Examination arrangement

Course content

This course consists of work with the Master’s thesis. The subject has no scheduled teaching.

The thesis constitutes an independent academic research project supervised by academic staff. The thesis should be original, follow established research ethical principles, present clear theoretical and methodological choices, engage critical thinking, and demonstrate clear communication. The research topic, research question, theoretical framework and methodological design for the thesis will be decided by the student in consultation with the supervisor.

All students are entitled to conduct the Master’s thesis individually. In certain cases, it may be appropriate to write 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

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

The candidate has

• Advanced specialized knowledge of relevant theories and current research within the chosen vocational education field
• Thorough understanding of academic thinking, research methods, research ethics, and specialized knowledge of the chosen research method(s) applied in the thesis
• Advanced knowledge of the requirements for an academic study and the academic genre within the vocational education research field
• Thorough understanding of reference systems and the formal requirements for academic texts

Skills

The candidate can

• conceptualize and execute an independent research project aligned with research ethics and formal requirements under supervision
• Independently employ relevant methods for vocational education research.
• Locate relevant scholarly literature and critically assess various information sources
• Use referencing systems in accordance with the existing standards

General Competence

The candidate can

• Apply academic knowledge and skills to address vocational 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 vocational education
• Benefit from supervision

Learning methods and activities

The course primarily consists of seminars, presentations, individual work, and supervision. Supervision is mandatory for the master's thesis and is conducted in collaboration with the appointed supervisor. Students are required to participate in master's seminars and present and discuss their master's projects.

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 activities/assignments

• Oral presentation
• Supervision

• Participation in master's seminars

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

Compulsory assignments

• Oral presentation
• Supervision
• Participation on seminar

Further on evaluation

The master's thesis is evaluated individually on a grading scale of A-F, where A-E denote passing grades, and F indicates fail.

The Master's thesis is assessed by an external and internal examiner.

In the case of collaborative writing, the process document is part of the assessment criteria. While the thesis is jointly assessed, the grade is individual, and students have individual appeal rights.

The thesis's length is 25,000-35,000 words for an individual thesis and 35,000-45,000 words for a collaborative thesis. Additional sections such as cover page, preface, summary, table of contents, bibliography, tables, and appendices come in addition.

All other courses at the study program must be completed and approved before submitting the master's thesis.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Recommended previous knowledge

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

Required previous knowledge

Special Conditions

Requires admission to the study program: Master of education (MDID) - vocational studies.

Required previous knowledge

The course requires admission to the Master in Education program, vocational studies. The compulsory requirements in DID3203 Theory and Project Design must be approved, but the exam need not be passed.

Course materials

Course Material

Individually chosen reading material in agreement with the supervisor