Master's Thesis in Industrial Asset Management (IAMMAS)

The master thesis is an independent student project within the field of Industrial asset management in which students can demonstrate their skills and abilities to apply the knowledge acquired during their studies on solving a given project assignment, as well as their skills and abilities to define, perform, and to deliver solutions to issues and challenges in the real practical world to become an engineer. The assignment will normally be carried out during the last semester of studies.

Formally the work on a master thesis result in a final project report demonstrating knowledge, skills, and abilities. In practice, such master theses projects can be very different from each other.

At an overall level a Master thesis may have a similar structure. A clear description of the problems and objectives in most cases can give an early hint as to how the contents should be organised. First an introduction presenting the background of the thesis, its purpose, methods used, and limitations. Then there will be a presentation of relevant theories and principles relevant to the project, existing practices and techniques, new industrial trends, etc. This will be followed by a presentation of analyses and developments done as a part of the project work, and the results thereof. For non-experimental projects the results may include (further) development of principles, methods, models, or specific reccommendations. A discussion of the results achieved would be useful towards the end, for instance covering; how the results achieved can be compared to existing theory, practices, and techniques ? what specific directions can be drawn to improve current situations or practices ?, what is the expected industrial impact ? etc.

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

He/she

• is able to present and communicate extensive independent work
• can describe the problem clearly and masters the terms and expressions within the academic field
• has acquired an overview of relevant international literature, scientific reporting and ethical standards in the field, and manages to deal critically with various sources of information
• is able to analyse relevant theoretical models and/or studies supported by scientific research
• masters analysis of relevant scholarly tools and techniques
• is able to give an account of the academic problem and analyse results and independent conclusions according to the problem
• is able to reflect upon and evaluate his/her own work in a critical manner
• is able to defend high moral standards in scientific, as well as other, context, thus being a good role model

It is advisable to contact the advisor well in advance about the Masters thesis project. A good cooperation routine between the student and the advisor plays an important role during the Master thesis period. This may for example take the form of regular meetings in which the student will present and discuss his/her work as it progresses. Preferably the student should have dons some work related to the project that can form the basis of the conversation/discussion with the advisor.

It is an advantage to start writing the thesis at the earliest possible stage. Start with a preliminary structure for the thesis. As the work progresses, relevant chapters and sections can be added in consultation with the Advisor. Naturally, the text can often be incomplete at the beginning and may take the form of some relevant key words. But be wise to write down your ideas and thoughts even briefly as they come to your mind. Otherwise, good ideas may easily be forgotten. When working on a thesis, challenges are quite normal and they are also unavoidable. So, do not hesitate to contact your Advisor for necessary guidence whenever you need inputs. Be aware that you also can make use of effective student support measures for example in the Library. Work through an effective way to organize your project work and thesis writing to demonstrate your professional knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop solutions to issues and challenges in the real practical world.