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.
Optional course
Spans multiple semesters
