Master's Thesis in Earth Science
Postgraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 60
- Teaching semesters Autumn, Spring
- Course code
- GEOV399
- Number of semesters
- 2
- Teaching language
- Norwegian / English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
The master's thesis provides 60 credits and should be a documentation of the research part of the master's program in Earth sciences. The master's thesis is usually the student's first opportunity for independent, scientific authorship.
If you start the master's program in January, you must submit your master's thesis by November 15, two years later. If you start in August, the submission deadline is June 1, two years later.
Note: We will try to facilitate that all master's students can complete a master's thesis within the research field of their choice, but we would also like to inform you that each individual supervisor has limited capacity and we cannot guarantee this if many students want a thesis within the same research field.
At the master's program in Earth sciences you will delve into a topic within one of the research groups at the department:
- Geodynamics and Basin Studies
- Geochemistry and Geobiology
- Geophysics
- Quaternary Geology and Paleoclimate
By the course registration deadline, Wednesday in week 33 for the fall semester and Wednesday in week 2 for the spring semester, all students should have found a supervisor and which courses they will take in the first semester.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:
The student
- will develop professional expertise within their specialized field of study in earth science and gain specialized insight related to the topic of the master's thesis itself
Skills:
The student
- can acquire, analyze and use new knowledge within earth science
- can plan and carry out independent work in the lab/field/cruise under supervision and in line with applicable research ethical norms and rules for safety in the laboratory and in the field/cruise if necessary for the master's project
- can plan and carry out independent analysis work under supervision and in line with applicable research ethical norms and rules
- can evaluate their own and others' research results
- can communicate their own and others' research results both orally and in writing
General competence:
The student
- can evaluate sources, critical evaluation of professional literature and critical scientific thinking and works in line with scientific principles
- can reflect on relevant ethical and scientific issues in their own and others' work
- can present, orally and in writing, research results in the context of existing knowledge, also to non-specialists
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Semester of Instruction
Place of Instruction
Required Previous Knowledge
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Access to the Course
Teaching and learning methods
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
Forms of Assessment
After the master's thesis has been submitted and approved, the study programme concludes with an oral master's degree examination. This examination consists of a public presentation of around 30 minutes in which the student gives an overview of the thesis. Internal and external examiners, as well as supervisors, must be present at the public presentation. This is followed by an oral examination/discussion with examiners and supervisors about the thesis.
Before the presentation, a grade must be given to the thesis. The presentation, together with the subsequent oral examination/discussion, may be used to adjust the final grade for the thesis.