Examination arrangement

Course content

In this course, the student must complete an independent project within a topic from the master's degree program. The course will contribute so the students achieve advanced knowledge of the subject area, corresponding to the master's level. In addition the students will gain in-depth knowledge of selected theories and methods, as well as experience in oral and written communication. The course will also prepare students to plan and implement a development or change process in working life, where where digitalization and/or digital transformation is prominent.

Learning outcome

The master's thesis is an independent scientific research project that will show the student's competence within the field and in relation to the goals in the master's program.

After completing the master's thesis, the following learning outcomes are achieved:

Knowledge

The students will:

• Be able to identify challenges in private businesses and the public sector organizations related to the main themes of the master's degree program, as well as assessing appropriate methodological approaches to solve these challenges.
• Have in-depth knowledge of scientific literature and methods related to the topics included in the master's thesis, and lay the foundation for proceeding to a doctoral degree in the same subject area.

Skills

The students will:

• Be able to work independently on a research project of a certain size and over a certain period.
• Be able to gather relevant information, analyze the information, prepare conclusions and document the results.

General competence

The student will:

• Be able to reflect on different scientific methods and different sources relevant to digitalization and digital transformation.
• Be able to reflect on sustainability challenges that can arise in connection with digitalization and digital transformation of current and future business processes.
• Be able to communicate the research work both in writing and orally. Written in the form of a major research report, and orally in the form of a presentation adapted to an academic audience.
• Demonstrate an ethical and healthy critical attitude to the research work.

Learning methods and activities

The course could be conducted as a combination of seminars, presentations, meetings with supervisors and clients, and self-study, as well as work on the master's thesis document.

Each master's thesis is connected to a supervisor. Up to 25 hours of supervision per master's thesis is offered, and it is the students who must take the initiative for supervision.

Normally the master's thesis is completed individually, but it can be completed in groups of up to 2 students.

Further on evaluation

The assessment basis is the master's thesis document. A grading committee assesses the thesis.

The requirement for the size of the master's thesis depends on whether it is written on an individual basis or by two students jointly. For individual thesis, the scope should be about 50-90 pages, while thesis written by two students together should be about 70-110 pages. Deviations from these page number indications can be agreed with the supervisor. It is recommended to use the font Verdana, 10 point, left-justified, 1.15 line spacing, which is in accordance with the Word template for master's theses at NTNU.

The master's thesis should reflect on the sustainability relevance of the thesis based on selected elements from UNESCO's 8 key competences for sustainability or the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

The master's thesis must have a Norwegian and English title and a short summary in English.

If the letter grade "F" is given after the master's thesis has been graded at the final exam, the thesis can be submitted again in a new or reworked thesis with significant changes. Students who want this must notify the faculty within three months. The department must, in consultation with the supervisor and examiner, assess whether it is possible to rework the student's master's thesis or whether a new thesis must be written.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

It is recommended that the students have a good understanding of all the courses from the first three semesters of the master's degree program.

Required previous knowledge

The master's thesis is based on the course TDMA5004 (Research Project Planning). The student must have completed and passed all courses belonging to the 1st and 2nd semester, as well as completed the teaching plan for all courses belonging to the 3rd semesters of the master's program before starting the master's thesis. If the student has been on exchange in the 3rd semester, the requirement to have completed the teaching program for all subjects belonging to the 3rd semester of the master's program is waived. All compulsory courses in the master's degree program must be passed before the dissertation can be submitted for examination.

The course is reserved for students admitted to the Master's Degree Program in Digital Transformation.

Course materials

Students choose relevant literature, possibly in consultation with the supervisor.