Examination arrangement

Course content

This course consists of work with the Master’s thesis.

The Master’s thesis with creative practice is an independent academic research project that is carried out as the final activity within the Master’s degree, under the supervision of research staff. The Master’s thesis should be original, critical, ethical, methodical, informed, and clearly articulated, connected to an arts educational theme.

The research topic and research question for the thesis is decided by the student in consultation with the supervisor.

The thesis will be evaluated is a corpus of creative work and a written Master’s thesis that are clearly connected. The corpus of creative work can be presented as part of the printed thesis, as a digital recording, as a live performance, workshop, event, exhibition or other creative output as agreed with the supervisor. The creative work and the written thesis are expected to be distinct yet interdependent, presenting an integrated approach to the research topic.

All students are entitled to conduct the Master’s thesis individually. In certain cases, it may be appropriate to conduct the thesis in pairs. This is determined in consultation with the course coordinator and supervisor and should be noted within the research proposal offered by the students.

The master's thesis has a scope of 45 credits, equivalent to 1.5 semesters of full-time study.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The student

• has advanced and specialized knowledge of relevant theories and current research within the chosen arts education field
• has thorough knowledge about research as creative practice and its dissemination
• has advanced knowledge of academic writing and dissemination in arts education research
• has advanced knowledge about different, written, multimodal and artistic possibilities in arts educational research
• has detailed knowledge about the formal requirements of the academic text

Skills

The student can

• conceptualize and execute an independent research project aligned with research ethics and formal requirements under supervision
• design and disseminate a research project involving creative practice
• independently employ relevant methods for arts education research.
• locate relevant scholarly literature and critically assess various analogue and digital information sources
• independently present and theorise about the results of a research project that is carried out and dissaminated through creative practice
• critically articulate their choices of theoretical alternatives and critically reflect on how theory informs choices during the research process
• use referencing systems in accordance with the existing standards

General competence

The student can

• apply academic knowledge and skills to address arts education issues
• disseminate independent research using the field's expressions and characteristics
• engage in professional and educational discussions, initiate developmental processes, and contribute to innovation within arts education
• benefit from supervision

Learning methods and activities

The learning methods consists of seminars, presentations, individual work and supervision.

Students’ collaborations with arts educational institutions of relevance for the own master’s project must be arranged by the students themselves.

Supervision is mandatory when working on the Master's thesis and is carried out in consultation with the appointed supervisor.

For collaborative writing, students must have a written agreement (a specific form) beforehand. The agreement involves both students and the supervisor. The thesis must include a process document detailing the collaborative process, including responsibilities and work distribution. This process document is taken into consideration by the examiners of the thesis.

Compulsory assignments

There are four compulsory assignments:

• Midway seminar
• Final seminar
• Supervision
• Presentation

Students shall attend both seminars, during which they present the advancement of their master`s thesis project and give a peer-review to one of their fellow students.

All compulsory assignments must be approved in order to submit the master’s thesis.

Compulsory activities

Individual and collective work and preparations for the compulsory assignments

• Midway seminar
• Final seminar
• Supervision
• Presentasjon

Compulsory assignments

• Participation mid-seminar
• Participation end-seminar
• Supervision

Further on evaluation

The form of assessment in this course is a creative practice output and a written master's thesis, which is assessed by an internal and external examiner according to grade scale A-F, where grade A-E is a pass and grade F is a fail. The creative practice output and the written component must be clearly connected and investigate the same problem area. An overall grade is given for the creative practice and the written work.

The creative practice must be done in accordance with guidelines and requirements given by the academic coordinator.

The scope of the written component should be between 15,000-20,000 words. Front page, preface, summary, table of contents, bibliography, tables and appendices are in addition.

All courses in the study program must be passed before the creative practice and the written master thesis can be completed and submitted.

Specific conditions

Requires admission to the study program: Master of education (MDID) - arts education

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Recommended previous knowledge

All first-year courses in the Master of Education program, arts education, should be completed before starting this course.

Required previous knowledge

Required previous knowledge

The course requires admission to the Master in Education program, arts education. The compulsory requirements in DID3005 To become a researcher in arts education must be approved, but the exam does not have to be passed.

Course materials

Individually chosen reading material in agreement with the supervisor

Any art materials for the master's project that are not available at the Department of Teacher Education must be purchased and paid for by the student.