Masterstudium i atferdsvitenskap, deltid 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 April 1st, 2005 and Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University June 26th, 2012.

A specialisation in one of the two specialisations; in Concepts and Applications and in Innovation and Implementation forms part of the master’s degree program. The name of the specialisation will appear on the diploma alongside the name of the degree: Master of Behavioral Science. The specialisation in Concepts and Applications is taken full-time over two years, while the specialisation in Innovation and Implementation is taken part-time over a maximum four years.

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 comprises compulsory common courses, compulsory specialisation courses and elective courses, in addition to the master’s thesis. While the specialisations share the overarching learning outcomes, the specialisation in Concepts and Applications contains more compulsory theoretical courses, and the specialisation in Innovation and Implementation emphasizes practical implementation and reporting skills to a greater degree. A more detailed overview of the program’s structure for each specialisation is given under the section Content and structure.

Students and faculty share the goals of OsloMet for sustainability and environmental friendliness.

Master’s Program in Behavioral Science - Specialisation in Concepts and Applications (BSCA)

The specialisation in Concepts and Applications aims to give students a comprehensive overview of the science of behavior analysis. The specialisation consists of courses designed to provide general knowledge of the conceptual framework and philosophy of behavior analysis and complementary fields. This specialisation 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 and behavioral safety and risk management provide practical applications of behavioral principles. These fields are used 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, and 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 find a lab group to participate in.

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 variaty of settings both in the private and public sector. Former studentens are working in the fields of:

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

(The list is 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

Graduates who wish to sit for the certification exam by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board must complete a specific BACB-approved course sequence. http://bacb.com/

Fjerde semester i studieløpet, for begge studieretninger, er et internasjonalt semester. Undervisningen vil fortrinnsvis foregå på engelsk. Innreisende studenter kan søke plass ved begge studieretninger i fjerde semester.

Studenter som ønsker å ta deler av bachelorstudiet ved et partneruniversitet utlandet, har mulighet til det:

• studenter i kunst og formidling og kan reise ut i fjerde semester
• studenter i mote og produksjon kan reise ut i femte semester

Studiepoeng for den aktuelle utvekslingsperioden avlegges ved mottakerinstitusjonen. Utenlandsoppholdet godkjennes som del av studentens norske utdanningsløp etter tid-for-tid-prinsippet.

Det er anledning for begge studieretninger å ta hele praksisperioden i utlandet

Ingen utover opptakskrav.

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 basic and advanced principles of experimental, conceptual and applied behavior analysis
• can discuss the relationship between theoretical knowledge, experiments, and applied science
• can analyze and state the difference between description and explanation
• can generalize knowledge over settings and phenomena
• can demonstrate theoretical and working knowledge of the ethical principles that govern scientific research and interventions in applied settings

Skills

The graduate

• can analyze practical problems using relevant principles of behavioral science, and argue for the analysis with reference to relevant scientific literature
• can conduct experiments and demonstrate working knowledge of the natural scientific Method
• can demonstrate appropriate strategies for measuring effects of interventions by using different designs and inferential statistics
• can critically assess the quality of scientific information

Competence

The graduate

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

Additional learning outcomes for specialisation in Concepts and Applications (BSCA)

The following additional learning outcomes apply to candidates taking the specialisation in Concepts and Applications:

Skills

The graduate can

• conduct and report a supervised research project with a behavioral perspective in accordance with research ethical guidelines and regulations

Forelesninger og veiledning til utgitte øvinger. Emnet omfatter også praktiske øvinger i klasserom/datalab

Følgende arbeidskrav er obligatorisk og må være godkjent for å fremstille seg til eksamen:

• 4 av 7 individuelle øvinger
• deltakelse i labundervisning i programvare (4 timer)
• 1 gruppeoppgave i praktisk lab, 3-5 siders rapport

The increasing globalization of the labour market makes international experience and knowledge of languages and cultures increasingly important. Internationalization contributes to raising the quality of education and strengthens the academic community relating to the master’s program, at the same time as it strengthens the students as global citizens.

The Program for Behavioral Science has teaching and research collaboration projects and agreements with several foreign institutions of higher education. We encourage students to take a part of their master`s degree at one of our collaborating institutions, subject to the approval of the Head of Studies. A prerequisite for approval of the exchange is that the coursework is interchangeable with courses in our master’s program.

The recommended options for international exchange are the 3rd semester for students at the BSCA-specialisation and 4th semester for students at the BSII-specialisation.

Courses open to exchange students

The following courses are open to exchange students:

• MALKA211 Introduction to Behavior Analysis, 10 ECTS
• MALKA212 Refinement of Behavior Analytic Terms, 10 ECTS
• MALKA213 Laboratory Exercises – Experimental Analysis of Behavior,10 ECTS
• MALKA215 Complex Human Behavior, 10 ECTS
• MALKA217 Early Intervention for Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders, 10 ECTS
• MALKA218 Ethical Considerations in Applied Behavior Analysis, 10 ECTS
• MALKA219 Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), 10 ECTS
• MALKA220 Behavioral Economics, 10 ECTS
• MALKA221 Complex Systems and Risk Management,10 ECTS

Exchange students should have basic competence or a strong interest in behavior analysis.

Of these courses, MALKA213 is always taught in English. The others are taught in English when international students attend the course, otherwise they are mainly taught in Norwegian.

Required reading is primarily in English.

All courses except MALKA213, MALKA214 and MALKA218 have one or more coursework requirements. Each assignment is graded Approved/Not approved. All assignments must be approved before the student can sit for the exam in each course.

Written assignments

The assignments are submitted digitally, and written feedback is delivered in the same electronic platform. When the coursework requirement is delivered according to deadlines in the course schedule the student has the right to receive feedback on the assignment. Assignments not submitted within the set deadline will be considered failed.

A student may submit the same obligatory assignment a maximum of three times. Failed assignments must be reworked before resubmission. If the second submission fails, the student is not eligible for the regular examination. The student is entitled to a third attempt before new/deferred exam.

If one or more assignments are not approved after three attempts, the student must attend the course the next time it is arranged, usually the subsequent year. Application for a fourth and final attempt to complete the assignment to sit for the exam are decided on an individual basis by the study administration in cooperation with the person responsible for the course.

All coursework in writing, including master’s theses, undergoes automatic plagiarism control on submission.

Attendance requirements

While there is no attendance required for lectures, this is a demanding program, and steady work is required throughout the courses.

Two research ethics seminars are 100 % attendance required before the thesis outline can be submitted. The seminars are taken place digitally and held annually, one each semester. It is recommended to complete the seminars during the first year of studies.

Students in the Innovation and Implementation specialisation must attend thesis seminars, for a total of six over the whole program. The seminars are wholly digital over two days each, and will include time to work on required submissions and student presentations of various aspects of thesis projects.

For all courses except MALKA213 Laboratory exercises – experimental analysis of behavior and MALK5000/MALK5900 Master’s thesis, there is a final individual written home examination. Exams are tailored to the learning outcomes, course content and teaching and learning methods.

The examination in MALKA213 is an empirical article based on experiments (project examination).

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 are evaluated and graded by two examiners, one from program faculty and one external to the program. 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 title of 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 Use of Examiners at OsloMet.

In accordance with Regulations Relating to Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet, external program supervisors are affiliated with this study program. The external program supervisors shall through feedback and advice contribute to ensuring that:

• the Master’s Degree program is a high-quality program judged by the standards for equivalent degrees at other national and international higher education institutions
• there is a coherence between the learning outcomes, teaching and forms of assessment
• there is a coherence between the different courses of the program
• the students’ knowledge and skills are tested and assessed in an impartial and satisfactory way.

The external program supervisors prepare a report that will be included in the department’s quality assurance work.

Approved by NOKUT on April 15th, 2004

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

Last amendments approved by the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences

on December 6th 2023