F230. Master s degree projects

(1)

Document: F230 Page:1 Version: 11/2015

F230

Master’s degree projects

Guidelines and rules on Master’s

theses at Bifröst University

MA/ML/MS degree theses

A Master’s thesis is an academic research thesis, which a Master’s student authors of his/her own accord and shall fulfil all standard requirements made to a final thesis at this University level. The purpose of a final thesis is to certify that a student is able to choose a topic, prepare and finish a project that has academic significance and which enhances the knowledge and ability of the student. A Master’s thesis is worth 30 ECTS credits. However, students may also apply to the head of department for permission to complete a thesis worth 60 ECTS credits. Permission will be granted if the academic scope of the intended project so requires and the student has previously demonstrated considerable research ability. This does not, however, apply to a Master’s thesis in the Department of Law, which shall always be worth 30 ECTS credis. The length of Master’s theses is dependent on the treatment of the subject in each individual case and shall be decided in consultation with the supervisor. However, as a rule, the text body of a thesis shall consist of 25,000-30,000 words (i.e. at the exclusion of the table of contents, summary, bibliography, and appendices). Students must allow for sufficient time to write a Master’s thesis, bearing in mind that two ECTS credits are considered to be equivalent to one week’s work.

A student who intends to begin work on his/her Master’s thesis should apply to do so on the University’s website prior to the advertised deadline (in the fall semester for the coming spring semester and vice versa). The topic of the thesis shall be stated in the application. The head of the department in question will review the application and appoint a supervisor in consultation with the student.

Responsibilities of students

Students are fully responsible for authoring a Master’s thesis. Even though they enjoy the guidance of a supervisor, independent work is requested from Master’s students. A student must show initiative in planning, in consultation with the supervisor, what form of supervision is most feasible. The student shall show initiative in reaching an agreement with the supervisor on the arrangement and time of interviews. In addition, the student shall show initiative in communicating with the supervisor. Students inform the supervisor on the progress of the project, and they shall jointly plan the student’s work between interviews and/or deadlines as applicable.

The student must respect all deadlines. Should a student fail to respect deadlines, the supervisor has the right to resign from his/her task as supervisor. Consequently, the student may have to commence work on the thesis from the very beginning with a new supervisor and pay the University for the credits again.

(2)

The role of supervisors

Supervisors in Master’s studies must hold at least a Master’s degree. They shall be recognised experts in the field in question.

The supervisor shall brief the student on the requirements made regarding Master’s theses, encourage him/her and support. The student is entitled to an interview with the supervisor in connection with the submission of a research plan, individual chapters/components, and final thesis. The supervisor shall give the student advise on, inter alia, the following items: the making of a research plan, the demarcation of the subject, the defining of objectives and research questions, the acquisition and processing of data, the presentation of the findings, and the finish and composition of the thesis in general. All communication in connection with a Master’s thesis, meetings, assistance, guidance, phone calls, e-mails etc. are considered interviews with a supervisor.

The supervisor shall give the student substantial comments within two weeks from the receipt of a research plan, interim submission, and final thesis. The Supervisor shall notify the student and Academic Services within two weeks as of the final submission to the supervisor if the paper shows considerable deficiencies, as to make it impossible for the student to make improvements in time for the final submission to the University Office.

Research plan and interim submission

Students construct a research plan in consultation with the supervisor. A student submits the research plan to the University’s learning management system. The supervisor submits a commentary on the research plan to the University’s learning management system within two weeks. There is no separate grade given for the research plan, but it must be approved by the supervisor. A student who has not handed in a research plan prior to the advertised deadline is considered to have withdrawn from the Master’s thesis for the respective semester.

The research plan shall generally include:

• Title page with the a working title, the student’s name and the name of department/line of study/school

• Description of the project and its background

• Research questions and objectives

• Purpose of the project and its practical/theoretical value

• Theoretical foundation, theories which act as a frame of reference

• Methods, academic methodology (e.g. data acquisition)

• Process schedule

• Table of contents draft

• Bibliography with a list of main sources to be used in the work process

(3)

Submission of Master’s theses

A student shall submit a final draft of the final thesis to the University’s learning management system four weeks in advance of the final submission to the University Office in order to have an opportunity to respond to any possible comments made by the supervisor. The supervisor submits a commentary on the draft within two weeks. The Supervisor shall notify the student and Academic Services within these two weeks if the paper suffers from considerable deficiencies, as to make it impossible for the student to make improvements in time for the final submission to the University Office. In this case, the student gets an opportunity to make improvements to the final thesis and resubmit it before the next deadline for final thesis submission (in the following semester) in case she/he has not already applied for a postponement of thesis submission. The same rules apply to this right of students to make improvements to their papers as to postponement, cf. below. To hand in a final thesis, the student requires the approval of his/her supervisor.If a supervisor is not willing to confirm that the paper meets standard requirements, the student may remit that decision to the Academic Council.

Along with the final submission to the University Office, the following documents shall be submittet:

• Copy of the final thesis in a PDF-format to the University’s learning management system

• Two printed copies of the final thesis to the University Office

• Statement on the treatment of final projects (to the University’s learning management

system)

• Thesis submission form noting key concepts and the title of the thesis in English (to the University’s learning management system)

• Turnitin originality report (to the University’s learning management system)

Master’s thesis defence

Master’s theses are defended before a thesis evaluation committee consisting of an examiner and the supervisor. The thesis evaluation committee shall jointly grade the thesis. Master’s defences are planned following the submission. They generally take place in January for papers submitted during the fall semester and in May for papers submitted during the spring semester. The examiner shall be an expert in the respective field and at least hold a Master’s degree. In case the supervisor is a member of the University staff, the examiner shall be an external specialist; vice versa, if the supervisor is an external specialist, the examiner shall be permanent member of the University staff.

An examiner shall write a commentary on the Master’s thesis and submit it, along with a suggestion on a grade, to the supervisor and the administrator of final theses one week prior to the defence, at the latest.

Should the examiner come to the conclusion prior to the defence that the project does not meet standard thesis requirements, the student is given an opportunity to make improvements to the thesis and the defence is postponed to the extent feasible. If a thesis project does not, following

(4)

Document: F230 Page:4 Version: 11/2015 these improvements, meet the examiner’s requirements or if flaws in the project emerge in the course of the defence that prevent it from meeting these requirements, the student must complete another thesis with a new supervisor and pay for the credits again.

Examiner and supervisor shall meet before the commencing of the defence and consult on the implementation of the defence, on questions to be put to the student, and on evaluation. A decision on the final grade is reached following the defence, because the student’s performance in the defence is a part of the evaluation.

Master’s degree defences are closed. The defence shall be a maximum of one hour in duration and takes place as follows. It commences with the student’s commentary on his/her thesis, which shall be at the most 15 minutes in duration. After that the examiner (and, as the case may be, the supervisor) puts questions to the student, and s/he get an opportunity to answer them and give arguments for individual issues which seem unclear to the examiner. The supervisor functions as a moderator during the defence and ensures that both the student and the examiner get an opportunity to state their viewpoints. After this, the student leaves the room while the examiner and the supervisor reach an agreement on the grade. Subsequently, the decision of the examiner and the supervisor is made known to the student. This decision is final and cannot be appealed. Two days after the defence, at the latest, the student receives a written commentary along with a final grade for the Master’s thesis. The supervisor is responsible for the submission of this data to the University’s learning management system.

After the defence, the examiner and the supervisor may request the student to make improvements on his/her thesis, with which the student shall comply. However, such improvements cannot have any effects on the final grade.

No later than a week after the posting of the final grade, students shall submit a final electronic copy of the final thesis to the website Skemman, a digital repository of academic and research documents, and send a conformation thereof to Academic Services. Submission to Skemman is a prerequisite for graduation. In accordance with the policy of Bifröst University on the open access to academic material, final theses shall be open in Skemman unless there is a compelling reason. However, the access to a final thesis may not be restricted for an indefinite time, so a date of disclosure must be specified.

On thesis drafts evaluated for credits

A thesis draft may be evaluated as being worth 18 ECTS credits per semester. The research plan handed in by the student comprises the first six ECTS credits. The supervisor confirms this in writing to the administrator of final theses, and consequently, these credits are registered as completed in the student’s study register. In order to be able to assess a thesis component as being worth more than six ECTS, the student must in addition have handed in material that in the supervisor’s opinion meets standard requirements in the respective field. The supervisor must confirm this by filling out a special form, which can be obtained from Academic Services.

(5)

Postponement of thesis submission

Should a student foresee that s/he will not be able to hand in the Master’s thesis in time before the advertised deadline, s/he must notify the administrator for final theses prior to the deadline. A student who fails to hand in a Master’s thesis before the stipulated deadline without notifying the administrator for final theses is considered to have failed the course and shall pay a fee in full if s/he applies again for writing a Master’s thesis.

At the most, a student may postpone the submission of a Master’s thesis for two semester (summer semester not included) as of the registration in the course. Should the student fail to hand in the thesis within this time limit, s/he shall pay again for a third of the credits the thesis is worth. This thesis fee is collected when a student applies for a registration in a Master’s thesis course anew, but a student who postpones the submission of a thesis is responsible for his/her registration in a Master’s thesis course and must contact Academic Services at the beginning of the semester. The student’s supervisor must also notify Academic Services in writing about the student’s permission to continue work on the same thesis.

The student is entirely responsible for postponing the submission of the Master’s thesis. If the appointed supervisor is not able to continue supervising the student following the postponement, the student shall pay the aforementioned fee, even though the postponement takes place within two semester as of the commencement of the registration period.

Any possible credit balance in connection with registration fees, which might belong to a student, becomes void after three years in accordance with the University’s rules thereon. Should a student not have submitted a Master’s thesis within three years, she/he must pay in full for the Master’s thesis credits.

Finishing of a Master’s theses

Emphasis shall be placed on sound practice respecting all matters of finishing. Bifröst University rules apply to the treatment of source material, but special care must be taken in the compilation of the bibliography. Inadequacy in the treatment of sources, plagiarism, the presentation of a third party’s material as if it were one’s own, and falsification of any kind may lead to expulsion pursuant to the Bifröst University Regulations.

The following applies to the layout of final theses:

• Final theses shall be orderly laid out in a computer using a purpose-made template downloadable from the University’s website, with the paper size set to A4.

• The typeface used shall be clear and legible, e.g. 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Arial, or some comparable type.

• The line spacing shall as a rule be 1 ½.

• The page number shall come in the footer of the page.

For the purpose of elucidation, a Master’s thesis shall include the following components:

• Front page

(6)

• Confirmation form (on the University’s website)

• Agreement of confidentiality (if relevant)

• Title page (same information as on Front page plus a line for the University’s stamp)

• Summary (a brief account of key concepts, hypotheses, and methods applied, as well as of the execution of the research, if relevant. An outline given of main conclusions and a possible interpretation – approximately 240 words at the most)

• Summary in English

• Preface, signed by the student, including information on the thesis’ worth in ECTS credits and the name of the supervisor.

• Table of contents

• List of graphs/tables, if applicable.

• Introduction: Includes the demarcation of the subject matter, its purpose, and value. The author explains which methods she/he applies and argues for the approach taken.

• Body text: The subject of the thesis and relevant ideas and theories are explained and discussed (and broken up in chapters in a reasonable manner).

• Summation and conclusions: In the conclusion the main points are summed up and results expounded.

• Bibliography

• List of interviews and informants, if applicable.

• Flyleaf

• Back page

(7)

Document: F230 Page:7 Version: 11/2015 Appendix 1 - A frame of reference for the evaluation of theses

Grades for Master’s theses at Bifröst University:

10 for an excellent thesis, which bears witness to creative and critical thought as well as intuition. This grade is awarded only for peerless performance.

9 – 9.5 for excellent understanding and ability, excellent use of theory and theoretical foundations, a clear academic or professional contribution and an aspect of novelty.

8 – 8.5 for very good knowledge and understanding of theory and professional criteria, clear discussion, and a perceptible academic contribution.

7 – 7.5 for solid knowledge of the subject, ability to use and work with theory, a clear perspective on the subject matter and its academic and professional basis.

5.5 – 6.5 for a fair knowledge of the basics, some degree of knowledge of theory and theoretical foundations, an endeavour to discuss a subject in a critical and independent manner.

5 for a minimum knowledge of the basics, a minimum understanding of theory and academic criteria within the field.