Examination arrangement

Course content

The master's thesis in music education corresponds to half a year's full work effort and must show that the candidate can work independently and research based. The project will include theoretical and research based perspectives of relevance for the music subject in a teaching profession context. The master's thesis in music education is an independent, critical, ethical, methodical, informed and clearly articulated work. Supervision is an important element in the work on the master's thesis, and supervision is a compulsory part of the course.

In master's theses with a practical part, the practical part and the written part are distinct and mutually dependent parts in the approach to the research topic, and the two parts are assessed as one whole. In such theses, the student is expected to use up to half of the study time to develop the practical part, while the expected scope of the written part is halved compared to a master's thesis without a practical part.

Where the thesis contains a practical part, this part must be presented in the master's thesis as a digital, auditory or audio-visual recording. There should be a link to a public publication channel for recordings in the thesis, but recordings must also be uploaded as separate files in inspera when delivering the master's thesis. The practical part must also be presented at the final seminar.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The student:

• has advanced knowledge of central themes and issues for music/music education, and specialized knowledge of the master's thesis topic
• has advanced and independent knowledge in methodological, ethical and critical research work within the subject area
• has thorough knowledge of academic writing and presentation forms
• can create knowledge in discussion and dialogue with an academic, artistic and music professional community

Skills

The student:

• can independently carry out and present a research project at master's level under supervision and in line with applicable research ethical principles
• can generate, document and process research material in their own master's thesis
• can choose between theoretical perspectives, examine research material with theory and critically reflect on how theory informs choices during the research process
• can find and critically evaluate information in non-digital and digital resources
• can use reference systems in accordance with recognized standards

General competence

The student:

• is able to use supervision
• has thorough expertise in dialogue with colleagues, such as fellow students and teachers, about research
• can analyze and apply current theory in subject and research fields to contribute to new thinking and/or innovation in music teaching

Compulsory assignments

• Supervision
• Mid-term seminar
• Final seminar

Further on evaluation

Completion of work related to supervision, mid-term seminar and final seminar are mandatory work requirements. Where the thesis contains a practical part, the best possible arrangements are made for the student to be able to show their practical part at the final seminar within the final seminar's physical framework. Completion of these works is assessed with pass/fail, and must be approved before you can take the exam.

The Master's thesis is usually written in monograph format. The thesis can be submitted individually or as a joint project for two students. If the thesis is submitted as a joint project, a document describing the individual candidate's contribution must be attached. When the Master's thesis is submitted as a joint project, a common grade is typically given for the thesis. In rare cases, however, it may be necessary to assess the candidates separately.

Where the master's thesis has a practical part, this part is expected to make up approximately half of the workload in the master's thesis. Correspondingly, the written work is expected to be half as large as in a master's thesis without a practical part. Also master's theses with a practical part are assessed as a whole with only one overall grade.

The master's thesis is assessed through the letter grades A-F, where the grades A-E mean pass and F means fail.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Passed a 30-credit subject at master's level in music in the fourth year of MGLU teacher education or equivalent

Required previous knowledge

- Passed Music 1 and Music 2 (60 credits) or equivalent.

- Passed R&D assignment in the third year of primary school teacher education

Course materials

Self-selected curriculum literature