SUM4091 – Master's Thesis in Development, Environment and Cultural Change

Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

The master’s thesis is an independent scientific product. Through the work on the master’s thesis, the student should demonstrate the ability to analyse a specific topic in an original and meaningful fashion. The student should demonstrate a mastry of relevant theory and/or literature, carry out empirical research and write a scholarly treatise that encapsulates the approach and the results.

Learning outcome

After completing the course, you will have:

  • learned how to plan and complete an extensive research project
  • learned how to gather and critically systematize and analyse a substantial amount of information on your selected topic
  • increased knowledge of relevant interdisciplinary theory and research methods
  • gained academic writing skills in English

Admission to the course

This course is only for students who are admitted to the Master Programme Development, Environment and Cultural Change (master's two years). Students must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in StudentWeb, including the semesters they are working on the Master`s thesis.

Formal prerequisite knowledge

Admission to the masters programme Development, Environment and Cultural Change and passing grades in the compulsory courses:

For students who started their CES Master`s degree before Autumn 2012:

Teaching

Mainly individual supervision (or supervision in groups). The students are assigned a supervisor after the completion of SUM4100 – Research Methods and Project Design.

As a general rule, the scope of the supervision relationship should encompass from 10 - 15 hours, beginning with an initial meeting in the student’s second semester and ending with the thesis submission. Meetings between advisor and student are more effective when both agree beforehand on the subject of the meeting and the issues/questions to be discussed. In the final writing phase, the subject will usually be drafts of sections of the thesis, which should be submitted to the advisor in advance of meetings.

Beginning in autumn 2020, the course will encompass not only individual supervision and writing the thesis itself but also participation in Text Lab sessions, where you present draft texts from your thesis and read and comment on your classmates` drafts. The sessions will be divided unequally between the autumn and the spring semesters. Read more about regulations regarding compulsory activities.

Practical information about master`s thesis template, layout, fieldwork and grant, sensitive data reading room seat, etc.

Examination

The final Master`s degree exam consists of an individual Master`s thesis (90-130 pages, front page, index, appendix, and bibliography not included) and an oral examination. A commission consisting of one internal and one external examiner assesses the thesis, and the oral examination may adjust the final grade. The oral examination will only be held if the Master`s thesis is given a passing grade.

For practical information, please read more about Submitting the Master's Thesis at SUM.

Assessment guide

Language of examination

English

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

A master’s thesis that is not passed may be resubmitted only once, and then within the agreed time and in revised form. A master’s thesis that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.

If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

More about examinations at UiO

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Common Student System) Mar. 28, 2024 1:10:16 PM

Facts about this course

Level
Master
Credits
60
Teaching
Spring and autumn
Examination
Spring and autumn
Teaching language
English