HMET4210 ¨C Research Design

Course content

In this course, you shall elaborate the project description for your master thesis.

The course offers an introduction to research methodology and how to write scientific research reports and project proposals. The course will introduce students to the challenges in research design and analysis as well as preparing students in writing their thesis. There will be offered both theoretical perspectives and practical exercises. This course focuses on topics such as science, research, validity, research processes and problems, research issues and questions and the significance of research.

The course consists of two main parts. The first part consists of five days of lectures and plenary exercise sessions. This first part ends by a mandatory submission of a proposed topic and plan for the Master Thesis. The second part of the course consists of work in seminar groups where students are allocated according to the topic chosen for their Master thesis. In these groups students must present a Draft Research proposal, make comments to two other research proposals, and present a Revised Research proposal. The second part of the course ends by a mandatory submission of a Final Research proposal, which is awarded pass or fail. Students that have failed to take part in mandatory activities will automatically fail the course.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

• To be able to understand the different stages of a research process
• To be able to understand what a research question is and the importance of formulating relevant ones
• To be able to recognize the relationship between theory and evidence
• To make students familiar with the relationship between authors and readers and their different roles.
• To make students aware of ethical issues in research.

Skills

• To be able to classify and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the research design of social research.
• To enable students to describe scientific texts based on a general structure of such texts.
• To enable students to write their own research proposal.
• To be able to define and use key concepts in research and research ethics.
• To develop the ability to convert own interests and ideas into relevant research questions.
• To be able to develop answers to research questions in a scientific way.

General competence

The course shall aid students to develop a critical analytical state of mind and to strengthen develop their ability to perform research (both empirical and theoretical studies).

Admission to the course

This course is only available for students at the following master programmes:

Health Economics, Policy and Management (master)

European Master in Health Economics and Management (master)

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Overlapping courses

• 5 credits overlap with HMM4104 ¨C Research Design and Qualitative Methods (discontinued).
• 5 credits overlap with HMM4104A ¨C Research design (discontinued).

Examination

First part: participation at Introductory lectures and subsequent submission of proposed topic and plan for the Master thesis.

Second part: participation in group exercises and submission of a) a Draft Research proposal, b) a Revised Research proposal, and c) a Final Research proposal

Attending lectures and participating in group exercises are compulsory (in order to pass).

Examination and grading at The Faculty of Medicine.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.

The assessment (pass/fail) is done on the basis of participation in lectures and exercises and on a mandatory assignments ("the research proposal").

Resit an examination

For Eu-HEM students:

An EU-hem student cannot present her or himself for the examination in a course more than two times. There will be held re-sits for EU-hem students who have failed an exam or who have legitimate absence (usually illness) in January and August. If you are entitled to a re-sit you must contact the student advisor via email no longer than one week after the result of the exam has been published.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

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