SNE4390 – Master’s Thesis
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The Master thesis is a scientific work relevant to the special education field. The work includes planning and implementing a research and reporting of this through a thesis in which the student shows insight into current research, theory and methods of relevance to the thesis.
The task may include an empirical study or be a purely theoretical work. The thesis can also be linked to professional development and / or an evaluation project.
On our website for master`s theses you may find tips and formal requirements for the thesis, information about data management, supervision, submission and grading.
Learning outcome
Knowledge:
Knowledge about planning, implementation and documentation of an independent research work
Skills:
Skills in carrying out an independent research work in the form of a thesis.
Competence:
Competence in making a critical assessment of quality, validity and relevance of research works.
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.
This course is not available for single course students.
Only students admitted to the master`s programme in Special Needs Education may attend this course, and have to register for examination in Studentweb to be able to submit the Master`s thesis.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
You must have completed all other courses in the programme in order to receive supervision and hand in your thesis.
- SNE4110 – Education for All
- SNE4120 – Towards Inclusive Education
- SNE4130 – Historical and Sociocultural Perspectives on Learning and Development
- SNE4200 – Education for Learners with Special Needs
- SNE4310 – Counselling and Innovation
- SNE4231 – Research Methodology
Teaching
Obligatory components
This course has three obligatory components
- Participation in the Research seminar
- Research proposal
- Course in privacy protection
The obligatory components must be formally approved in order to be assigned a supervisor and submit the thesis.
Research seminar and research proposal:
In the third semester of the master`s programme you participate in a seminar in which you develop a research proposal which forms the basis of the Master`s Thesis. Attendance at the research seminar is compulsory.
An approved research proposal is valid for three years. If you are delayed with your theses and your project proposals is more than 3 years old, you must submit an updated research proposals for approval before you can submit your Master Thesis. Contact the department administration if this applies to you.
Course in privacy protection:
The course in privacy protection is an e-learning course completed in Canvas
Supervision:
In the final semester of the master`s programme, you will have an academic supervisor to help and guide you through your work on the Master`s Thesis. The supervisor is appointed by the Department, and the formal assignment of supervisors takes place at the end of the third semester of the master`s programme, after completion of the Master`s Thesis seminar. You will receive up to 10 hours of supervision. Supervision is compulsory.
Examination
The exam is the submission of the Master`s Thesis.
The master’s thesis can be submitted in two different formats.
- In the traditional format - as a monograph
- As an article-based master`s thesis consisting of an extended summary and an article manuscript
The choice of thesis format is determined in collaboration with the supervisor.
The requirements for the content and format of the master’s thesis are defined in separate guidelines. Students on the subject are obliged to familiarize themselves with the guidelines.
Submission
The submission of the Master`s Thesis is electronic. The Master's Thesis is to be submitted as?identical pdf-files in Inspera and Studentweb. You do not need to submit a printed copy of your thesis.
Assessment and grading
The examination committee consist of two examiners, at least one of whom must be an external examiner. The candidate’s supervisor cannot be one of these persons. The Master`s Thesis is assessed against the criteria defined in the assessment guidelines. The examination committee must reach a consensus regarding the grade. In the case of disagreement, a new examination committee should be appointed.
Grading deadline
The grading deadline for master`s theses is 8 weeks. A written explanation of the grade will be published together with the grade in Studentweb on the date of the deadline.
Language of examination
The Master`s Thesis must be written in English.
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.
Resit an examination
A master’s thesis that is not passed may be resubmitted only once, and then within the agreed time and in reworked form. The reworked master`s thesis must be resubmitted within a year from the original date of submission.
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.