Examination arrangement

Course content

A master thesis shall demonstrate the student’s ability to define and execute a scientific project with the purpose to create new knowledge.

Students are required to undertake a project that is relevant to the MIIDS master's program. The topic should represent a challenge within a defined theoretical theme, and students are encouraged to collaborate with a company/organization. Master's thesis topics will be made available to students from June to August each year. These topics are proposed by faculty members associated with the master's program and stem from ongoing research activities and/or research projects. Consequently, the tasks are well-considered and fall within the themes that potential supervisors are actively engaged in. The topics will be presented and selected during August/September each year. While it is possible to create one's own thesis topic, it is not recommended. Such requests must adhere to specified criteria.

Supervision is a mandatory and integral component of the master's thesis work. Supervision ensures that students acquire the necessary knowledge for completing the task and serves as a vital oversight in the collection and processing of data.

As a general rule, the master's thesis is to be written in pairs. If there is a specific need to submit an individual thesis, an exception to this rule may be granted. Requests for exceptions must be submitted to the course coordinator in the beginning of the fall semester when the thesis topics are presented and allocated.

The master's thesis is expected to be equivalent to one semester's worth of work, and the project should adhere to MIIDS guidelines for master's theses, as outlined in "Information for Those Writing a Master's Thesis at IØT-G" on Blackboard.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

At the completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• apply their knowledge of choosing the right method and methodology for a research challenge
• apply their knowledge of planning and executing a research project
• analyse, discuss, reflect on results from research challenges and make conclusions
• analyse research questions and advance further research

Skills

At the completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• choose a project with potential for contribution to the existing scientific knowledge
• write a scientific master thesis with high quality in Norwegian or English
• present the results of the research in a clear and convincing manner
• analyze relevant academic, professional, and research ethical issues.
• carry out a limited research or development project under supervision, independently and in collaboration with others, and in accordance with applicable norms for research ethics.

General competence

At the completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• understand how a scientific approach contributes to increased knowledge.
• analyze relevant academic, professional, and research ethical issues.
• communicate comprehensive independent work, and present scientific results both orally and in writing.
• communicate about academic and interdisciplinary issues, analyses, and conclusions, both with specialists and to the general public.

Learning methods and activities

Project work, seminars and individual supervision.

Compulsory work requirements:

1. The master thesis agreement must be signed as described at https://i.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/Norsk/utfylling+av+masteravtale

2. Midterm evaluation after 3 months (March) including hand-in of status report and plan for further progress - to the supervisor.

3. The following must be submitted in Blackboard by a given deadline (approximately one week after submission of the MA thesis):

• Students joint (where relevant) log of work distribution and process in the work on the master's thesis
• Individual reflection note on the entire process - also thoughts on the division of work between the students (where relevant) and the supervisory role
• Presentation in powerpoint
• Master's Thesis in pdf

4. A compulsory oral presentation of the master's thesis with compulsory attendance throughout all presentations.

Even though the master's thesis is written during the spring semester, the process of selecting the master's thesis topic and creating a project description begins in the fall semester. The course coordinator for the master's thesis is responsible for the selection/allocation of the master's thesis and supervisor. Once the master's thesis and supervisor are chosen/allocated, the work begins in the parallel course IDS4005 Project work, where the focus is on developing the project description for the master's thesis throughout the rest of the fall semester in collaboration with the supervisor.

For further info and timeline - refer to the MA-guide "Informasjon til deg som skal skrive masteroppgave ved IØT-G" in Blackboard.

Compulsory assignments

• Mid term Evaluation
• 3-4 submissions
• Oral Presentation and attendance Master Thesis

Further on evaluation

The master thesis will be evaluated according to the regulations at NTNU, §5.9.

The evaluation team shall use a standard evaluation form provided for the study program.

Grads are A-F

For further important info - look at the document "Informasjon til deg som skal skrive masteroppgave ved IØT-G", which you find in the BB-room.

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

The student must have 82,5 study points completed in the study program, including the course IDS4005 Project work.

Course materials

TBL