Bachelor Programme in Social Work Programme description

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 40 ECTS.

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 science 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. Behavior analysis – experimental, conceptual and applied – is introduced as a cumulative science of behavior.

Compulsory courses

• MALK4100 Science, Behavior, and Society
• MALK4000-403 Behavior Analysis and Radical Behaviorism
• MALKA211 Introduction to Behavior Analysis
• MALKA212 Refinement of Behavior Analytic Terms
• MALKA213 Laboratory Exercises – Experimental Analysis of Behavior
• MALKA214 Experimental Design and Functional Analysis

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:

• 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 in 2025)
• MALKA222 Clinical Behavior Analysis

Elective courses are normally offered every Fall term. Students enrol for courses bydeadlines each semester, and thedepartment 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 thesis

Students write an individual master’s thesis worth 40 ECTS (MALK5920/MALKD5920). 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 MALK5920/MALKD5920 for a more detailed description of the master’s thesis worth 40 ECTS.

Two 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 forstudents 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:

MALKA211: MALK4100 or equivalent

MALKA212: MALK4100, MALKA211, or equivalent

MALKA213: MALK4100, MALKA211, MALKA212, or equivalent

MALKA214: MALK4000-401, MALK4000-403, MALKA211, or equivalent

MALKA215: MALK4100, MALK4000-403, MALKA211, MALKA212, MALKA214, or equivalent

MALKD5920: 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.

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

Varied and student-active teaching methods are used in the program. The languages of instruction are Norwegian and English. Textbooks, reading packages and digital course sequences are in English.

Good learning outcomes primarily depend on the students’ own efforts. Student effort includes benefiting from teaching and academic supervision; following this up with independent work in the form of theoretical studies, and, when relevant, practical skills training. The program is demanding, and requires consistent effort during the whole semester. The most important work and teaching forms used in each course in the program are described below. Individual course descriptions state which work methods each course employs.

Web-based work and teaching methods

Several forms of digital learning resources are used in the program, such as digital textbooks, digital lectures, video clips, tests, and assignments. These resources can be used to prepare for teaching sessions, during seminars using Interteaching, and as part of self-study. This form of teaching requires the students to meet prepared for the scheduled teaching sessions. Interaction can also take place digitally. Students from both specialisations will have access to digitalised versions of the course content. For the digital course sequences, feedback on details of course content, and supervised discussion groups will be available during pre-determined time periods.

Lectures

Lectures are primarily used to introduce new subject matter, provide an overview and highlight main elements and links within different topics, and also to communicate relevant issues.

Seminars

Seminars emphasize dialogue and discussion between the subject teacher(s) and students in order to stimulate the student's academic development. Verbal presentations by students and discussions are emphazised.

Interteaching

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

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.

Simulation/laboratory exercises/skills training

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

Self-study and student cooperation/group work

Learning requires a high degree of self-paced activity and self-study, including both individual work and cooperation with fellow students. Through activities such as exchanging ideas, presentations, discussions, writing assignments and problem-based assignments, students will be stimulated to learn by communicating knowledge and experience, expressing their own opinions and, together, reflecting on their own attitudes, actions and understanding of the field. Students are encouraged to take initiative to schedule and actively participate in study groups to promote learning. Information about the activities in the institute’s research groups is presented at the start the program, and students are encouraged to take part in the lab activities in the research groups. For each course, the students are responsible for readings.

The Higher Education Entrance Qualification.

Applicants who do not have the Higher Education Entrance Qualification can apply on the basis of prior learning and work experience. At least five years of relevant work experience is then required, and the applicant must be 25 or over in the admission year, cf. the Regulations on admission on the basis of prior learning and work experience at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

Transcript of police records

Students must present a transcript of police records on admission to the Bachelor’s Programme in Social Work. The transcript of police records should preferably be submitted electronically at the start of the programme. Read more about the transcript of police records here:

https://student.oslomet.no/politiattest

After completing the programme, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate:

• has broad knowledge of the theoretical foundation of social work
• has broad knowledge of evidence-based knowledge and user knowledge
• has knowledge of methods that target individuals, families, groups and society at large
• has broad knowledge of the different life challenges of individuals and groups
• has broad knowledge of how social structures and processes can create and maintain social problems
• has knowledge of how social work contributes to achieving the Global Sustainable Development Goals
• has broad knowledge of inclusion mechanisms and conditions for social participation
• has broad knowledge of the support system, different services and benefits in the field of welfare
• has knowledge of interprofessional cooperation and coordination of services and benefits in the public, private and voluntary sector
• has broad knowledge of communication, relationships and interaction with children, young people, adults and older adults at the individual, group and societal level
• has knowledge of legal method, principles of administrative law and relevant legislation
• has knowledge of human rights and important conventions, minorities and the rights of the Sami people and their special status as an indigenous people

Skills

The candidate:

• can apply knowledge about social problems, life crises and life transitions to promote coping and change in cooperation with individuals, families, groups and collaborative partners
• can exercise judgement in interactions with people in different professional and institutional contexts
• can apply various methodological approaches at the individual, group and societal level in various service areas
• can apply rules of law and exercise judgement in a legal and social work context in interactions with individuals, families and groups
• can apply knowledge to identify resources and give hope in cooperation with people in vulnerable life situations
• can promote social justice in cooperation with people in vulnerable positions
• masters relevant methods for mapping, documentation, analysis and decision-making
• can critically assess and use research, experience-based knowledge and user knowledge in professional practice

General competence

The candidate:

• has insight into the professional ethics of social work
• has insight into power structures and exercise of power that contribute to social inequality
• has insight into and can reflect critically on their own professional role in encounters with institutional and political requirements in their service provision.
• can plan and carry out work tasks in complex situations
• can plan, implement and coordinate interprofessional collaboration between different services and service levels
• can communicate knowledge from a social work perspective and exchange points of view and experience with partners
• can contribute to innovation and development of good practice
• is familiar with the importance of digital communication in professional practice and cooperation
• can reflect on the consequences of digitalisation in a life course perspective
• can reflect on their own role, ethical issues and guidelines, human rights, values and attitudes in cooperation with different user groups in different phases of life
• can acquire research-based knowledge about relevant measures at the individual, group and societal level and reflect on these measures

Exams are tailored to the learning outcomes, course content and teaching and learning methods.

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 except the master’s thesis are assessed by one examiner, with an external examiner used regularly, at a minimum of every third completion of the course. The master’s thesis is evaluated and graded by one internal and one external examiner. 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 titleof 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 Useof Examiners at OsloMet.

Exams in Master in Behavioral Science – specialisation in Concepts and Applications

• MALK4100 Science, Behaviour and Society: Portfolio exam that includes 3 individual written assignments (A-F)
• MALK4000-403 Behavior Analysis and Radical Behaviorism: Individual written home examination, 5 hours (A-F)
• MALKA211 Introduction to Behavior Analysis: Individual written school examination, 3 hours (A-F)
• MALKA212 Refinement of Behavior Analytic Terms: Individual written school examination (combination of essays and multiple choice/digital tests), 3 hours (A-F)
• MALKA213 Laboratory Exercises – Experimental Analysis of Behavior Analysis: Individual project examination (A-F)
• MALKA214 Experimental Design and Functional Analysis: Individual written school examination (multiple choice test), 3 hours (A-F)
• MALKA215 Complex Human Behavior: MALKA215 Complex Human Behavior: Individual written school examination, 3 hours (A-F)
• MALKA217 Early Intervention for Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Individual written school examination, 3 hours (A-F)
• MALKA218 Ethical Considerations in Applied Behavior Analysis: Individual written home examination, 3 hours (A-F)
• MALKA219 Organizational Behavior Management (OBM): Individual written home examination, 3 hours (A-F)
• MALKA220 Behavioral Economics: Portfolio exam that includes 2 individual written assignments (A-F)
• MALKA222 Clinical Behavior Analysis: Individual written home examination, 3 hours (Pass/Fail)
• MALK5920/MALKD5920 Master’s Thesis: Master’s thesis, individual (A-F)

Practical training regulations

The periods of practical training must be completed and approved in accordance with the applicable regulations. Reference is made to the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, in particular Chapter 8 . Supervised practical training. Number of attempts. A diploma will not be issued until the external practical training has been approved. Students who have not completed the whole programme can be issued a transcript of the exam records for the exams and parts of the programme they have completed.

The student and supervisor are assigned a contact person at the university. The university conducts visits to the practical training establishment as necessary. The university offers free supervisor training within the university’s geographical area.

Duties

Students are to carry out duties of a type that social workers at the practical training establishment normally do. The work duties should be varied. On the basis of the daily tasks, the students are encouraged to see the connection between the institution’s tasks and general issues regarding its purpose, framework and work methods. The student’s learning objectives must be formulated in a learning contract entered into between the student, supervisor and practical training establishment (see below).

The student must comply with the ordinary norms and rules that apply in working life. Reference is made to the applicable agreements and provisions set out in the Working Environment Act. If the practical training establishment has its own personnel regulations, the student must act in accordance with the sections regulating conduct on duty. The students must familiarise themselves with the duty of confidentiality and submit a written declaration of confidentiality on arrival at the practical training establishment. They are also expected to be familiar with the professional ethical principles and guidelines for social workers and comply with them.

Working hours and attendance requirements at the practical training establishment

The student must comply with the practical training establishment’s working hours. At workplaces where employees work in shifts, there should be a reasonable balance between daytime work and evening work. Night shifts are not to be included in the students’ working hours.

The period of practical training is compulsory, and an 80% attendance requirement applies. Absence of up to 20% is only accepted in connection with illness, holding an office or approved leaves of absence. Any absence in excess of this must be made up for, and an agreement must be reached with the university and the practical training establishment on how this can be done.

The course SOS3110 Specialisation in social work – placement training must be completed and passed in order for the student to be allowed to take the course SOS3910 Bachelor’s Thesis.

Supervision

Every student must have a practical training supervisor at the practical training establishment. The supervisor should preferably have a social care education at university or university college level, and should preferably be a social worker.

The student must receive at least one supervision session per week. Supervision can take place in groups, normally in combination with individual supervision at the beginning, midway and upon completion. The times and dates of supervision sessions should be decided as soon as possible after the student starts the period of practical training.

The supervision is organised such that it enables the student to actively reflect on academic and ethical issues and on what personal competence is in practical social work. The supervisor follows the student’s learning process and takes active responsibility for ensuring the required progress. Planning of duties/learning objectives, their follow-up and assessment and any adjustments to duties/learning objectives form part of the learning process.

The student is responsible for preparing the content of the supervision sessions, with the help of the supervisor. The student will receive continuous feedback about how they are doing at the practical training establishment. They will also receive more extensive feedback from their supervisor halfway through the practical training period and on its conclusion. To what degree the student has met the learning objectives in the programme description will be assessed, and whether they have met the learning objectives set out in the cooperation between the student, supervisor and practical training establishment.

The practical training supervisor’s evaluation

On completion of the practical training period, the supervisor will submit an evaluation report, cf. the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University. The report is a written evaluation of the student’s learning progress and completion of the practical training period, based on the learning objectives formulated in the learning contract and includes a recommendation for approved/not approved practical training. The practical training supervisor will, in addition to evaluating the student’s academic development during the practical training placement, report whether the student has

met the attendance requirements at the practical training establishment

complied with the norms and rules that apply in working life

complied with the ethical principles that apply in social work

The report must include the following sentence: ‘This is an internal feedback document and cannot be used as an employment reference.’ If the practical training supervisor does not advise that the practical training placement is approved, see the separate subsection ’Doubt regarding approval/non-approval’.

Assessment of practical training

Assessment is conducted in accordance with the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University Chapter 8. Approval/non-approval of the practical training period is an individual decision pursuant to the Public Administration Act. The formal assessment is related to completed and approved coursework requirements, including attendance requirements for practical training and completion of supervision sessions. The faculty decides whether to grant approval.

Doubt regarding approval/non-approval

The practical training supervisor, contact lecturer and/or department can raise doubt regarding whether to, or advise not to, approve practical training. When there is doubt regarding approval, or if a recommendation has been made not to grant approval, the department must be notified immediately via the person responsible for the course.

If there is doubt regarding whether to approve the practical training, the student must be notified of this in writing as soon as possible and no later than three weeks before the end of the practical training period. Before the student is notified, the affected parties (student, programme representative and practical training establishment representative) must be called in to a meeting. The initiative to hold such a meeting must be immediate and the university is responsible for inviting the parties and holding the meeting. Minutes are to be kept. The parties must be given the opportunity to comment on the minutes. Any comments must be in writing and sent to the university by care of the dean within a week of the minutes being circulated.

If the grounds for doubt concerning approval permit, a written plan for correcting the factors on which the doubt is based must be prepared. The plan must in such cases contain specific measures and specify the division of responsibility for implementing such measures. The parties must agree on a date for an evaluation meeting to assess the effect of the corrective measures. If doubt is raised concerning approval, the student must demonstrate satisfactory progress during the remainder of the practical training to pass.

If the university decides that the practical training period should not be approved, the student must be informed of this and of the grounds for the decision in writing as soon as possible. The case must then be submitted to the practical training committee as soon as possible. The practical training committee decides whether the case has been sufficiently documented, and acquires additional information as necessary. The practical training committee then makes the final decision. The decision must be explained in writing.

Complaints

Decisions to not approve the practical training cannot be appealed unless a formal error has been made. This means that it is not possible to appeal against the assessment on which the decision to deny approval is based. For appeals against formal errors, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University apply. The Appeals Board at OsloMet is the appeals body.

New period of practical training

See the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

Also see the section ‘Rules for study progress’.

Exclusion

A student who has acted in a grossly reprehensible manner during practical training may, if the board of the university so decides, be excluded from the programme for up to three years, cf. the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges.

Case processing requirements

The decisions are, as mentioned, individual decisions and are subject to the case processing requirements that apply to such decisions at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

Students at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University have the opportunity to take parts of the programme abroad. The Faculty of Social Sciences has a well-established cooperation with a number of universities, university colleges and institutions in countries both in and outside Europe. A period of study abroad can make an important contribution to academic and personal development; it will provide new challenges in the field, new international contacts, better language skills and insight into other cultures. Students may apply to take their practical training in the fifth semester abroad.

There are specific requirements for taking parts of the programme abroad.

Compulsory assignments and coursework to be read by partner institutions abroad must be written in English.

Exchange students from partner universities can apply to take their practical training in and around Oslo. They must first have completed at least one year of the programme at their institution.

Rules for study progress

Several of the programme’s courses have attendance requirements that apply to parts of the teaching activities. This is largely activities where the students are expected to acquire competence that is both part of the programme’s purpose and which the student is unable to acquire through reading the syllabus and/or cannot be assessed in an exam. Participation in compulsory teaching activities must be approved by a specified deadline. It is the students’ responsibility to register their presence on an attendance list and have it certified by the lecturer responsible for the course and/or fellow students.

The compulsory attendance requirement must be approved before the student can take the exam in a course. Attendance requirements are stipulated under each individual course description. The attendance requirement is normally 80%. All coursework and alternative coursework requirements must be completed by a given deadline and be approved before a student can take the exam in a course, cf. the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University. The different coursework requirements are stipulated under each course description.

All exams in an academic year must be passed in order for the student to continue to the next academic year.

Formal requirements for written work

Written work must follow the approved APA citation style (American Psychological Association). All assignments must be written in Calibri 12-point font with 1.5 line spacing.

Assessment and grading shall be in accordance with the provisions on assessment set out in Act No 15 of 1 April 2005 relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University. Students are obliged to familiarise themselves with the applicable rules.

If the attendance requirement is met and the required coursework has been approved, the student is entitled to take the exam, cf. the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

The exam question papers are based on the courses taught, the literature (compulsory and self-chosen syllabus) and practical training. For oral exams, relevant acts will be available at the exam venue.

Students register for exams by confirming their individual education plan for the current semester. Students must register for resit/rescheduled exams via Studentweb.

Reference is made to general information about the exam.

Forms of assessment

Various forms of assessment are used during the programme. The form of assessment and any permitted aids are described under the individual course descriptions.

Assessment

The grades pass/fail or a grade scale with grades from A to E for pass and F for fail is used.

Exam language

Exams are normally written in Norwegian Bokmål or Nynorsk. Students from Sweden and Denmark can write in their first languages. Students who choose to take parts of the programme abroad must write the required coursework and exam paper in English. The exception is students who have studied in Sweden or Denmark.

Examiners

How the examiners are used is described in detail under the individual course descriptions.

Explanation of grades and appeals

Students have the right to explanations of grades and to appeal against grades awarded and/or formal errors in connection with exams in accordance with Sections 5-2, 5-3 and 3-9 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and Sections 7-3 and 7-4 of the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University. Students who wish to improve their grades may normally only register for ordinary examinations, cf. the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University Section 5-2.

Diploma

After completing the programme, students will be awarded a diploma showing all their final grades in the courses that form the basis for the degree.

Rules for study progress

All coursework requirements/compulsory activities must be completed/passed in order for the student to take the exam in a course. All exams in an academic year must be passed in order for the student to continue to the next academic year. The student must have earned at least 20 credits in the first semester in order to take the practical training in the second semester.

Suitability assessment

The Bachelor’s Programme in Social Work falls under the scope of the Regulations relating to Suitability Assessment in Higher Education, adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research on 30 June 2006:

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.

Student participation

Student representative

Each year group elects two or three students as its representatives. The student representatives of each year group have regular meetings with the lecturer who is coordinator for the programme year (class coordinator) in order to provide a situation report from the year group.

Dialogue seminars and dialogue meetings

Each year, a one-day seminar and a shorter dialogue meeting are held which are attended by the student representatives for all three years of the programme and representatives of the programme. The theme of the dialogue seminar is discussed with the students in advance.

Interprofessional project – INTERACT

Students participate in the INTERACT project in which part of the teaching programme is taken in interprofessional student groups. The teaching content (INTER1100, INTER1200 and INTER1300) in the first, second and third year, respectively, becomes more complex for each year, and is integrated as a compulsory coursework requirement in the existing courses in the programme description. For further information about INTERACT, see https://www.oslomet.no/forskning/forskningsprosjekter/interact.