Master's thesis

Knowledge

• Deep understanding of the anthropological research process
• Experience-based knowledge
• You will learn how your own data, collected during fieldwork, can be connected to analytical issues within social anthropological theory, and can be put in a comparative perspective.
• You will be able to apply and reflect on key methodological and theoretical tools that allow you to analyze different types of data

Skills

• To complete and present an independent scientific work in an ethically sound manner
• Integration of your own research with the standards of scientific and analytical thought - i.e. you will be able to present your thesis results in a way that meets scientific criteria
• Analyze, disseminate and present social and cultural phenomena in solid written form
• You will learn how to find and put into context relevant literature
• Through the work on your thesis, you will acquire dissemination skills

General competence

• Learn to respect scientific values, such as openness, rationality and precision and will learn to distinguish between research-based knowledge, the importance of analytical model choices, practice-based knowledge and "perception"
• Gain ethical awareness concerning the various problems that may arise during research and the writing up of research results
• Learn how to adhere to the principles of academic honesty, integrity, and responsibility when it comes to your research and to other professional work

Students must be enrolled in the master’s programme in Social Anthropology.

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.

There is no teaching offered in this course, but you will receive a defined number of sessions of individual supervision when writing your master's thesis. See Guidelines for Supervision and Suggestions for initial supervision meeting.

The master's thesis will be produced during the 2nd half of semester 3 and the whole of semester 4 - i.e. the writing will start after you return from the field in semester 3 (autumn semester), with the exam taking place late in semester 4 (spring semester).

Compulsory activity:

• Students in their final semester must fill in and submit a reporting form. This web form is not used to register for the exam. You must already be registered for the course and the exam in Studentweb to submit your master's thesis. The department uses the reporting form to prepare for the upcoming written and oral exams. The deadline for handing in the form is announced in Canvas. The submission deadline is in February/March in the spring semester and in September/October in the autumn semester.

Submission of the reporting form will be assessed as Approved/Not approved. This compulsory activity must be approved in order to take the exam.

In the event of illness or other valid reasons, you can apply for a valid postponement of compulsory activity. Apply for valid absence from or need for postponement of compulsory activity

Examination:

The final master's degree exam consists of a master's thesis and an oral examination.

In the spring semester the deadline for submission of master's theses is usually in May. Most oral exams will take place in June, and some in August. In the autumn semester the submission deadline is usually in November with oral exams in December and January.

The master’s thesis and the oral exam are assessed by an examination committee consisting of two examiners, and at least one of them will be external, i.e. not hold a position at the University of Oslo.

As soon as possible after the submission, and minimum seven days before the oral exam, you will be notified of the time and place for the oral exam, as well as who the examiners are.

The master's thesis:

The scope of the master's thesis is 35 000 words +/- 10 percent.

Included in the word count:

• Front page
• Abstract
• Table of contents
• Footnotes

Optional to include in the thesis, but will be included in the word count:

• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• List of figures, maps etc. after the table of contents
• Abbreviations after the table of contents

In addition to the word count:

• Reference list
• Appendices

In addition to submitting the master's thesis you are to submit a separate summary of the thesis. The summary must be identical to the abstract in the thesis. The summary (approximately 300 words) must be pasted into Inspera as part of your exam.

• Standard for the thesis
• Examiner guidelines

Sources and citation:

You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the Use of sources and citations at UiO and Sources and referencing at the Faculty of Social Sciences. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.

You must choose one reference style and use it consistently throughout the thesis.Follow the instructions on how to cite: Referencing and Sources and referencing.

Front page:

Front page example

Template for front page

Submission of the master's thesis:

• How to submit and print your thesis
• Postponed submission of the master's thesis

The oral examination:

The oral examination will only be held if the master's thesis receives a passing grade.

Remember to bring your identification to the oral exam. Student ID, passport, driver’s license and Norwegian ID-card are all valid forms of identification.

Before the oral exam, the examiners hold a pre-examination meeting where the supervisor is present to clarify ambiguities and answer questions the examiners may have. The supervisor leaves the meeting before the provisional grade on the master's thesis is determined. The supervisor does not attend the oral exam.

The examiners will inform you of the provisional grade for the master's thesis and give an explanation for it when you present yourself for the oral exam. You can choose not to be informed about the provisional grade until after the oral exam is completed.

The oral exam lasts for about an hour and usually takes place right after the pre-examination meeting:

• The oral exam consists of a conversation between you and the two examiners about the submitted thesis.
• The examiners may raise all kinds of questions linked to the thesis and its generation. For example, they may ask questions about the use of analytical perspectives, the argument, the thesis' structure, specific research findings, the fieldwork or the data production, and about issues tied to research ethics.
• You are not to give a prepared presentation of the thesis.
• You should bring a copy of the thesis to the exam, and may take notes should you wish to do so.

Your performance in the oral exam may be used to adjust the final grade. The final grade can differ no more than one grade from the provisional grade for the master's thesis; You can either keep the grade, get one grade lower or one grade higher. The committee will inform you of your final grade immediately after the oral exam.

Only the final grade will appear on your master's diploma.

Diploma:

When you have completed the study programme, your digital diploma is issued automatically after a few weeks. More information on digital diploma, diploma on paper, diploma supplement, urgent issuing of diploma, and diploma with improved grades.

A master’s thesis that is not passed may be resubmitted only once, and then within the agreed time and in revised form. A master’s thesis that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.

If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

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.

Also see Grading guidelines in social anthropology

Explanations and appeals:

During the oral exam the examiners give an explanation for the preliminary grade and present their evaluation of your master's thesis. No additional explanation will be given.

You can appeal against the grade awarded for the master's thesis.You cannot appeal against the adjusted grade on the oral examination.

• Appeal against grades at UiO

Two new examiners will reassess the thesis if you appeal. You will get a new oral exam if the new grade differs from the original preliminary grade awarded for the thesis. If the new result does not differ, there will be no new oral exam.

You may write your master's thesis in English, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish .

The oral exam will be in English or Norwegian. The department will strive to accommodate language preferences, but if you have written your thesis in English, your examiners may be English-speaking.