FIL4091 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy
Course content
FIL4091 is composed of a Master`s thesis of 30 credits. The Master`s thesis is expected to be based on the knowledge acquired through prior courses in philosophy or on a topic you have chosen in the first semester of the programme. You may freely choose your own essay statement, given that competent supervision may be offered within the bounds of the programme’s available resources. The thesis should be of about 25-50 pages (each page of about 2300 characters).
Learning outcome
- to define a suitable essay statement
- to find, understand and critically relate to prior relevant research
- to analyze and argue in a clear and philosophical way
- to become familiar with the methodological and theoretical framework that is relevant to the thesis
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
FIL4081 – Philosophical Method and Practice.
Teaching
The teaching takes the form of individual supervision. You have the right to 9 hours of supervision.
More on the rights and duties of students and supervisor regarding the thesis supervision.
A supervisor will be assigned based the description of what you wish to write about that you submit in FIL4081 – Philosophical Method and Practice, which you are advised to take during the first semester of the programme.
FIL4091 has the following compulsory tuition activities:
- Around the middle of the spring semester, there will be a seminar where all students in their second semester present the project descriptions for their MA-thesis. A draft of the project description must be sent in before the seminar, while a final version is to be submitted afterwards. You work on your project description after you have been assigned a supervisor at the beginning of the second semester.
- A progress report is to be submitted at the end of your second semester. You will find more information about this here,
- A one or two days seminar (depending on the number of students) in the third semester where all students must present a part of their thesis and will recieve comments from fellow students.?
- A one or two days seminar in the fourth and final semester of the same format as the one in the third semester (for students enrolled in the programme fall 2023 and later).
Examination
The exam consists of:
- a Master`s Thesis (25-50 pages of 2300 characters, not counting the bibliography)
- an oral exam of 30 minutes
The oral exam usually takes place before the end of the semester. You will receive the summons to your oral exam through your e-mail account at UiO.
The deadlines for submitting your Master`s thesis are:
- 15. November in the autumn
- 15. May in the spring
It is however possible to submit Your essay until 15. December/15. June, but if you choose to do so your oral examination will most likely take place in January/August.
The deadlines for withdrawal of registration of examination are 1. December/1 June
NB: How to submit your Master`s thesis:
How to submit your Master`s thesis at IFIKK
Please note that you are required to submit:
- An electronic copy of the Master`s thesis to the University of Oslo library through DUO. Read more about the how to submit your thesis in DUO.
- A complete form for issuing a diploma. You may find the form on the faculty webpage concerning diplomas.
The Master`s thesis is usually evaluated by an internal lecturer (not the supervisor) and an external examiner. In certain cases, two external examiners may be summoned.
Before the oral exam, the examination committee gives the essay a preliminary grade. The candidate may ask for this preliminary grade on the day of the oral exam, before the exam begins. The oral exam may adjust the preliminary grade. A final grade is offered after an overall assessment and is announced to the candidate at the end of the exam.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.