Master's Programme in Health Sciences - specialisation in Rehabilitation and Habilitation Programme description

The programme was established under the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

Candidates who pass the programme will be awarded the degree Master of Health Sciences (Norwegian: Master i helsevitenskap) in accordance with Section 3 of the Regulations concerning Requirements for the Master's Degrees. A specialisation in one of the following 15 specialisations forms part of the master’s degree programme:

Specialisations for applicants with backgrounds in health or social care:

• Health Sciences
• Empowerment and Health Promotion
• Mental Health and Addiction
• Rehabilitation and Habilitation

Specialisations for applicants who are authorised health personnel in the specified professional fields:

• Nutrition for Health Personnel
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy for Children and Adolescents
• Physiotherapy for the Older Adult
• Physiotherapy for Musculoskeletal Health
• Psychomotor Physiotherapy
• Advanced Nursing Practice
• Public Health Nursing
• Cancer Nursing
• Nursing – Clinical Research and Professional Development

Specialisations for applicants from the professional field of nutrition:

• Public Health Nutrition

The specialisation will also be stated on the diploma alongside the name of the degree: Master of Health Sciences.

The master’s degree programme has a scope of 120 ECTS credits. Some of the specialisations are taken full-time over two years, while others are taken part-time over three or four years.

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

According to the UN Agenda 2030, a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development is that everyone is able to live healthy lives. The Master’s Degree Programme in Health Sciences is primarily aimed at the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, Good Health and Well-being, while SDGs 4, 5 and 10 on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, and achieving gender equality and reducing inequality, are also relevant. The 17 SDGs must be seen as a whole, however, where each goal is seen in conjunction with the others. The purpose of the programme is therefore to educate candidates who are qualified to help to ensure good health and promote quality of life for everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, education, sexuality and functional ability, while also attempting to address considerations relating to sustainability, including life-long learning.

The students taking the programme can choose a specialisation in health promotion, illness prevention, treatment, palliative care and (re)habilitation work. The programme teaches the students to handle professional problems at the individual, group and system level in close cooperation with other professions, patients, users, next of kin and other services. The candidates should also be able to contribute to safe, effective, holistic and integrated services with good use of resources, and to innovation, improvement work and systematic user involvement.

Relevance to working life

Possible fields of work and careers after completing the programme include:

• research and development in the health sciences
• teaching, development and advisory functions in the guidance, administration and dissemination of knowledge in the health professions
• clinical work that is based on specialised expertise
• health and social care management positions

Relevance to further education

Students taking the Master's Degree Programme in Health Sciences who choose to write a master’s thesis worth 50 ECTS credits can apply for admission to the research programme for health sciences while taking the master’s programme. This is taken in parallel to and as an extension of the master’s programme. The research programme develops researcher expertise over and above that provided during the master’s programme and results in a research work that can later form part of a PhD-level work.

Candidates with a Master's Degree in Health Sciences are qualified to apply for admission to PhD programmes, including the PhD Programme in Health Sciences at OsloMet.

Specialisations

The Master's Degree Programme in Health Sciences has a number of specialisations that candidates can choose. Applicants must choose and apply directly for the specialisation they wish to take when applying for the master’s programme. The specialisations are subject to different admission requirements. However, the students will take a significant part of the programme together with students from the other specialisations, partly through compulsory common courses and partly through elective courses across the specialisations. More information about this is found in the section Content and structure.

MAHAB: Rehabilitation and Habilitation

Rehabilitation and Habilitation is an interdisciplinary field that is based on the life situation of the service user. The purpose is that anyone who wants (re)habilitation is given the opportunity to achieve good functional ability, independence and the ability to participate in different areas of society. The programme teaches the students to develop, guide and lead targeted cooperation processes between service users, next of kin and service providers. Students taking this specialisation are from different professional groups working on (re)habilitation. This composition creates an interprofessional environment and learning arena for the development of practice-based expertise in (re)habilitation. After completing the programme, the student will have insight into the tasks and division of work related to (re)habilitation processes at the individual and service level, and can contribute to quality improvement and professional development in the (re)habilitation services.

The target group is students with a bachelor’s degree in health or social care who want to work on professional development and/or participate in research in their field, and potentially conduct clinical work in their chosen specialisation. The programme is a relevant additional education to a number of health and social care programmes.

Arbeidskrav er alle former for arbeider, prøving og obligatorisk tilstedeværelse som settes som vilkår for å fremstille seg til eksamen. Arbeidskrav kan være individuelle eller i gruppe. Arbeidskrav gis vurdering godkjent/ikke godkjent. Arbeidskravene tilknyttet hvert emne fremgår i den enkelte emneplan.

Hensikten med arbeidskrav er primært å fremme studentens progresjon og faglige utvikling, og stimulere studenten til å tilegne seg ny kunnskap. Studiet har hovedsakelig arbeidskrav i form av obligatorisk tilstedeværelse, skriftlige arbeider og tester.

Obligatorisk tilstedeværelse

Det er obligatorisk tilstedeværelse innenfor områder hvor studenten ikke kan tilegne seg kunnskap og ferdigheter gjennom litteraturstudier alene.

Dersom studenten overskrider øvre fraværsgrense gitt i emneplanen eller ikke deltar på gruppepresentasjon, vil faglærer vurdere om det er mulig å kompensere for fravær gjennom alternative krav. Dette kan f.eks. være skriftlige oppgaver eller muntlige presentasjoner, individuelt eller i gruppe. Dersom fraværet ikke kan kompenseres må studenten følge neste gjennomføring av emnet. Muligheten for kompensasjon avhenger av hvor stort fraværet har vært og hvilke aktiviteter studenten ikke har deltatt på.

Skriftlige arbeider

Flere emner har obligatoriske skriftlige oppgaver eller rapporter som arbeidskrav. Skriftlige arbeider som ikke blir godkjent, må forbedres før ny innlevering. Dersom annen gangs innlevering ikke godkjennes, kan studenten ikke fremstille seg til ordinær eksamen/vurdering.

Studenten har rett til et tredje forsøk før ny/utsatt eksamen. Dersom tredje gangs innlevering ikke godkjennes må studenten gjennomføre emnet med neste kull.

I studiet benyttes ulike vurderingsformer som er tilpasset læringsutbyttene i de ulike emnene. Vurderingsformene skal både understøtte læringen og dokumentere studentenes kompetansenivå med utgangspunkt i forventet læringsutbytte. Alle avlagte emner som inngår i spesialiseringen vil framkomme på vitnemålet med et omfang på totalt 120 studiepoeng, samt tittelen på studentens masteroppgave. Studenter som avlegger flere valgfrie emner utover 120 studiepoeng får disse på karakterutskrift, og må selv velge hvilke valgfrie emner som skal inngå på vitnemål og karakterutskriften. I dette studiet brukes i hovedsak følgende eksamensformer:

Skriftlig eksamen under tilsyn

Gjennomføres ved universitets eksamenslokaler over et gitt antall timer.

Hjemmeeksamen

Går over en tidsbegrenset periode avslutningsvis i emnet, normalt med oppgitt problemstilling/oppgavesett dersom ikke annet er angitt i emneplanen.

Prosjekteksamen

Går over hele eller store deler av emnet, normalt med egendefinert problemstilling dersom ikke annet er angitt i emneplanen.

Muntlig eksamen

Gjennomføres individuelt eller i gruppe. Kan være selvstendig vurdering eller justerende til annen eksamen.

Praktisk eksamen

Vurdering av spesifikke praktiske ferdigheter gjennomføres ved universitet eller i praksisfeltet.

Vurderte praksisstudier

Veiledede praksisstudier, som vurderes i tråd med forskrift om studier og eksamen ved OsloMet – storbyuniversitetet.

Vurdering av eksamen og praktiske studier gjennomføres etter gjeldene regler gitt i lov om universiteter og høgskoler, forskrift om studier og eksamen ved OsloMet og retningslinjer for oppnevning og bruk av sensor ved OsloMet. Vurderingsformer og -kriterier er beskrevet i hver emneplan.

Eksamen

Hvert emne avsluttes med en eksamen. Vurderingen tar utgangspunkt i emnets læringsutbytte, og man vurderer i hvilken grad studenten har oppnådd det angitte læringsutbyttet. I de teoretiske emnene benyttes enten vurderingsuttrykket bestått/ikke bestått eller bokstavkarakterer fra A til F, der A er beste karakter og E er dårligste karakter for å bestå eksamen. Karakteren F innebærer at eksamen ikke er bestått. Ved vurdering av praksisstudier brukes karakteren bestått/ikke bestått.

Ny og utsatt eksamen gjennomføres på samme måte som ordinær eksamen hvis ikke annet er angitt i emneplanen. Ved ny og utsatt eksamen i emner med gruppeeksamen kan det i spesielle tilfeller være aktuelt å gjennomføre eksamen individuelt.

Ved eksamener der det foretas uttrekk av en prosentandel av besvarelsene for vurdering av ekstern sensor, skal ekstern sensors vurdering komme alle studentene til gode. Ekstern og intern sensor sensurerer i slike tilfeller først besvarelsene som er trukket ut. Intern sensor fortsetter deretter sensuren sammen med en annen intern sensor. Vurderingene fra første del oppsummeres og er retningsgivende for de to interne sensorenes vurdering.

Sensuren ved skriftlig eksamen kan påklages, jf. universitets- og høyskoleloven § 5-3 og forskrift om studier og eksamen ved OsloMet. Det er ikke mulig å klage på karakterfastsetting ved muntlige og praktiske eksamener. Ved gruppeeksamen vil resultatet av klagen bare ha konsekvenser for den eller de som har klaget. Øvrige studenter i gruppen beholder sin opprinnelige karakter.

Tilsynssensor

Det er tilknyttet tilsynssensor til enkelte emner i studiet i tråd med retningslinjer for oppnevning og bruk av sensor ved OsloMet.

Skikkethetsvurdering

Skikkethetsvurdering er en løpende helhetsvurdering som pågår gjennom hele utdanningen. En student må være skikket for yrkesutøvelse for å kunne motta sluttdokumentasjon for fullført utdanning.

Hvis en student ser ut til å kunne skade liv, fysisk og psykisk helse, rettigheter eller sikkerhet for pasienter, brukere eller andre studenten møter under praksis eller kommer til å møte under senere yrkesutøvelse, bør det stilles spørsmål ved om studenten passer for yrkesutøvelsen. Ansatte på universitetet, i praksisfeltet og medstudenter kan melde fra om tvil. Studenter skal informeres så snart som mulig hvis en slik tvilsmelding er sendt. De skal få veiledning og råd om hvordan de kan forbedre seg, eller råd om å avslutte utdanningen.

https://student.oslomet.no/skikkethetsvurdering

Skikkethetsvurdering benyttes i spesialisering i helsesykepleie, spesialisering i kreftsykepleie og tverrfaglig spesialisering i psykisk helse-, rus- og avhengighetsarbeid.

The master's programme focuses on the Nordic model, with an emphasis on social welfare policies' sustainability in the face of global challenges and the need for global sustainable development. The master's programme is unique in its focus and provides students with the knowledge and skills in social science theories and methods to analyse, develop and manage social policies at an advanced level. The programme provides insights into drivers and challenges of social policies in the Nordic countries, how they compare to other welfare models, and lessons learned for global social policy and social policies globally.

Rethinking sustainable welfare or sustainable welfare models is compelled by a series of interrelated societal changes that have become challenges globally: for instance, demographic and family changes, new migration patterns, urbanisation, digitalisation of society, democratic backsliding and climate change and the green transition. This includes focus on present situations and future strategies, but also reckoning with the historical power relations that have shaped social inequalities and injustices we see reflected in society today, both within nation-states and globally.

Many actors have called for the restructuring of Nordic and other European welfare states to promote human rights, social cohesion and social sustainability in a globalised economy. This involves a broad range of actors including the UN, the European Commission, OECD, the Nordic governments, social partners and civil society organisations. The internal and external pressures on welfare states also raise questions about the capacities of individual citizens and households to overcome contemporary societal challenges and improve their life opportunities, as well as reduce risks of poverty and social exclusion.

The societal and environmental transformations we witness all over the world today pose significant questions about the future organisation of the welfare state. The economic and social values that have shaped past policies in the Nordic and other mature welfare states are being questioned, as is the appropriate balance between, state, market, family and organised civil society in protecting the rights and fulfilling the needs of the inhabitants. Additionally questioned are the connections that have and will continue to exist between Nordic welfare states and other global entities. The transformations and ongoing crises raise concerns about new inequalities and the need to critically examine existing policies.

This degree provides you with the knowledge and skills to contribute to developing new welfare policy solutions to foster the well-being of all individuals, local communities and nations given the challenges they face.

In the programme we explore:

• How the Nordic countries have fared during past crises and during ongoing societal and environmental transformations, including within a global context.
• Different strategies for critically evaluating the outcomes of social policy interventions, as well as how the design of an evaluation may be framed around particular questions or priorities.
• Different approaches to and critical perspectives concerning what is meant by “sustainability”. Some scholars first and foremost focus on the need for green transition. In the programme you will learn about both growth and post-growth perspectives on welfare. We will also examine other megatrends such as demographic aging, climate change, migration, family change and digitalisation of society to critically assess the sustainability of the Nordic and other welfare models.
• Critical insights into drivers and challenges of social policies in the Nordic countries, within a global context.

The NORPOL programme consists of 6 mandatory courses (60 ECTS), 3 elective courses (30 ECTS) and a master's thesis (30 ECTS). Elective courses allow students to pursue topics of special interest that may be relevant for both the master's thesis, as well as for future career possibilities.

All courses are taught in English, and the diploma will be issued in English for all successful candidates. Candidates will be awarded the title Master of Applied Social Sciences, programme option Nordic Social Policy and Global Sustainable Development.

This degree provides the candidates with the knowledge and skills to contribute to examine welfare models and measure and develop new welfare policy solutions to foster the well-being of all people, at the local, regional, national and global level. The degree qualifies for

• positions in public and private sector that require the knowledge and ability to undertake systematic documentation and evaluation of social service programmes, as well as the knowledge of Nordic, international and comparative studies within social welfare.
• positions in government agencies, non-governmental organisations or voluntary organisations engaged in local, national, regional and global social policies
• social science positions dealing with welfare and social policy issues
• PhD programmes in the social sciences, including social policy

Candidates find work in management, development and examination of welfare policy issues in municipalities, directorates, government ministries, NGOs, international organisations, research and education, and multilateral and bilateral aid.

Admission to this programme is regulated by Regulations Relating to Admissions to Studies at OsloMet.

Admission requires a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent degree) in social work, child welfare, education, political science, sociology, economics, anthropology or other social science degrees.

Applicants will be ranked on the basis of grade average from their bachelor's degree.

A graduate who has completed his or her qualification has the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

Upon completion of the degree the graduate has

• a thorough understanding of the Nordic model and Nordic social policies,
• advanced knowledge on what constitutes sustainable welfare state arrangements in the face of globalisation challenges
• in-depth knowledge of the fields of welfare models and systems: their organisation, delivery, and financing
• a thorough understanding of social policies and sustainable development in a global perspective
• advanced knowledge of research designs relevant to the investigate a particular research question
• a high level of understanding of basic theoretical and methodological frameworks in order to examine, explain and understand drivers and consequences of social policies

Skills

Upon completion of the degree the graduate is able to

• analyse explicit and implicit knowledge in the fields of social policy and social welfare
• identify dimensions and challenges in the current Nordic and global welfare situation
• critically assess the advantages and disadvantages of various social policy approaches, and with a particular focus on street-level implementation where citizens meet services
• contribute to develop new welfare policy solutions and critically evaluate the outcomes of social policy interventions
• relate specific research questions to specific research methods
• conduct a systematic and critical analysis of a problem, apply core research principles and give a clear academic presentation of the results
• evaluate relevant research in terms of methodological quality and appropriateness

General competence

Upon completion of the degree the graduate

• can contribute to assess the impact of social policies, including how policies can contribute to sustainable development
• can apply his/her knowledge and skills in innovation processes in order to carry out assignments within social policy development
• can communicate extensive independent work and masters language and terminology of the academic field
• can demonstrate a high level of ethical reflection when assessing the development of social policies, as well as a broad and in-depth knowledge of ethical dilemmas in research

In addition to the mandatory courses, each student is required to select three courses from the electives available in this programme option (total of 30 ECTS). Students in need of advice regarding these courses can ask the program coordinator, course lecturers, or the administrator.

As an alternative to the elective courses provided in this program description, students may select courses from other programme options within the Master's Program at the Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy. In addition, students may choose among relevant courses offered at the master's level at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), or institutions of higher learning in Norway outside of OsloMet, or one of our partner universities outside of Norway. Students can choose up to 30 ECTS from outside OsloMet. Norwegian-speaking students can also choose elective courses offered in Norwegian. All external courses must be approved by the program coordinator in advance.

The master's thesis is an independent dissertation consisting of 30 study credits. Students ought to begin reflecting upon a research topic and methods for the thesis in the first semester. In the second semester, students will prepare a research proposal for the thesis. Students are encouraged to contact potential supervisors as early as possible. On the basis of the research topics chosen, students will be assigned a supervisor.

Different forms of assessment are used on the programme that are adapted to the learning outcomes of the various courses. The forms of assessment used are intended to support learning and document the students’ level of competence in relation to the expected learning outcomes. All examinations taken that are part of the specialisation will appear on the diploma, as well as the title of the student’s master’s thesis. Students who take additional elective courses in excess of 120 credits get these on their transcript, and must choose which elective courses are to be included on the diploma. In general, the following forms of assessment are used in the programme:

Supervised individual examination

Taken at the university’s examination premises over a set number of hours.

Home examination

Taken 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 examination

Taken 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 examination

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

Practical examination

The assessment of specific practical skills either at the university or in the field of practice.

Assessment of practical training

Supervised practical training, assessed in accordance with the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

The assessment of examinations 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 and criteria are described in each course description.

Examinations

All courses conclude with an examination. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course, and the degree to which the student has achieved the stipulated learning outcomes is assessed. In theoretical courses, the grades used are pass/fail or letter grades from A to F, with A being the highest grade and E the poorest pass grade. The grade F means that the student has failed the examination. The grades pass/fail are used for the assessment of practical training.

Resit and rescheduled examinations are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary examination unless otherwise specified in the course description. In special cases, resit and rescheduled examinations in courses with group examinations may be held as individual examinations.

For examinations where a percentage of the examination papers are selected for assessment by an external examiner, the external examiner's assessment should benefit all the students. In such cases, one external and one internal Examiner will first grade the selected papers. The internal examiner then continues grading the remaining papers together with another internal examiner. The assessments from the first part are summarised to serve as guidelines for the assessments carried out by the two internal examiners.

The grade awarded for a written examination can be appealed, cf. Section 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical examinations. In connection with group examinations, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidate(s) who submitted the appeal. The other students will keep their original grade.

External programme supervisor

An external programme supervisor scheme is in place for the programme as required by the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet. The external supervisor will write an annual report on their work that will be included in the faculty’s area of the university’s quality assurance system.

Suitability assessment

The suitability assessment is a continuous overall assessment that takes place throughout the study programme. A student must be suitable for professional practice in order to receive diploma/certificate for the study programme.

If it appears that a student may pose a potential danger to the lives, physical and mental health, rights or safety of patients, clients and users during practical training or in future professional practice, it should be asked whether the student is suitable for the profession. University staff, personnel in practical training establishment, as well as students can submit a notification of doubt. The students concerned should be informed as soon as possible if such a notification of doubt has been sent. They should receive guidance and advice on how they can improve or be advised to withdraw from the programme.

https://student.oslomet.no/en/suitability-assessment

Suitability assessment is used in specialisation in Public Health Nursing, specialisation in Cancer Nursing and in Interdisciplinary Specialisation in Mental Health and Addiction.

Each course concludes with a final examination which takes the form of either a written examination, a written home assignment, a semester paper or a portfolio. Students may use a spelling dictionary, as well as a bilingual dictionary during written school examinations. All examinations are graded by an internal examiner. In addition, an external examiner will evaluate at least 25 per cent of examinations, which will form the basis for the internal examiners grading.

Students who are not satisfied with their grades have the right to submit an appeal, whereupon examinations will be re-evaluated by two new examiners (one internal and the other external). Note that when appealing, students risk receiving a lower grade than the grade awarded for the initial examination.The Master Thesis will be evaluated by both an internal and an external examiner. Neither examiner shall be involved in the supervision of the Master thesis in question.

Students in the Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy must use the APA style when citing sources and referencing.

A grading scale from A to F will normally be used in assessment. A grade of pass ranges from A to E, while F is a fail. In some courses students will receive a grade of either pass or fail. In this case, pass will be equivalent to grade C or better. See the description of each course for further information on the use of the grading system.

The following documents regulate examinations at OsloMet:

• the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges
• the Directive for Curricula Regulations from the Ministry of Education and Research
• Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet.

It is the responsibility of students to familiarise themselves with these rules and regulations. Information regarding some of these responsibilities will be disseminated to students during Introduction Week, as well as during lectures, and on the e-learning platform Canvas

The link to the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges can be found here: http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/kilde/kd/reg/2006/0031/ddd/pdfv/273037-loven_higher_education_act_norway_010405.pdf

The link to Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at Oslo Metropolitan University can be found at: http://www.oslomet.no