One-year Programme in Development Studies, Foundation Level Programme description

Increasing globalisation of the labour market and rapid social changes make it increasingly important to have international professional experience, language and cultural knowledge. Internationalisation strengthens the academic community on the programme and promotes quality of education through international research collaboration, student and staff mobility and by highlighting global perspectives and challenges in the teaching activities.

The programme emphasises the use of pharmaceutical expertise in a national and international perspective. From a national perspective, the expertise and communication skills of pharmacists are important in interactions with all patient groups in a multicultural society. From an international perspective, the supply and shortage of pharmaceuticals is a major challenge, and pharmaceutical expertise is important to ensure a sufficient supply of medicinal products to large segments of the population. Another international challenge is the growing number of elderly people in the population, which also entails an increasing need for treatment involving pharmaceuticals. In this context, pharmacists can contribute their expertise through interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at improving public health.

International specialist and research literature is used extensively in the programme, which gives students access to English specialist terminology and relevant knowledge about international developments in the field.

The staff’s networks and research and development collaboration with colleagues in other countries also contribute to internationalisation. The Master’s Programme in Pharmacy is represented in various international networks.

Internationalisation takes place through activities on the home campus and through exchange programmes between students and staff at OsloMet and foreign educational institutions.

OsloMet has exchange agreements with universities and vocational university colleges in Europe. Students can take all or parts of the second year of the programme abroad in connection with the work on the master’s degree thesis (50 ECTS credits) and, if relevant, combine this with an elective course (10 ECTS credits). Foreign students can also carry out all or parts of their work on the master’s degree thesis at OsloMet.

Foreign students can also join and participate in the courses MAFAR4300 Development and Manufacturing of Medicinal Products (15 ECTS credits) and MAFAR4100 Innovation within Healthcare (10 ECTS credits), which are both taught in English. The courses can be combined with the master’s degree thesis or other master’s degree courses taught in English at the faculty.

Reference is made to the criteria that apply to student exchanges and the information about stays abroad.

Students can choose whether to write their master’s thesis in English or Norwegian. Outbound exchange students must write their thesis in English if the exchange is in a country outside Scandinavia.

Required coursework means all forms of work, tests and compulsory attendance that are requirements for a student to be permitted to take the exam or complete practical training. Required coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. Please see the course descriptions for more information about the coursework requirements that apply to each course.

The purpose of the coursework requirements is to:

• promote progress and academic development
• encourage students to seek out and acquire new knowledge
• facilitate cooperation and communication on pharmacy issues

If a student’s required coursework is assessed as not approved, they will normally be given another attempt before the ordinary exam. Required coursework that is not approved may lead to delayed progress in the programme.

The following applies to requirements for compulsory attendance or activities: If a student exceeds the maximum limit for absence or fails to attend compulsory activities, the lecturer must assess whether and, if so, how, the student can compensate for the absence through e.g. an individual presentation or other written work. Absence that cannot be compensated for may lead to delayed progress in the programme.

Special requirements and provisions on attendance apply to the practical training. For more information, see ‘Assessment of practical training’ below.

For opptak til studiet kreves generell studiekompetanse eller godkjent realkompetanse.

Different forms of assessment are used that are adapted to the learning outcomes of the different courses in the programme. The forms of assessment used are intended to support learning and document the students’ level of competence in relation to the expected learning outcomes. The students will receive advice and supervision and have their performance assessed during the programme. It is important and necessary to assess students’ knowledge and skills often, so that they receive feedback on whether their performance is in line with the programme’s requirements and whether they have achieved the learning outcomes.

The assessment of exams 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 used in each course in the programme are described below. All exams taken and the title of the master’s thesis will be stated on the diploma.

Exams

All courses conclude with an exam. The following forms of assessment are used in the programme:

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

Supervised individual examTaken at the university’s exam premises over a set number of hours.

Portfolio examA collection of written assignments that the students work on throughout the course. The students can receive feedback on their assignments once during the work process, provided that they are submitted by the stipulated deadline. The portfolio is submitted for final assessment at the end of the course.

Most courses have required coursework that must be approved before the student can take the exam. See the course descriptions for more details.

Resit and rescheduled exams are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary exam unless otherwise specified in the course description.

Grades awarded for written exams can be appealed, cf. Section 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical exams. For a group exam, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidates who submitted the appeal. This means that all members of the group do not have to participate in the appeal.

Assessment of practical training

Practical training is assessed as pass/fail. The assessment of practical training is based on the learning outcomes for the course and the formative assessment. The formative assessment, i.e. the assessment of the student’s knowledge, skills, competence and suitability, is carried out during the period of practical training, and summarised half-way through and at the end of the period.

To pass the practical training, the student must have met the compulsory attendance requirement. A minimum attendance requirement of 90% applies to the practical training. The attendance requirement applies both to time spent at the practical training institution and any teaching activities provided as part of the programme. The following also applies to absence:

• Less than 10% absence: The student can complete the practical training course as normal.
• Between 10% and 20% absence: the student can make up for the practical training/teaching activities missed, insofar as this is possible. This must be agreed with the practical training supervisor and the person responsible for the course at the university.
• More than 20% absence: The student must normally retake the whole practical training course. This will result in delayed progress in the programme.

If the student exceeds the maximum limit for absence, the course will be registered as failed and count as one (1) attempt.

Suitability

Diplomas for the completed programme will only be awarded to graduates who are suited to practise the profession. A student who represents a potential threat to the physical or mental health, rights and safety of their patients and colleagues is not suited for the profession.

Suitability assessments are made on a continuous basis throughout the study programme and will be included in the overall assessment of the students’ professional and personal suitability for work as health personnel. Students who demonstrate little ability to master the profession must be informed of this at the earliest possible stage of the programme. They will be given supervision and advice on how to improve or be advised to leave the programme. Special suitability assessments are used in exceptional cases, cf. the Regulations concerning Suitability Assessment in Higher Education, cf. Regulations to the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, Chapter 7.

Programme description:

Approved by the Academic Affairs Committee at the Faculty of Health Sciences on 21 April 2021. Adopted by the University Board on 28 October 2021

Most recent amendments adopted by the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences on 18 December 2023Applies to students starting the programme in 2025 Autumn, Full-time

Studiet baserer seg på lærerstyrte og studentaktive arbeidsmåter. Feltarbeidet i vårsemesteret står sentralt i studiet. I tillegg til forelesninger anvendes følgende arbeidsmåter: diskusjoner, gruppeaktiviteter, skriftlige oppgaver, veiledning og prosjektarbeid. Det forutsettes at studentene danner kollokviegrupper på eget initiativ.

Feltarbeid

En obligatorisk del av studiet er et prosessorientert prosjektarbeid der kjernen er et fem ukers feltopphold i et land i Sør/i Norge. Instituttet bestemmer sted for feltoppholdet.

Avreise til feltarbeidet finner sted i medio februar. Arbeidet foregår normalt i grupper på fire-fem studenter. Instituttet setter sammen feltarbeidsgruppene. Tema for feltarbeidet velges etter samråd med faglærere og innleveres til godkjenning innen gitt frist. Materialet og erfaringene fra feltarbeidet skal analyseres og presenteres i en feltoppgave som skal innleveres digitalt. Feltoppgaven skal være på 50-70 sider, og nærmere opplysninger om innhold og format gis i eget veiledningshefte. Av hensyn til våre samarbeidspartnere i Sør skal feltoppgaven også inneholde en to-tre siders oppsummering på engelsk/spansk.

Gjeldende frister vil framgå av undervisningsplanen som vil foreligge ved studiestart.Alle studenter som skal på feltarbeid i utlandet er forpliktet til å ha egen reiseforsikring.

Utviklingsstudier er et internasjonalt orientert fag hvor hele pensum dreier seg om internasjonale forhold. I tillegg får studentene faglig relevant internasjonal erfaring ved å gjennomføre feltarbeid i et land i Sør.

Dette er beskrevet i hver enkelt emneplan.

Vurderingsordninger i studieprogrammet:

• Semester 1, UTVB1100 Introduksjon til utviklingsstudier, 20 stp., individuell skriftlig hjemmeeksamen, A-F
• Semester 1, UTVB1200 Regionalkunnskap og globalhistorie, 10 stp., individuell muntlig eksamen, A-F
• Semester 2, UTVB1300 Innføring i metoder og vitenskapsteori, 10 stp., individuell 4-timers eksamen under tilsyn, A-F
• Semester 2, UTVB1400 Feltarbeid i utviklingsstudier, 20 stp., feltoppgave (i gruppe), A-F

Vurderingskriterier:

• A, fremragende: Fremragende presentasjon som klart utmerker seg. Kandidaten viser usedvanlig god reflekterende og analytisk evne og uvanlig stor grad av faglig modenhet og selvstendighet.
• B, meget god: Meget god presentasjon. Kandidaten viser god reflekterende og analytisk evne og stor grad av faglig modenhet og selvstendighet. Mindre mangler kan aksepteres.
• C, god: Jevnt god presentasjon som er tilfredsstillende på de fleste områder. Kandidaten viser en viss reflekterende og/eller analytisk evne og en viss grad av faglig modenhet og selvstendighet. En del mangler kan aksepteres.
• D, nokså god: En akseptabel prestasjon med noen vesentlige mangler. Kandidaten viser en viss svakhet når det gjelder reflekterende og/eller analytisk evne og har relativt lav grad av faglig modenhet og selvstendighet.
• E, tilstrekkelig: Prestasjonen tilfredsstiller minimumskravene, men heller ikke mer. Kandidaten viser klare svakheter når det gjelder reflekterende og/eller analytisk evne og har lav grad av faglig modenhet og selvstendighet.
• F, ikke bestått: Prestasjonen tilfredsstiller ikke de faglige minimumskravene. Kandidaten viser både manglende faglig modenhet og selvstendighet.

Godkjent av KUF 09. desember1986

Redaksjonelle endringer foretatt 2. mai 2015

Revisjon godkjent av studieutvalget ved LUI 23. mai 2016

Revisjon godkjent av studieutvalget 11. mai 2017

Redaksjonell endring lagt inn 12. juli 2018

Revisjon godkjent på fullmakt av leder i utdanningsutvalget 22. mars 2019 Gjeldende fra høstsemesteret 2019