PSY4091 – Master Thesis in Psychology
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The master thesis is an independent scientific paper. It shall fulfill the requirements to form and content that is the standard within the field of research that the thesis focuses on, whether it be an empirical or theoretical thesis. A thesis seminar is to take place either before or in the early days of the master thesis work.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
You shall be able to
? Present a written scientific work
? Describe and sum up a specific theme in psychology
? Discuss your choices of scientific methods
? Combine and compare different theoretical viewpoints and research results in an exact scientific way
Skills
You shall be able to :
? Evaluate the applicability of the chosen research design and methods of analysis
? Formulate clear and concise thesis questions, in addition to your own research questions and hypotheses
? Discuss and evaluate research results and psychological theory
? Present research results and psychological theory in a exact scientific manner, including correct references of literature that covers the field.
? Agrue for different interpretations of research results and their relevance for psychological theory
? Present conclusions of research based on scientific criteria
? Uphold research ethics
General competence
Through the thesis work you shall demonstrate the ability to treat a defined theme in a professional, ethical and precise manner within a limited time frame. In addition you shall, develop an awareness and understanding of research ethics and dilemmas.
Admission
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.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
It is recommended that you repeat the literature from the courses in qualitative or quantitative methods prior to or parallell to the master thesis work.
Progression rule: If you have failed more than 10 study points in the 1st year of the programme, you are not allowed to start the master thesis.
Overlapping courses
50 credits overlap with PSY4091 – Master Thesis in Psychology
Teaching
The teaching is connected to the work with the thesis and has the form of an individual or collective supervision. All students must have a supervisor with sufficient scientific competence.
The master thesis preparation seminar shall take place in the second semester or in the beginning of the third.
Individual supervison
The students are themselves responsible for finding a supervisor. The supervision agreement must be signed by both parties and is to be handed in to the front office ("ekspedisjonen") within 1 September. If you are having difficulties finding a supervisor, please contact the coordinator for your master option. It is possible to hand in the agreement prior to the deadline.
You can read more about supervision in the document concerning requirements
A project plan is to be set up by the student and agreed upon by the supervisor within 1 June in the third semester. The supervisor shall notify the administration that the plan is approved by him/her.
Examination
Before submitting the master thesis, the student must have completed the following mandatory activities:
- Obligatory activity 1: Handing in supervision agreeent within 1.september
- Obligatory activity 2: Set up a project plan and have it approved by supervisor within 1 June as part of PSY4521
Handing in the master thesis
The deadline is set to April/May or October (one semester late). The thesis must be uploaded to DUO vitenarkiv and Inspera within the deadline.
Is the thesis work delayed and you need to ask for an extension?
If you are ill in the days prior to handing in the thesis, you can ask for a couple of days extension to make up for what you lost during those few days. You need to apply to the department and document the illness.
If for other reasons you are not able to finish within the deadline, you can hand in the thesis in the following semester. Then you need to notify the administration about this and withdraw from the exam in the original semester.
Grading of the thesis
The master thesis is graded by one internal and one external supervisor. Please refer to the quality criteria in Master Thesis in Psychology: Guidelines and Requirements
APA is the standard for referencing in master theses a tPsykologisk institutt.
Use of sources and citation
You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the use of sources and citations. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or 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.
When the committee has agreed on the grade, you will be given a written report commenting on the strong and weak points of the thesis. The grade is to be found in Student Web.
Explanations and appeals
You will get an automatic explanation of your grade.
Appeal
Resit an examination
A master thesis that has been given A-E, cannot be submitted in an altered version. A thesis that has been given F, can be submitted within an agreed deadline and with a substantially altered content.
Withdrawal from 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.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.
Evaluation
The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.