M30-LUN Master's Thesis

Credits (ECTS):30

Course responsible:Birgitte Bjønness, Margrethe Naalsund

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk, norsk

Course frequency:

Professional Master, PPU profile science: Every spring semester.

Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: Full-time students: every spring semester. Part-time students: every fall and spring semester.

Nominal workload:900 hours

Teaching and exam period:

Professional Master, PPU profile science: Spring parallel.

Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: Full-time students: supervision and assessment in spring parallel. Part-time students: supervision in autumn and spring semesters, assessment in spring parallel

About this course

Professional Master, PPU profile science: The master's thesis consists of an independent research project that is carried out in the last semester of the study and can be submitted as a monograph or scientific article. The student receives supervision in the research process from an appointed supervisor and (possible) co-supervisors. The supervision supports the independent process with advice on literature, methodology, data collection and possible laboratory work, and ensures research ethics guidelines are followed. The master's thesis is oriented within the educational sciences. We offer master's theses within all didactic subjects of science education.

Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: The master's thesis consists of an independent research or development project that is carried out in the last semester of the master's program for full-time students and in the last two semesters of the program for part-time students. The master's thesis can be submitted in writing or in multimodal form and carried out individually or in collaboration between two or three students. If the thesis is submitted by two or three students, each student's independent part of the project must be documented. The student or students will receive supervision along the way from an appointed supervisor and co-supervisor(s). The supervision shall ensure that the student or students receive advice on the design and execution of action learning projects and fieldwork as well as other data collection and literature. Supervision shall also follow up compliance with research ethics guidelines. The master's thesis is professionally oriented.

Learning outcome

Professional Master, PPU profile science: After completing the master's thesis, the student should be able to:

- Carry out independent research and development work based on a research question.

- Use relevant theories and research methods as tools in the research work.

- Analyze and draw conclusions from an independently conducted research project.

- Communicate the project's research and experience-based knowledge (based on an independent research project) both in writing and orally.

- Read, understand and use research literature.

- Follow research ethics guidelines.

More specifically, the student should be able to:

• develop a problem statement/research question that is justified on the basis of relevance to the field and/or practice.

• delimit the task sufficiently so that it is feasible.

• apply recognized research approaches and methods that are relevant and reasoned

• evaluate the research work with regard to research ethics, including any necessary approvals from NSD

• discuss opportunities and challenges with method choices

• apply subject / vocational didactic theory and research literature that is relevant to the chosen research question

• work independently and possibly participate in relevant research groups

• write the master's thesis according to academic style and requirements, with a clear connection between the different parts of the thesis.

• analyze and discuss results and findings and justify how they have emerged

• answer and discuss issues/research questions with necessary reservations and implications.

Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: After completing the master's thesis, the student should be able to:

  • Develop, carry out and show an independent research or development project. individually or in collaboration with others, based on a well-founded issue with underlying research questions.
  • Use relevant vocational pedagogical perspectives, professional practice and qualitative research methods as tools in the work on the research or development project
  • Analyze and draw conclusions from the research or development project
  • Present, share and critically discuss knowledge developed in the research or development project with colleagues or other partners in training.
  • Document the exploration in the master's thesis in writing, orally and possibly through other forms of expression.
  • Understand, discuss and use relevant and recognized vocational pedagogical subject matter.
  • Explain and discuss compliance with research ethics guidelines in connection with the use of action learning as a strategy for the project

More specifically, the student should be able to:

  • Develop and justify the research question and underlying research questions based on perceived needs and the current situation in vocational education and training.
  • Use vocational pedagogical perspectives, other theory and professional practice that is relevant to the action and reason professionally about perspectives, theory and practice
  • Use action learning as a strategy for research or development projects as well as relevant qualitative research methods
  • Assess the research or development project regarding research ethics, including any necessary approvals from NSD
  • Discuss opportunities and challenges regarding choice of methods.
  • Reflect on own development and the role of a participatory and collaborative researcher in the action learning project
  • Document an independent contribution and professional participation in a collaboration on action learning
  • Carry out the master's thesis in writing, orally and possibly in other forms of expression with a clear, logical and communicable connection between the different parts of the thesis.
  • Analyze and discuss results and findings and justify how they have been developed
  • Answer and discuss the problem with underlying research questions with necessary reservations and implications.
  • Learning activities

    Professional Master, PPU profile science: Independent work under supervision. Master's degree forum with seminars in the spring semester.

    Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: Independent work, individually and in groups, under supervision. In addition, a master's degree forum is arranged with seminars in the spring semester for full-time students, in the autumn and spring semesters of the last year of study for part-time students.

  • Teaching support

    Professional Master, PPU profile science: The student is normally entitled to supervision of 40 hours (including the supervisor's share of the marking). The master forum provides support to this work.

    Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: Students who submit an individual assignment are entitled to 40 hours of supervision. If the student collaborates with other students on the master's thesis, the time frame for supervision of the master's thesis is increased by 20 hours for each student, with the right to 60 hours of supervision for the master's thesis with two students, 80 hours for the master's thesis with three students. The student or students work independently beyond this offer of supervision. Supervision in the master's forum also offers support from the supervisor within the framework given above.

  • Prerequisites

    Professional Master, PPU profile science: Requires admission to NMBU master programme for teacher education. Normally, this subject is the last subject of the master's thesis programme.

    Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: Requires admission to a professional master's degree with practical pedagogical education within a profile of nature use, cultivation and management.

  • Assessment method

    Professional Master, PPU profile science: Written assignment with an oral defence, counts 100%.

    Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: Written or multimodal assignment with oral defence counts 100 %.



    Master thesis Karakterregel: Letter grades Master thesis with oral defence Karakterregel: Letter grades
  • Examiner scheme
    The internal and external examiner will participate in the assessment of the thesis and the oral examination.
  • Mandatory activity

    Professional Master, PPU profile science: Approved Master`s contract between student and supervisor(s), with detailed progress plan, to be handed in at the Faculty before the project starts.

    Professional Master PPU, profile nature use, cultivation and management: A signed contract between student(s) and supervisor(s) with a progress plan is submitted to the faculty before work on the master's thesis can start.

  • Teaching hours

    Professional Master, PPU profile science: The students work full-time with the thesis in one semester. Master's degree forum with seminars.

    Profile Vocational Didactics in Natural Resources: Full-time: The student(s) work full-time on the thesis for one semester. Master's degree forum with seminars, online and/or physical attendance. Part-time: The student(s) work part-time, 50%, with the thesis in the autumn and spring semesters. Master's degree forum with seminars, online and/or physical attendance.