Master's Thesis in Biological Chemistry (BIOMAS)

The master's thesis is an independent project in which you will apply the knowledge acquired during your studies on solving a chosen assignment. The students will through this assignment show their abilities to use relevant theories and methods, and develop knowledge and understanding in the field of biological chemistry. The assignment will be carried out during the two last semesters.


Course description for study year 2024-2025. Please note that changes may occur.

Facts

Course code

BIOMAS

Version

1

Credits (ECTS)

60

Semester tution start

Spring

Number of semesters

3

Exam semester

Spring

Language of instruction

English, Norwegian

Offered by
Time table

View course schedule

Content

The student conducts a course in the library and learns to locate relevant literature, evaluate sources and learn about plagiarism. The student makes a review of relevant literature and presents this for supervisors and fellow students during the first semester (autumn). At the same time the student starts their practical work in the lab, usually in a laboratory at UiS or in the region. In the second semester the student continues the research and writes the final report according to rules for scientific publications. In the second semester, preliminary data is presented in the form of a poster.

Learning outcome

A candidate who has completed and passed his or her master's thesis has acquired the following learning outcomes:

He/she

  • Is able to conduct and present extensive scientific work

  • Is able to describe a problem in a clear and concise way, according to the terms and expressions within biochemistry and molecular biology

  • Has extensive experience in literature search, practical scientific work and the preparation of scientific reports

  • Knows the essential publication channels within the field of research

  • Is able to critically assess own and others work

  • Knows the ethical standard that must be applied in research and scientific reports.

Required prerequisite knowledge

Refer to Regulations for Master's theses for required credits to write the master's thesis.

Recommended prerequisites

BIO510 Bioinformatics, BIO520 Methods in Biotechnology

Exam

Thesis

Form of assessment Weight Duration Marks Aid
Thesis 50/100 9 Months Letter grades All
Project assignment 10/100 1 Weeks Letter grades All
Oral exam 1 20/100 30 Minutes Letter grades - 1)
Oral exam 2 20/100 2 Hours Letter grades - 2)

1) Master thesis
2) Master Thesis


The course has an ongoing assessment. All parts are individual and must be passed in order to obtain a final grade in the course. For the project assignment during semester two, the student prepares a poster based on their preliminary data. The poster is worth 10% of the total grade. The poster will be publicly presented. A thesis will be written as an individual assignment. There is a guideline of about 20,000 words for this thesis. The written thesis is worth 50% of the total grade.The student also gives a 30-minute presentation of their work. This final public presentation is worth 20% of the total grade. The presentation is followed by an oral examination which is worth 20% of the total grade.The examiner and supervisor are present during the final presentation and oral examination.Please note that the general rule is that a candidate has only one attempt at the task. See Regulations on studies and examinations at the University of Stavanger §3-10 Number of attempts point 4.Here is a link to information and rules about thesis writing.

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Mark van der Giezen

Course teacher:

Hanne Røland Hagland

Course teacher:

Oddmund Nordgård

Course teacher:

Daniela Maria Pampanin

Course teacher:

Lutz Andreas Eichacker

Head of Department:

Päivi Annele Teivainen-Lædre

Course teacher:

Kåre Bredeli Jørgensen

Coordinator laboratory exercises:

Liv Margareth Aksland

Method of work

Independent literature work, participation in discussion groups, etc., oral and written presentations. Individual supervision concerning the research part and thesis writing

Overlapping courses

Course Reduction (SP)
Master thesis in Biological Chemistry (MBIMAS_1) 60

Open for

Biological Chemistry - Master of Science Degree Programme

Course assessment

There must be an early dialogue between the course supervisor, the student union representative and the students. The purpose is feedback from the students for changes and adjustments in the course for the current semester. In addition, a digital subject evaluation must be carried out at least every three years. Its purpose is to gather the students experiences with the course.

Literature

Search for literature in Leganto