VMS4190 – Master's thesis in Viking and Medieval Studies
Course content
The theme of the master`s thesis in Viking and Medieval Studies is chosen in collaboration with, and must be approved by, the thesis supervisor. The thesis must represent a piece of independent research work and must be an interdisciplinary study within the field of Viking and/or medieval studies.
The emphasis may be placed on one of the following disciplines:
Old Norse philology
Irish philology
archaeology or/and history combined with Old Norse philology
Old Norse philology combined with Irish philology
Old Norse philology and Irish philology combined with archaeology or/and history
history combined with archaeology
The master’s dissertation should consist of maximum 100 pages, of approximately 2,300 keystrokes, excluding spaces, per page.
Learning outcome
The objective of the master’s thesis course is to train students in argumentative, source-critical and problem-orientated research and to acquaint them with various theoretical and methodological research approaches. Through conducting independent research, students will learn how knowledge is created and how to assert their own expertise. The writing of the thesis itself will strengthen students’ ability to write good prose and to structure a written composition.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
- Admission to the Viking and Medieval Studies (master's two years)
- Completed the series of taught courses (60 credits) according to the structuring of the programme
Teaching
Supervision in connection with writing the master`s thesis is obligatory.
In order to be assigned a supervisor, students must agree to and sign a supervision agreement for masters students enrolled in the Department. The Department appoints a supervisor and the supervision agreement will be sent to the student by the student advisor.
Each student is entitled to up to 15 hours of supervision
Examination
The master`s thesis should be submitted during the last semester after all other courses have been completed. The master`s thesis may be written in English or Norwegian and will be graded on the basis of an alphabetical grading system (A-F).
Oral exam
Before the final grading there will be an oral examination of approximately one hour - a discussion between the student and two examiners about the thesis. The supervisor will not be a member of this panel. The thesis is assessed and graded by a subject teacher and an external sensor. The final grade will be given after this oral examination.
Guidelines on format and structure can be found here.
It is mandatory to submit the thesis in full in DUO. You can read more about how to submit your thesis here.
See Master`s thesis at ILN for information regarding formal requirements, supervisor, submission of thesis, grading, and more.
Language of examination
English, or one of the Scandinavian languages.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.