Master's Thesis (MEEMAS)

The master's thesis is an independent research project in which you will apply the knowledge acquired during your studies. It is a crafted scholarly document presenting research questions and original arguments based on scientific methods. The thesis gives you the opportunity to demonstrate expertise in your chosen research area.

This course spans over two semesters. Part 1 (fall semester) is meant to help you prepare as well as possible for writing the thesis. In this part of the course, you will be expected to take part in various preparation seminars. The goal is to develop an idea for the thesis as well as a project proposal. The project proposal contains the research design for your master’s thesis project. Submitting this during the fall semester is compulsory. Without submitting, you will not be able to move on to Part 2.

Part 2 (spring semester) will consist of applying your project proposal. During this semester, with access to a supervisor, you will write your thesis. You will also be given the opportunity to join various seminars to prepare your thesis and secure progress.

While the seminars will run in English, students may submit project proposal and thesis in Norwegian.

The thesis should have a substantial research component that builds on theories, methods, and collected data within the field of sustainability studies. It is encouraged to write the thesis in pairs, and use the opportunity to demonstrate expertise in a chosen area of research. The thesis must be written under the guidance of a supervisor. The supervision of master's theses includes various types of cooperation between student and supervisor, such as group and individual discussions.

In the thesis seminars during the fall and spring semesters, we look at how to write your proposal, how to work in groups to get feedback, and how to deal with data security and SIKT. Here you will have the time to work on your research problem, research design, and research questions, as well as practical issues such as guidelines and modes of supervision. The students are presented with the guidelines for the thesis, and possible cooperation with the industry and public authorities.

Students may write individually or in pairs.

It is expected that the students, after completing the course, will have the following knowledge, skills, and general competencies:

Knowledge

Students who successfully complete the course should:

• Know the demands, requirements, and guidelines for the master thesis.
• Know the content of a research design and the decisions that have to be made in order to make an outline of the master thesis.
• Understand how to define and present research questions.
• Have gained a thorough understanding of theories and methods that can be used to address the chosen research question.
• Understand how to use analytical frameworks and theories to answer research questions.

Skills

After completing the course, students should be able to:

• Develop an outline of the master thesis that can be used as the starting point for the master thesis.
• Evaluate social science research, including their own research plans.
• Identify research questions suitable for a master's thesis.
• Search relevant sources for theories and data that can address the chosen research questions.
• Review existing theories and empirical evidence.
• Organize, summarize and analyze data.
• Write clearly about the chosen research question.
• Plan social science research and report writing.

General competence

After completing the course, students should be able to:

• Present oneself as a possible participant in a research project.
• Plan and complete a large project under supervision and in accordance with existing norms for research ethics.
• Apply knowledge and skills to the chosen area of research.

The project proposal should normally contain the following points:

• Title - A working title that reflects the topic and questions of the thesis
• Introduction - A brief explanation of the topic and the questions, plus some sentences on the motivation
• Literature review - What do we know about the topic already? What are the gaps?
• Research questions - Motivated by the literature review, what are the questions that you ask in this project?
• Theory - What are the key theoretical perspectives and approaches in your project?
• Research strategy, methods and data - What kind of data will you collect/use, and how do you plan to analyze the data?
• Financing - if relevant. Progress plan - A timetable for the project.
• References - A preliminary reference list.

The research design should be around three pages. Supervisors are assigned based on the research design.