKLI4200 Practical Ethics, 10 ECTS credits

MAKRE4100 Nursing and Treatment for Patients with Cancer, 10 ECTS credits

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences and hold authorisation as an occupational therapist.

MERG4100 The Knowledge Base for Occupation and Participation, 10 ECTS credits

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences and hold authorisation as a physiotherapist.

MABU4100 Physiotherapy for Children and Adolescents - Part 1, 10 ECTS credits

MAELD4100 Physiotherapy for Home-dwelling Older Adults, 10 ECTS credits

Study progress

The following progress requirements apply to the programme:

MAVIT4070/MAMUS4070 must be passed before the student can start working on the master's thesis.

All compulsory courses in the programme must be passed before the student can submit their master's thesis for assessment.

Some courses may have separate progress requirements; see the individual course descriptions.

See the course descriptions for MAMUS4100 and MAMUS4200 for a more detailed description of the content of the specialisation courses.

PPU i drama- og teaterkommunikasjon retter seg mot studenter som ønsker å kvalifisere seg for undervisningsarbeid i grunnskole og videregående skole i tråd med de til enhver tid gjeldende læreplanverk og andre arenaer som kulturskoler, folkehøgskoler og museer.

For opptak til praktisk-pedagogisk utdanning må søker ha

en mastergrad som inneholder minst ett relevant fag som gir kompetanse til å undervise, jf. forskrift 23. juni 2006 nr. 724 til opplæringsloven kapittel 14

eller

en bachelorgrad i utøvende eller skapende kunstfag,

eller

en bachelorgrad på minimum 180 studiepoeng med inntil tre fag som gir kompetanse til å undervise i praktiske og/eller estetiske fag*, hvorav ett av fagene må ha et omfang på minimum 120 studiepoeng. Øvrige fag må ha et omfang på minimum 30 studiepoeng. Det stilles krav om gjennomsnittskarakter C eller bedre fra denne bachelorgraden. *Dette gjelder faglig fordypning innen dramapedagogikk, teaterkunnskap og sceniske og skapende uttrykk innen drama og teaterkommunikasjon.

Studiet krever politiattest.

Det vises til forskrift om opptak til studier ved OsloMet storbyuniversitetet: https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2015-12-15-1681 og forskrift om rammeplan for praktisk-pedagogisk utdanning: https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2015-12-21-1771

Det innføres masterkrav for opptak til PPU innen år 2030.

Kunnskap

Kandidaten:

• har inngående fagdidaktisk og pedagogisk kunnskap om relevante trinn
• har bred kunnskap om og forståelse for skolens mandat, opplæringens verdigrunnlag og opplæringsløpet
• har inngående kunnskap om og evne til å holde seg oppdatert på gjeldende lov- og planverk for profesjonsutøvelsen
• har bred kunnskap om barne- og ungdomskultur og barns og ungdoms utvikling og læring i ulike sosiale og kulturelle kontekster
• har bred kunnskap om læringsstrategier, læringsarenaer og arbeidsmetoder generelt og særlig i respektive fag
• har kunnskap om barn og unge i vanskelige livssituasjoner, herunder kunnskap om vold og seksuelle overgrep mot barn og unge og om deres rettigheter i et nasjonalt og internasjonalt perspektiv

Ferdigheter

Kandidaten:

• kan planlegge, gjennomføre og reflektere over undervisning basert på forsknings- og utviklingsarbeid og erfaringsbasert kunnskap
• kan lede og legge til rette for undervisningsforløp som fører til gode faglige og sosiale læringsprosesser
• kan bruke varierte arbeidsmetoder, differensiere og tilpasse opplæring i samsvar med gjeldende læreplanverk, og skape motiverende og inkluderende læringsmiljøer
• kan beskrive kjennetegn på kompetanse, vurdere og dokumentere elevers læring, gi læringsfremmende tilbakemeldinger og bidra til at elevene kan reflektere over egen læring og egen faglige utvikling
• kan identifisere særskilte behov hos barn og unge, inkludert identifisere tegn på vold eller seksuelle overgrep. På bakgrunn av faglige vurderinger skal kandidaten kunne etablere samarbeid med aktuelle tverrfaglig og tverretatlige samarbeidspartnere til barnets beste

Generell kompetanse

Kandidaten:

• kan formidle pedagogiske og fagdidaktiske problemstillinger på et avansert nivå
• innehar en profesjonell holdning og kan kritisk reflektere over faglige, profesjonsetiske og fag-og utdanningspolitikse spørsmål
• kan med stor grad av selvstendighet viderutvikle egen kompetanse og bidra til både egen, kollegers og skolens utvikling
• kan bygge relasjoner til elever og foresatte, samt samarbeide med aktører som er relevante for skoleverket

Læringsutbyttet er i tråd med forskrift om rammeplan for praktisk-pedagogisk utdanning: https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2015-12-21-1771

Praktisk-pedagogisk utdanning i drama- og teaterkommunikasjon (PPUDTK) har noen felles emner med praktisk- pedagogisk utdanning i design, kunst og håndverk (PPUDKH). Disse blir undervist som fellesemner. Det er anbefalt å ha gjennomført og bestått pedagogikk 1 før studenten starter på pedagogikk 2. Det er anbefalt å ha gjennomført og bestått fagdidaktikk i drama- og teaterkommunikasjon 1 før studenten starter på fagdidaktikk i drama- og teaterkommunikasjon 2.

Programme description considered by the Academic Affairs Committee at the Faculty of Health Sciences on 12 February 2020 and finally approved by the vice-dean on 13 March 2025

Adopted by the University Board 9 september 2020

Faculty of Health Sciences

The programme description applies to students starting the programme in 2025