MAE4191 – Master's Thesis
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
In this course, you will prepare and develop your master’s thesis. The course focuses on basic research skills including literature search, formulating research questions, academic writing, as well as scientific collaboration and communication.
The master’s thesis is an independent piece of scientific research. It demonstrates the student’s ability to conduct a research project within the field of the programme.
The student’s work is guided by a supervisor with expertise in the particular thematic area of the thesis.
A chain of thesis seminar sessions is organized throughout the year to train basic researcher’s skills and further support your work on the master’s thesis.
Learning outcome
Upon completion of the course, you:
Knowledge
- Understand the significance of the ethical component of research;
- Understand the basics of scientific writing;
- Understand the importance of sound scientific communication;
- Have an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the chosen master’s thesis topic.
Skills
- Have the ability to develop a sound research question;
- Have the ability to give an overview of the relevant research literature;
- Have the ability to plan, conduct, and complete a research project from the initial idea to its completion;
- Have the ability to organize and report the research project effectively.
Competencies
- Critically discuss research designs and research findings;
- Provide peer feedback in an accurate, nuanced, and clear fashion;
- Conduct independent research within the field of the programme.
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.
Obligatory course for students in the Assessment, Measurement and Evaluation programme.
Students from other programmes cannot take this master’s thesis course.
Recommended previous knowledge
It is recommended that you have completed all courses from the first and second semester of the Master's Programme.?
All courses in the Master's Programme must be completed before submitting the thesis.
Teaching
The?teaching?includes seminars with both teacher-driven and student-centered learning activities. Furthermore, the seminar will include peer feedback sessions and practical exercises, such as in-class writing exercises and small-group discussions. Selected topics will be taught using a flipped-classroom approach.?Instruction is provided through seminars and workshops across the year. Seminars are of varying length and format, including practical exercises and assignments.
The following seminar assignments must be successfully completed:
- the UiO’s?mandatory GDPR course and quiz?for master students;
- 80 % attendance and active participation requirement for the workshop seminars
- completion of a project description for your thesis
The seminar attendance is valid for the two next times the course will be offered.
Master’s Thesis:
In your master’s thesis, you will be guided in your?work with the thesis by your supervisor(s) in individual sessions. You have the right to 30 hours of supervision. This includes the supervisor’s preparation time and face-to-face supervision.
If you write your thesis linked to a research internship at a professional partner organization, an internal co-supervisor is also appointed.
The?supervision agreement?must be filled out and submitted through the webform or handed to the administrative coordinator.?Note that supervision is obligatory.
Information about formal requirements for the Master's Thesis can be found here.
Examination
Assessment during the Thesis Seminar
The mandatory course assignments will be graded as pass or fail. Feedback will be given by the course teacher(s) and the thesis supervisor(s).
Course Exam: Master’s Thesis
The examination consists of two parts
- master’s thesis?
- oral examination
The student has to receive a passing grade for their master’s thesis in order to sit for the oral examination.
The thesis and oral examination is evaluated and graded by a committee?comprised of two members, one of which is external. The supervisor is not included in the grading committee.
During the oral examination the student will be asked questions by the committee members about the written thesis. In addition to the thesis manuscript, the student is expected to prepare a presentation of approximately 20 minutes.
The deadline for submission of the thesis is in?the first half of May every year?with the oral examination taking place before the end of the semester.
For students who are delayed and who submit in the autumn,?the deadline is in the?first half of November,?with the oral examination taking place in December.
The thesis is to be delivered?in?Inspera?and?StudentWeb?as identical pdf files.
Please refer to the semester page for specific information about the submission deadline and schedule for the oral examinations.
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.
The student receives a preliminary grade for the master’s thesis before the oral examination, along with a written explanation of the grade.
The following elements of the master’s thesis are graded:
- Popular abstract (5 %)
- Abstract (5 %)
- Introduction (20 %)
- Method (20 %)
- Results (20 %)
- Discussion (20 %)
- Language and structure (5 %)
- Appendix (5 %)
The oral examination serves to adjust the grade given on the thesis. The result can be either the same grade, one grade up or one grade down.?
After the oral examination, the student receives the final grade for the master’s thesis along with specific scores in the grading rubric. If an adjustment was made, the student will be informed of the grounds for the adjustment.
Resit an examination
Students who are unable to submit their theses within the standard deadline, have to apply for an extension.
It is only?possible to apply for extensions one semester at a time.
When applying for an extension, you need to make a progress plan along with your supervisor which shows?how far the work with the?thesis has come, how much work is left, when drafts are due (specific dates) and how many more supervision?meetings are planned. The supervisor has to approve of the progress plan in order for the application to be granted.
The progress plan is to be uploaded in?this webform.
The deadline for applying for an extension is 1 June in the spring semester and 1 December in the autumn semester.
Students who are granted an extension will only receive extra guidance from their supervisor if the supervisor has time.?
The thesis are to be submitted within the normal deadline in the following semester, i.e. in the first half of May in the spring and the first half of November in the autumn. Check the semester pages to find the exact deadline.
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.