Masterstudium i atferdsvitenskap - spesialisering i begreper og anvendelse Programplan

The Master's Program in Behavioral Science comprises 120 ECTS credits in accordance with § 3 of the National Regulations Relating to Requirements for a Master’s Degree, appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research on December 1st, 2005. A successfully completed program leads to the degree Master of Behavioral Science /master i atferdsvitenskap.

The study program is established in accordance with the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges of 1 April 2005 and Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University 26 June 2012.

The program teaches modern behavioral science. The term behavioral science has no agreed-upon definition and may refer to different things in different settings. When used as part of the current program, the term should be understood in the context of the idea that a natural science approach to human behavior is both interesting and important to explore. Aspects of natural science relevant for this master´s program in behavioral science include a focus on empirical investigation, the use of experimental methods, and resulting empirically defined units of analysis. Behavioral science aims to explore and develop a natural science approach in several domains, including in conceptual development and philosophy, in experimental analysis and other parts of basic science, and in the application of scientific principles to generate desirable change. A type of behavioral science called behavior analysis is central to the program. Behavior analysis is concerned with investigating systematic relationships between the environment and behavior and considers both public and private events. Behavior analysis may be viewed as a selectionist science taking into consideration both phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and cultural phenomena.

The knowledge, skills and competence from the program are useful when designing, implementing, managing and documenting processes of change for individuals and in systems. Interventions taught in the program are empirically based and well suited for measuring and assessment of outcomes.

The program includes compulsory courses and elective courses, in addition to the master’s thesis. A more detailed overview of the program’s structure for each specialisation is given under the section Content and structure.

Master’s Program in Behavioral Science

The program aims to give students a comprehensive overview of the science of behavior analysis. The study consists of courses designed to provide general knowledge of the conceptual framework and philosophy of behavior analysis and complementary fields. The program has a 70 ECTS compulsory course package, with 20 ECTS elective courses (two courses each worth 10 ECTS) and a master’s thesis worth 30 ECTS. The concepts of behavior analysis are generic, and not exclusively relevant for specific target groups or populations. Behavioral interventions in such diverse fields as behavioral economics, concept formation and complex human behavior, teaching special needs-students, organizational behavior management, clinical behavioral treatment, and behavioral safety and risk management provide practical applications of behavioral principles. These topics are included in elective courses to demonstrate the value of the behavioral approach. The theoretical grounding and practical applications provide a strong knowledge base for students to write their thesis, that usually describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an intervention conducted under the time constraints and practical considerations of a one-semester workload. Except for two compulsory seminars in research ethics, there is no attendance required. However, this is a demanding and exacting program, and students are advised to follow lectures and to participate in a research or lab group preparation of their thesis.

Career opportunities and post-graduate studies

Graduates of the program will usually have a set of professional skills from their undergraduate studies, and the program enhances and adds value to those skills. Graduates have found rewarding work in a variety of settings both in the private and public sector. Former students are working in the fields of:

• general, special, and higher education
• health and social services
• leadership and human resource management
• scientific research

(The list not exhaustive)

The program prepares the graduates for Ph.D. studies.

The master program is accredited by Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).https://www.abainternational.org/accreditation.aspx

Prospective students have a bachelor's degree and an interest in the science or philosophy of behavior, and recognize the need for effective behavioral interventions.

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.

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.

Videreutdanning i økonomisk rådgivning er et fullfinansiert oppdrag for Arbeids- og velferdsdirektoratet.

Utdanningen gir innsikt i hva privatøkonomiske vansker og gjeldsproblemer er, og hva det innebærer for de som har slike problemer. Studenten får kunnskap om hvordan råd og veiledning kan hjelpe mennesker ut av slike problemer, og hvordan arbeide med gjeldsspørsmål og gjeldsordninger sammen med mennesker som har store økonomiske utfordringer.

Økonomisk rådgivning er et arbeidsfelt som krever kunnskap og ferdigheter fra flere fag, noe som er reflektert i studiet. Videreutdanningen inkluderer perspektiver fra økonomi, sosiologi, sosialt arbeid, veiledning, psykologi og juss. En like viktig del av kompetansen er ferdigheter i å møte mennesker i krise, og å være i stand til å gjennomføre gode veiledningsløp. Dessuten er kunnskap om og ferdigheter i å samarbeide med ulike samarbeidspartnere en forutsetning.

Målgruppen er ansatte i NAV.

Opptakskravet er bachelorgrad eller likeverdig grad og ansettelse i NAV.

Opptak skjer i henhold til Forskrift om opptak til studier ved OsloMet -storbyuniversitetet. Det gis ikke tilleggspoeng.

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.