Master's Thesis in Psychology

Postgraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

This Master's thesis shall provide students with a deeper insight into theory and empiricism in a defined field by engaging in practical research. The thesis shall develop the abilities of students to deal critically with defined problems by employing scientific methods. Students writing a 30-credit Master's thesis are encouraged to make use of existing data obtained from the activities of their research group. They are required to produce a written presentation in line with the APA standards.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the course candidates shall be able to:

Knowledge

  • Analyse the relationship between subjects, research issues and research design.
  • Choose adequate research design based on approaches to problems and framework factors such as time and the financial situation.
  • Demonstrate broad, in-depth knowledge about their subject area.

Skills:

  • Provide a clear, precise written presentation of their research work.
  • Assess and explain their use of research design.
  • Demonstrate the correct development of a scientific work in accordance with APA standards, the correct use of sources, the correct presentation of references and the use of relevant literature databases.

General expertise

  • Reflect on the role of researchers in respect of collecting and using data.
  • Reflect on ethical conditions in respect of using and interpreting their own data, sources and quotations.
  • Reflect on the authorship and co-authorship of scientific work.

Semester of Instruction

Spring
Teaching and learning methods

Master's theses shall be written in line with the APA standards (A4, 1.5 line spacing, left, top and bottom margins of at least 2.5 cm), excluding the reference list and appendix. They shall consist of 40-50 pages of text (as a guide). Unlike the format used for articles, theses shall have an introduction which contains a broader review of the literature and a more comprehensive presentation of the background and problems involved. The discussion shall also be more detailed than that commonly used in the format for articles. The other parts of the thesis shall comply with the APA standards, i.e. there shall be a summary in Norwegian and English, each consisting of approx. 200 words. MA theses can also be written in English.

As a general rule students shall write their Master's theses in pairs. Their supervision is regulated by a more specific supervision agreement. Some supervision can be provided in groups. The deadline for submitting the Supervision Agreement contract is 15 October for students who start working on their Master's thesis during the autumn semester, and 15 March for students who start work on their Master's thesis during the spring semester.

When there is more than one author, the authors shall contribute equally to the work involved.

Students who have been accepted for a 30-credit Master's thesis and who will be travelling abroad must sign a supervision agreement and obtain their supervisor's approval for their work plans.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
Supervision contract
Forms of Assessment

The master's thesis must be written in line with the APA standard, with either one and a half or double line spacing and with figures and tables in the text rather than at the end. The length of the assignment must be between 12,000 and 16,000 words (preface, summary, reference list and appendix come in addition).

The examiner will consider the degree of independent work and collaboration with fellow students. The master's thesis will be assessed based on scientific criteria and degree of independent work. Students writing a thesis together will get a joint grade.

Grading Scale
The grading scale used is A to F.
Reading List
Does not apply
Course Evaluation
Students shall assess their tuition in accordance with the UiB's quality assurance system.