1. Last updated February 20th

2. Please note: Grading criteria defined for each thesis element
Preliminary thesis report – «pass» on this element does not mean E
Failing the PTR means the students cannot deliver their final thesis until December 1st, and they will miss graduation.
Elements are weighted differently then before:
Thesis proposal – pass/fail
PTR – pass/fail
Final thesis – 100 %

3. The master thesis process – an overview
Semester
Thesis Seminars
Assessments
Other Activity
Seminar
Date
Assessment
Deadline 1
Thesis Seminar 1
September - 2
Thesis Seminar 2
February
Thesis Proposal
1 June
Supervisor Allocation
Thesis Seminar 3
April 3
Thesis Seminar 4 (online?)
August
Last deadline for changes: January 10th 4
(Thesis Seminar 5)
January/
Preliminary Thesis Report
15 January
Final Thesis
1 July

4. Hand in deadlines Normal BI student 1st June 15th January 1st July
Thesis Proposal, 2 semester
PTR, 4 semester
Final thesis, 4 Semester
Normal BI student
1st June
15th January
1st July
Outgoing DD
Incoming DD
Outgoing QTEM
Exchange 3 semester
Business Analytics
30th September
30th of September
15th February 15th January
Fail/ Retake
1st December
Postponement (Sickness)
15th February
If students have to retake or postpone the ‘thesis proposal’ until the 30th September, they can still deliver the PTR on January 15th
If students have to retake or postpone PTR until the June1st, they have to deliver their ‘final thesis’ on the December 1st.
If students due to sickness have to postpone PTR until the 15th of February, they can still deliver their ‘final thesis’ on the 1st of July.
If DD students apply before December 1st, they can have an extended deadline for PTR until 15th of February. No early grading on this. They can still deliver their final thesis on the 1st of July.

5. Thesis Proposal – Grading criteria
In order to pass the TP, each of the following elements must be included:
Identification of a specific and relevant problem/question to be investigated:
What do you want to investigate?
Why this is relevant and why does it interest you?
A list of some of the relevant references for your topic
A brief description of the research method with a tentative plan for data collection
A plan for the thesis process (including plan for supervision)
There may be different views on the relative importance across the four different elements listed above, or the specific content/scope within each element of a TP depending on your major / MSc programme. This also relate to the overall expected length of the document, varying from 2-3 to 4-5 pages. Consult with your supervisor before you submit your TP to ensure that you meet the existing expectations within your field of study. Your supervisor will evaluate the submitted TP.

6. Preliminary Thesis Report – Grading criteria
To pass the preliminary thesis report, the supervisor evaluates whether you are likely to submit a sufficient final master thesis by the 1st of July. The evaluation is based on minimum the following elements:
An introduction with a clear research question/problem
A literature review
The research methodology/design
A feasible plan for data collection and analyses, that also complies with legal and ethical regulations - NSD
Please consult your supervisor/Associate Dean/Academic coordinator to identify if other specific criteria regarding the content of your preliminary master thesis report apply within your programme/major, which also will be evaluated.

7. Final thesis - Grading criteria
Learning goals
Subskills
1. Students are able to identify and formulate academic topics and problems in the programme area
identify, and argue for, a specific and relevant problem/question
formulate problem/question
use subject-specific terminology & concepts
review and discuss academic literature
2.) Students are able to critically investigate theoretical approaches and methods and to select, justify, and apply an analytical framework that is adequate to the specific research question
select, justify and apply research design and methods
evaluate data quality
analyze and interpret data
draw conclusions from data and results
3.) Students are able to write and present a master’s thesis that meets the general academic standards of the study discipline
organize and carry out the research process
develop clear, logical and consistent structure
develop a logical, understandable, and structured line of argumentation
use correct language, terminology, formatting, citation rules and format
4.) Overall assessment
level of difficulty, originality and quality of the research / investigation
overall academic rigour per programme/major
implications (theoretical, practical and social) per programme/major F E D C B A
Not sufficient
Satisfactory
Sufficient
Good
Very good
Excellent

8. Deadlines for changes
Students can apply for change of supervisor, topic and groups until January 10th 4th semester
They must fill in and submit the online form
They must also attach an approvement by AD
Changes made after handing in PTR will be only be accepted in special circumstances

9. Q&A – to be continued…
Q: When is the last deadline for making changes (supervisor, partner, subject)? A:10th of January 4th semester
Q: If students want to make changes, is it enough to tell their supervisor/AD? A: No. They have to apply to the MSc administration (link), to make sure we keep track.
Q: Can AD/supervisor approve any other deadlines than the ones listed? A: No.
Q: What happens if students Fail the Thesis proposal? A: The following September 30th they can submit your proposal again.
Q: What happens if students fail the PTR? A: They cannot deliver the final thesis until December 1st, and miss graduation.
Last updated December 6th 2017