Master's Programme in Health Sciences - specialisation in Public Health Nutrition 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 Care
• 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.

MAPHN: Public Health Nutrition

Through this specialisation, the students will develop knowledge and skills needed to assess and analyse the extent, causes and consequences of diet and nutritional challenges among different population groups. The students will learn how to plan, develop, implement and evaluate interventions that address the determinants of public health nutrition issues and problems and promote equity and sustainability. The specialisation also provides insight into key political actors and processes related to food and nutrition. It includes local, national and global perspectives with particular focus on the relationship between food systems, diet and sustainability. The specialisation is taught in English.

Etter fullført studium har studenten følgende læringsutbytte definert som kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

KunnskapStudenten

• har kunnskap om fagets funksjon og plass i samfunnet i et nasjonalt og internasjonalt perspektiv
• kan forklare komplekse prosesser i eget yrke, og kritisk vurdere gode løsninger i et bærekratsperspektiv
• kan vurdere yrkesfagets muligheter og behov for en samfunnstjenlig utvikling

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;Ferdigheter

Studenten kan

• gjennomføre komplekst yrkesfaglig arbeid innen eget yrkesområde i et bærekraftperspektiv
• anvende kunnskaper om bærekraft i eget yrkesfaglige arbeid og i egen undervisning
• kritisk vurdere bærekraftperspektiver i eget yrke og egen undervisning
• gjennomføre og dokumentere evaluerings- og utviklingsarbeid som grunnlag for langsiktig bærekraftig fagutvikling

;

Generell kompetanse

Studenten kan

• anvende forskning som grunnlag for vurdering av komplekse arbeider i eget yrke og eget lærefag/yrkesområde i et virksomhets- og bærekraftig samfunnsperspektiv undervisning
• bidra til en samfunnstjenlig fagutvikling, sett i et nasjonalt og internasjonalt perspektiv

• vurdere og ta hensyn til etiske perspektiver ved bærekraft i eget fagområde og undervisning;

Studiet består av to emner à 15 studiepoeng. Normal studieprogresjon er 15 studiepoeng pr. semester. Studiet kan enten organiseres som et samlingsbasert studium eller helt nettbasert, uten fellessamlinger, etter avtale med oppdragsgiver. Arbeidskrav og hospitering i tre-fem dager per emne inngår i studiet. Hospiteringen skal skje i egen bransje eller yrke og organiseres av studentene selv. Arbeidskravene knyttes til hospitering.

Studentene arbeider individuelt og eventuelt i grupper med fagstoff og utvikling av undervisningsopplegg.;I tillegg til studentenes egen kompetanseutvikling, skal studiet bidra til organisasjonsutvikling og endring av praksis på egen arbeidsplass. I forbindelse med arbeidskravene skal studentene dele erfaringer, oppdagelser og refleksjoner med hverandre og kollegaer.

Det forventes at deltakerne følger den oppsatte progresjonen, deltar i nettbasert samhandling og gjennomfører hospitering i egen bransje eller yrke. Samarbeid og felles kompetanseutvikling innen dybdekompetanse og bærekraft står sentralt i studiet. Det vil bli lagt vekt på en kollektiv læringsprosess gjennom erfaringsutveksling og refleksjon på egen arbeidsplass. Det legges også vekt på at innhold og arbeidsformer skal være praksisnære og praksisrelevante i tråd med de krav som stilles til yrkesfaglærere, faglige ledere og instruktører som organiserer yrkesopplæring.

Studentene skal gjennomføre og dokumentere hospitering tre til fem dager per emne i eget yrke/bransje. Dette skal danne grunnlag for å analysere bærekraftighet innen arbeidsprosesser, bruk av teknikker, materialer og råstoff. Studentene skal gjennom hospiteringen, med tilhørende oppgaver, opparbeide kompetanse i å utvikle og vurdere kvalitet på faglig arbeid og undervisning sett fra bærekraftperspektiver.

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 two specialisations cancer nursing and public health nursing 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. For a full overview, see the tables below showing the normal structure of the programme for each specialisation.

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. Tables 1 and 2 below show the course organisation for normal study progress for full-time students writing a master’s thesis worth 50 and 30 ECTS credits, respectively. The tables are read from left to right.

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. 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 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. These two courses are compulsory for all students taking the programme.

The third course, MAVIT4070, is compulsory for students on most specialisations. 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/MAVITD5900) or 30 ECTS credits (MAVIT5910/MAVITD5910MAVITD5920), 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 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 two specialisations cancer nursing and public health nursing 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. 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 6 students. More information about the elective courses can be found here. More information about the elective courses

In the course of the master’s programme, the students can choose one or more elective courses depending on their chosen specialisation. These courses can be selected to form part of all specialisations and 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. There will be an upper limit for places on each elective course. Students are therefore asked to rank the elective courses that form part of their course of study according to their wishes, and are guaranteed a place on one of their ranked courses. The elective courses will only be run if there are enough applicants.

The following courses are elective for all students taking the Master’s Degree 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
• MAVIT5200 The Health and Welfare of Migrant Populations, 10 ECTS credits
• MAVIT5300 Knowledge Translation, 10 ECTS credits
• MAVIT5400 Alliance and Shared Decision Making, 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
• MSLV4200 Collaboration and collaborative management, 10 stp.

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
• MERG4100 The Knowledge Base for Occupation and Participation, 10 ECTS credits
• MAERN4100 Energy and Nutrients, 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

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

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
• MAELD4200 Physiotherapy for Older Adults with a Disability, 10 ECTS credits
• MAMUS4100 Physical Therapy for Musculoskeletal Conditions – Part 1, 10 ECTS credits
• MAMUS4200 Physical Therapy for Musculoskeletal Conditions – Part 2, 10 ECTS credits

Study progress

The following progress requirements apply to the programme:

• Specialisation in Mental Health Care, starting with a project description in course MAVIT4060 Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods, 10 ECTS credits. The project description is part of the work requirement in course MAVITD5920 Master's thesis.
• All 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 MAPHN4100 and MAPHN4200 for a more detailed description of the content of the specialisation courses.

Bestemmelser om eksamen er gitt i lov om universiteter og høgskoler og forskrift om studier og eksamen ved OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet.

Innlevering av eksamensoppgave er ved avslutning av hvert emne og er beskrevet i emneplanene.;

• BÆR6100 - Bærekraftig utvikling i eget yrke - 15 stp - Individuell semesteroppgave
• BÆR6200 - Bærekraftsperspektiver i egen undervisning - 15 stp - Individuell prosjekteksamen

For informasjon om bruk av sensorer, se de enkelte emneplanene.

Studentenes rettigheter og plikter ved evt. ny/utsatt eksamen framgår av forskrift om studier og eksamen ved OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet. Studentene er selv ansvarlig for å melde seg opp til eventuell ny/utsatt eksamen.

Godkjent av prodekan for studier 02.04.2020

Endringer godkjent av prodekan for studier 27.01.2021

Coursework requirements are all types of work, tests and compulsory attendance that are requirements for being permitted to take the examination. Required coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. The coursework requirements for each course are described in the relevant course description.

The primary purpose of coursework requirements is to promote students' progress and academic development and to encourage them to acquire new knowledge. The programme's main coursework requirements are in the form of compulsory attendance, written assignments and tests.

Compulsory attendance

Attendance is compulsory in areas where the student cannot acquire knowledge and skills simply by studying literature.

If a student does not take part in a group presentation, he/she must give an individual presentation to the lecturer.

If a student otherwise exceeds the maximum limit for absence stated in the course description, the subject teacher will consider whether it is possible to compensate for absence by meeting alternative requirements, for example individual written assignments. If it is not possible to compensate for the absence, the student must take the course the next time it is taught. Whether or not it is possible to compensate for absence depends on the extent of the student’s absence and which activities he/she has missed.

Written assignments

Several courses have compulsory written assignments or reports as part of their coursework requirements. Written work that is not approved must be improved before re-submission. If the work is not approved on re-submission, the student cannot take the ordinary examination/assessment.

The students are entitled to a third attempt before the resit/rescheduled examination. If an assignment is not approved the third time it is submitted, the student must re-take the course with the next class.

Different forms of assessment are used on the programme that are adapted to the learning outcomes of the various courses. The forms of assessment used are intended to support learning and document the students’ level of competence in relation to the expected learning outcomes. In general, the following forms of assessment are used in the programme:

Supervised individual examination

Taken at the university’s examination premises over a set number of hours.

Home examination

Taken over a set period of time at the end of the course, normally with a set question/assignment text unless otherwise stated in the course description.

Project examination

Taken over the whole or large parts of the course, normally with a topic decided by the students themselves unless otherwise stated in the course description.

Oral examination

Can take place individually or in groups. It can either be an independent form of assessment or used to adjust the grade awarded for another examination.

Practical examination

The assessment of specific practical skills either at the university or in the field of practice.

Assessment of practical training

Supervised practical training, assessed in accordance with the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University Chapter 8.

The assessment of examinations and practical training is carried out in accordance with the applicable rules set out in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of examiners at OsloMet.

The forms of assessment and criteria are described in each course description. All examinations taken and the title of the master’s thesis will be stated on the diploma.

Examinations

All courses conclude with an examination. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course, and the degree to which the student has achieved the stipulated learning outcomes is assessed. In theoretical courses, the grades used are pass/fail or letter grades from A to F, with A being the highest grade and E the poorest pass grade. The grade F means that the student has failed the examination. The grades pass/fail are used for the assessment of practical training.

Resit and rescheduled examinations are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary examination unless otherwise specified in the course description. In special cases, resit and rescheduled examinations in courses with group examinations may be held as individual examinations.

For examinations where a percentage of the examination papers are selected for assessment by an external examiner, the external examiner's assessment should benefit all the students. In such cases, one external and one internal Examiner will first grade the selected papers. The internal examiner then continues grading the remaining papers together with another internal examiner. The assessments from the first part are summarised to serve as guidelines for the assessments carried out by the two internal examiners.

The grade awarded for a written examination can be appealed, cf. Section 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical examinations. In connection with group examinations, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidate(s) who submitted the appeal. The other students will keep their original grade.

External programme supervisor

An external programme supervisor scheme is in place for the programme as required by the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet. The external supervisor will write an annual report on their work that will be included in the faculty’s area of the university’s quality assurance system.

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 11 February 2022

Adopted by the University Board 9 september 2020

Faculty of Health Sciences

The programme description applies to students starting the programme in 2022