Preparations for the completion of the master's program
- No later than 2 weeks before the student's deadline, the main supervisor must inform the study administration about the date and time for the master exam, and send the names of the external and internal examiners to studieinfo@ibv.uio.no.
- Note that the external examiners cannot have been employed by UiO in the last two years.
- The external examiner should normally participate on Zoom if the travel necessitates an overnight stay, or air travel is required, in which case an exception must be applied for by sending a online form.
- The study administration can book a room for the defense, publish the time and place of the defense, prepare the defense protocol and send information to supervisors, examiners and candidates in good time before the exam. The study administration will also download a copy of the thesis from Inspera and send it to the examiners.
- No later than two working days before the defense, the internal censor must contact the external censor to determine if the thesis has been given a passing grade.
Timing of master’s defense
- Final presentation and examination (the defense) must be be 3 - 6 weeks after submission of the thesis.
Defense day
After submission of the master's thesis, the master's program concludes with a final presentation and examination (defense). The grade is determined by an exam commission consisting of an external and an internal examiner with input from supervisor(s). The external examiner, the internal examiner and the supervisor(s) will bring a pre-filled assessment form for examiner and supervisor evaluation form.
1. Preparatory Meeting
The examiners and supervisor(s) meet. The supervisor(s) have completed a supervisor’s evaluation form, and will inform the examiners about the student’s work, effort and independence during the course of the Master's program. This meeting usually lasts approx. 30-45 minutes.
2. Presentation
The student will hold a presentation where they give an overview of their master's thesis. The presentation should last around 30 minutes and is open to the public.
3. Examination
The examiners then examine the student on the master's thesis. The supervisor(s) must be present. This section usually lasts for 60 - 90 minutes.
4. Final meeting
The student shall be offered a conversation with the examiners without the supervisors present.
5. Examiners meeting
The examiners have with them their completed assessment forms. The examiners determine the grade of the written work, and the total grade of the student's degree. (It is the total grade that appears on the student's diploma.)
6. Announcement of grades
After the examiners have agreed on the overall grade, the student and supervisor(s) will be called back into the room. One of the examiners (usually the external examiner) will give a short oral explanation for the two grades .
The final meeting, censor meeting and announcement of grades will normally last approximately 20 - 30 minutes.
7. About examiners and appeals
There is a grade on the written work and a total grade. The candidate is only entitled to appeal the written grade.
After completing the exam, the internal examiner must return the defense protocol to the study administration, studieinfo@ibv.uio.no.
Students only have the opportunity to complain about the grading of answers that are verifiable, i.e. the grade of the written work. Supervisors are asked to take care of their assessment forms in case the presentation and examination have to be carried out again. In the event of an appeal, an appeals commission with two new examiners will be appointed. If an appeals commission changes the grade for the master's thesis, a new oral presentation and examination will be held for the new commission.