SBV5900 Master's Thesis in Child Welfare Course description

The master's thesis is an independent work worth 45 credits. It is an advantage if students begin to reflect on the topic and research question for their master's thesis as early as possible.

The master's degree thesis should be an independent and analytical work with relevance to the subject areas in the programme. The students must choose a topic that will be highlighted through systematic use of qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies. The research question can be either of a theoretical or an empirical nature.

The master's thesis is submitted in the form of a monograph or an article manuscript.

All other courses included in the grade must be completed before the master's thesis can be submitted.

Knowledge

The student has

• advanced knowledge of a specialised field in the area of child welfare
• in-depth knowledge of theories relevant to the topic of the master's thesis
• in-depth insight into a topic or phenomenon from several different perspectives
• knowledge of academic requirements for analysis and written production

Skills

The student is capable of

• synthesise and compress knowledge
• delimiting a large topic or phenomenon and turning it into a research object
• choosing and making use of one or several methods to explore the master's thesis research question
• developing a design for an empirical study
• analysing data material using theoretical perspectives and concepts
• carrying out a systematic and critical analysis, applying key research principles and giving a clear, academic presentation of the results
• evaluating research ethics issues related to his/her own project

Competence

The student is capable of

• reading research literature in a critical and reflective manner
• considering issues relating to academic, professional and research ethics
• communicating knowledge and own research results orally and in writing
• applying research-based knowledge and skills in areas relating to child welfare and the implementation of social policy measures

At the beginning of the second semester, a master's degree fair will be organised where the students will be presented with research projects they can join. In the second semester, the students will develop their own project descriptions, which is a coursework requirement. The project description forms the basis for being assigned a supervisor. The supervisor is assigned at the end of the second semester. In the course Master's Degree Thesis, two thesis seminars, a kick-off seminar and midway seminar, will also be held. The kick-off seminar will take place at the end of the second semester, and the midway seminar at the beginning of the fourth semester (for part-time students, the sixth semester). The midway seminar is compulsory. See the description under the coursework requirements section, and the separate section about the thesis seminars.

In the course Philosophy of Social Science in the second semester, the students will discuss their own master's projects from the perspectives of different research theory traditions.

This course deals with central theoretical and methodological issues relating to power and inequality in developing countries.

No prerequisite knowledge required.

Alle hjelpemidler er tillatt så lenge regler for kildehenvisning følges.

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

The teaching consists of lectures and seminars. See the programme description for further details.