The topic you choose for your master’s thesis depends on your academic background, life experience and your future plans. To some extent you are free to choose a topic which is relevant for the study program that you attend. We prefer that students contribute to research with relevance for projects within the Department. This motivates both the students and the supervisors. The research at the Department of Geography covers a broad range of fields across human and physical geography, with further links to other disciplines.

In the first semester the department will arrange a seminar where the academic staff at the department presents themselves and their current research projects. This seminar and former master's thesis are a great inspiration to decide what you want to write about.

The department are positive to students that want to write a master’s thesis in cooperation with a company or an external organization. It is important that your NTNU supervisor is involved in this process. He or she must judge the feasibility and academic quality of the project. It is also important that you in collaboration with your supervisor and contact person at the organization/company sign the standard agreement concerning work on a master’s thesis in cooperation with a company/external organization. The agreement is available here.

All master’s candidates at the Department of Geography have to sign an agreement for carrying out a master’s thesis. The agreement confirms that the topic for the master's thesis is approved, that the supervisory relationship has been established and that the parties (student, supervisor and department) are familiar with the guidelines that apply for carrying out a master's thesis. The master study and the work on the master’s thesis itself is regulated by the Act relating to universities and university colleges, NTNU’s academic regulations and the current study plan for the study program.

First and foremost, the agreement regulates the tutorial relationship. And that means that unless otherwise agreed, the right to tutorial guidance ends once the agreement expires. Contact the department if you need additional time to complete your master’s thesis. If you need longer time, one semester extra, you need to contact the department.

Agreement for carrying out a Master's Thesis

Writing a master’s thesis in collaboration with a company or an external organization

It is possible to write your master`s thesis in collaboration with a company or organization that is independent of NTNU. To facilitate this process, NTNU has developed a standard agreement that should be completed by the student, Department of Geography, the student's supervisor and the company or organization. The NTNU supervisor must judge the feasibility and academic quality of the project before signing. The agreement covers the rights and responsibilities of all parties, as well as terms of use regarding rights to the completed academic work and results of the project.

The agreement is available on this page: https://www.ntnu.no/bridge/en/standard-agreement-academic-collaboration

At masters level it is expected high standards when it comes to presenting your work, including an awareness of current standards for contributions to scientific publications, e.g. formatting references and citations.

There are several useful tools for writing academic papers and handling large documents (e.g. Microsoft Word, Endnote). Knowledge of and ability to master the opportunities that exist can be beneficial writing your thesis and in a future employment.
 

Reference style

Which style to use depends on the subject / field you are studying. This should be discussed with your supervisor. If your subjects / fields do not have a particular style, select a style and use it consistently. Reference style also varies from journal to journal. Norwegian Geographical Journal, for instance, have a separate reference technique and style.

The following styles are often recommended:
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Chicago 
• Harvard

Useful links:

General information about writing your Master's thesis at NTNU.

If your masters project involves the collection of personal data, you need to check whether you have to notify the Data Protection Official for Research.

If you are processing personal data electronically and it is not related to medical or health research, you need to report your project to the Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD). Medical and health research must be approved by the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK) before the project is initiated. This applies to both research and student projects. The same applies if you are manually processing personal data to be entered into a personal data register.

For more information about personal data and how to report your project go to: https://i.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/English/Collection+of+personal+data+for+research+projects

It is important that students are familiar with the guidelines for grading the master's thesis. The guidelines include a description of formal criteria, the examiner’s role and composition, the right to request an explanation of the grade and the possibility to appeal against the grade. The guidelines also include a general description of what characterizes specific grades and the assessment committee’s checklist.

MSc in Globalisation

MSc in Natural Resources Management

The date for submission is May 15th, or the following workday if the date falls on a weekend, for all master programmes at Department of Geography. As stated in the academic regulations for NTNU, §5-11(12), the deadline for announcing the grades for master’s theses is three months after the submission deadline. 

In the event of delayed submission, documentation/medical documentation is required. The last date in the spring semester is August 31st. Examinations held after this date will have the autumn semester listed on the diploma.

Instructions for thesis submission

Step 1 – Order print copies of the thesis and download a validated pdf (NTNU Grafisk senter)

• Validate PDF
• Make a title page and cover
• Order 4 printed copies of the thesis (5 if you have an assistant supervisor)
• Download a final PDF of the thesis including title page

The department covers the costs of printing (Kostnadssted 671005 Institutt for geografi, you do not need to fill in Projectnumber or Analyse). The students keep one copy. Please note that pictures and illustrations must be printed in black and white provided that colours are not necessary to understand the content.

Step 2 – Submit the thesis in Inspera

The validated PDF of the thesis including title page must be submitted in Inspera within the deadline.

When submitting your thesis in Inspera you will need to do the following:                            

• register information about the thesis (title, name of supervisor, summary etc.)
• consent to publishing your thesis at the library/NTNU Open.

The examiners will read both the printed and digital version of the thesis, and any discrepancies regarding content or format of the documents could be viewed as academic misconduct.

Step 3 

The administration will pick-up the thesis from the printing office and send it to the examiners and you by mail.