Further education in financial counseling Programme description

Admission to this study program is processed in accordance with current Regulations Relating to Admission to Master’s Degree Programs at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

Applicants must have a bachelor's degree or the equivalent from an accredited university or university college. The Admissions office makes the decisions on applications for admission.

Some courses are offered as freestanding courses with admission requirements. Applicants to freestanding courses in the master’s program must have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited university or college.

For more information, see Forskrift om opptak til studier ved OsloMet(in Norwegian) or Regulations related to Admission to Studies at OsloMet (in English).

Admission to individual courses

Many of the courses in the programme are available for students outside the programme and can be applied to individually. Applicants to freestanding courses in the master’s program must have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited university or college. The grade C requirement does not apply to admission to individual courses. Applicants to freestanding courses do not have to document proficiency in the Norwegian language in order to be eligible for admission. For courses with progression requirements those have to be approved before admission to the course. More information about admission to individual courses can be found on the programme’s website.

A graduate of this program has acquired the following learning outcomes defined as knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The graduate can

• demonstrate thorough familiarity with principles of behavior analysis
• discuss therelationship between theoretical knowledge, experimental analysis, and applied science
• understand the difference between description, prediction, and explanation
• demonstrate theoretical and working knowledge of the ethical principles that govern scientific research and interventions in applied settings

Skills

The graduate can

• analyze behavior using the principles of behavior both in research and in applied settings
• conduct experiments and demonstrate working knowledge of scientific methodology
• demonstrate appropriate strategies for evaluating the effects of independent variables and interventions by using different designs and inferential statistics
• critically assess the quality of scientific information
• conduct and report a supervised research project with a behavioral perspective in accordance with research ethical guidelines and regulations
• integrate behavioral principles with knowledge from other fields
• communicate with professionals in different fields

Competence

The graduate can

• contribute to thedevelopment of evidence-based methods for intervention and behavior change
• share knowledge and skills with the public and peers according to the standards of professional scientific communication, including the current APA standards
• justify his/her professional behavior with reference to relevant professional and ethical guidelines, general ethical considerations, and assessment of the situation.

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

These courses are compulsory for all students:

• 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 theses - 40 ECTS credits

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:MALK4100, MALKA211, or equivalent
• MALKA215: MALK4100, MALK4000-403, MALKA211, MALKA212, MALKA214, or equivalent
• MALK/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.

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), 2 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)

Approved by NOKUT on April 15th, 2004

Approved by the Board of Akershus University College on September 7th, 2004

Last amendments approved by Head of Department 2 April 2025.

Vurdering og sensur skal foregå i samsvar med bestemmelsene om vurdering i lov av 1. april 2005 nr. 15 om universiteter og høyskoler og forskrift om studier og eksamen ved OsloMet. Studentene plikter å sette seg inn i gjeldende regler. Vurderingsform og arbeidskrav er nærmere beskrevet under det enkelte emne. En forutsetning for å kunne framstille seg til eksamen er at studenten har fått godkjent arbeidskrav.

Som vurderingsuttrykk brukes en gradert skala med fem trinn fra A til E for bestått og F for ikke bestått, jf. lov om universiteter og høyskoler § 3-9 (6). Det benyttes intern og ekstern sensor på hver eksamen. Studenter som har gyldig fravær på eksamen eller ikke består eksamen, har rett til ny/utsatt eksamen.

Studenten har rett til begrunnelse og rett til å klage på karakterfastsetting og/eller formelle feil ved eksamen, i samsvar med lov om universiteter og høyskoler §§ 5-2 og 5-3.