ME-519 Master's Thesis in Specialised Nursing; Major in Anaesthesia-, Intensive Care-, Theatre- or Paediatric Nursing

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Master's Programme in Advanced Practice Nursing

Teaching language

This course is taught in Norwegian and an English translation of the course description is not available.

Prerequisites

ME-421 Theory of Science, 10 credits

ME-422 Research Methods, Design and Analysis, 10 credits

Course contents

Topic/ time for selection: The Master's thesis is a central part of the study programme and makes up an independent scientific piece of work in the chosen major. The topic and research question must be within the academic areas of specialised nursing and be connected to the nurse's areas of functionality and responsiblity. Students can decide on the topic as early as the first semester.

The master's thesis may be completed individually or in groups of up to three students.

Type, length, and kind of assignment: The master´s thesis must be presented as either a) a monograph or b) an article based master´s thesis. The article must be ready for submission to an international scientific journal with peer review. In addition to the article, a chapter containing elaboration in accordance with the requirements in the master's handbook must be submitted.

Two parts are usually included in the master's thesis: 1) an empirical part and 2) a part which further explains the methodological and theoretical parts that form the foundation of the empirical study.

If the article based master`s thesis is chosen, the additional chapter must be between 5,000-7,000 words. The monograph must be between 15,000-20,000 words. See course brochure for more details.

The master´s thesis may consist of a free-standing piece of work or form a limited but independent part of an ongoing research project. The master´s thesis must be an individual piece of work. The assignment may be written in a Scandinavian language or in English.

Students are expected to develop a thorough project description for the master´s thesis. The project description must be approved by the supervisor. Please refer to the master's handbook for further details.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the master's thesis, students will be able to document their understanding of central research principles and demonstrate the ability to systematically and critically analyse issues and data. Students will be able to give an instructive, clear and precise written and oral presentation of their subject area.

Students will:

Knowledge

• • demonstrate up-to-date theoretical knowledge in the master's thesis subject

Skills

• be able to apply relevant methods to assure the quality of the collection and treatment of data connected to the current research in the master's thesis

• be able to contribute to innovation in research in specialised nursing with a major in anaesthesia, pediatric care, intensive care or theatre nursing (Master's handbook)

General competence

• • be able to explain and relate critically to the methodological challenges and scientific-theoretical issues connected to the research performed by the student

Examination requirements

• Approved project description

• Complied with attendance requirements at compulsory seminars and supervision

• Passed all previous courses in the programme

For details see the faculty's guidelines.

Teaching methods

Individual supervision is a compulsory part of the master´s thesis and must be planned so that the student is in contact with his/her supervisor during all stages of the research process.

Throughout the work with the master´s thesis the student will participate in seminars with three compuslsory presentations. Ten hours of supervision is compulsory. Parts of the supervision can be done in groups. A supervision contract will be signed with the faculty.

Evaluation

The person responsible for the course, in consultation with the student representative, decides the method of evaluation and whether the courses will have a midterm- or end of term evaluation, see also the Quality System, section 4.1. Information about evaluation method for the course will be posted on Canvas.

Assessment methods and criteria

The master´s thesis including an oral examination will be graded. The student receives a grade on the master´s thesis. This grade may be adjusted one grade up or down depending on the oral presentation and discussion about the thesis. During the oral examination the student will initially give a brief presentation of the master´s thesis. The rest of the time should be spent on a discussion about the master´s thesis including for instance the strong and weak sides of the work at hand. The duration of the oral examination will be approximately one hour including for instance 20-30 minutes of presentation and 30-40 minutes of discussion.

For more details see the faculty´s guidelines for the master´s thesis.