Guidelines for Master's thesis at VID

Adopted by the Rector on 25 June 2018. Revised and adopted by the Prorector for Education on 20 April 2023 and 30 June 2026.

Purpose and content of the Master’s thesis

These guidelines clarify the common framework that is applicable to all Master’s theses at VID Specialized University (VID).

The Master’s thesis must be an independent academic work of relevance to the discipline in question. It may be based on an empirical survey or can take the form of a theoretical work.

Scope and form of the Master’s thesis

Master’s theses at VID are worth 30 or 45 ECTS credits. Word limit requirements depend on the number of credits that are given.

For 30 credits, the word limit is 24,000 +/- 10 per cent.
For 45 credits, the limit is 28,000 words +/- 10 per cent.

Some Master’s degree programmes permit two or more students to write the thesis together. In such cases, the word limit may be increased by up to 2,000 words for each additional student beyond the first. If the thesis is to exceed this limit, prior written approval must be obtained from the dean of the relevant study programme. Where an increase in length has been granted, the dean may adjust the examiner’s fee.

Each study programme can decide whether to hold an oral defence, which may result in a grade adjustment, in addition to the assessment of the written work. This will be indicated in the programme description.

Some Master’s degree programmes allow parts of the thesis to take the form of a scientific article. The article must meet the requirements for submission to a specified peer-reviewed journal. In addition to the scientific article, a supplementary text of 7,500 words +/- 10 per cent with substantial, thematic or methodological content needs to be submitted.

All variants of the Master’s thesis must include a summary/abstract of up to 400 words, giving brief details of the research question, method, findings, discussion and conclusion. The abstract must also be translated into English. Immediately following the abstract, at least four keywords must be given in Norwegian and English.

The cover page, preface, table of contents, abstract, keywords, footnotes/endnotes, list of references, tables, appendices and acknowledgements are not included in the word count.

Ethical and legal considerations

Ethical assessments are central to all Master’s theses. Students must familiarize themselves with the Norwegian Act on Ethics and Integrity in Research and the guidelines that apply to their field of study and ensure that the project is conducted in accordance with these. The supervisor is responsible for raising research ethics issues with the student upon approval of the project description and during supervision sessions. Artificial intelligence, use of sources and citation practices must also be addressed.

Students who process personal data must acquaint themselves with VID’s procedures for handling personal data in research and student papers.

The supervisor serves as the project manager for student papers and is responsible for ensuring that procedures and legislation are followed.

The supervisor shall, together with the student, assess whether it is necessary to collect personal data and, if so, what data need to be collected based on the purpose of the thesis, and whether the thesis must be reported to the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research (Sikt). The student shall submit the notification form to Sikt once it has been approved by the supervisor.

The supervisor named in the notification form automatically receives an invitation to the project when the notification form is submitted to Sikt.
The supervisor must respond to the invitation by clicking the link and logging in.
The supervisor will be granted administrative rights for the project, i.e. access to edit and submit the notification form, communicate through the messaging function, and create new notification forms and data management plans.
The supervisor and the student are jointly responsible for ensuring that the project is formally closed in Sikt.

Master's students whose theses involve the processing of personal data for medical and health research under the Health Research Act must submit an application to the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK). The application must be submitted by the supervisor. REK may require the project leader to have specific academic and scientific qualifications. As a general rule, students should avoid choosing thesis topics and research questions that require REK approval.

All documents submitted to external organizations, such as notification forms to Sikt, requests for access to research sites, participant recruitment documents and similar, must be approved in writing by the supervisor and archived in VID’s records management system.

Master’s thesis supervision

The student is entitled to supervision for the Master’s thesis. A supervision contract will be entered into to clarify the tasks, responsibilities and rights of the student, supervisor and VID. The content and design of the contract will vary according to subject area. The contract is signed by the student and the main supervisor once the supervision begins and shall be archived in VID’s records management system.

The student is entitled to 12 hours of supervision, of which up to 6 hours may be designated as compulsory. Any compulsory supervision shall be specified in the programme description. Supervision sessions can be held for individual students or for groups, including for the compulsory sessions. Students are expected to provide material for discussion prior to the session.

Students who have been granted a deadline extension for their thesis due to approved absence or withdrawal from an exam will not receive extra supervision beyond the stipulated number of hours. Supervision is not normally provided where students want to improve their grade.

Students who are given a fail (F), are entitled to 6 extra hours of supervision. A new supervisor may be appointed.

Submission

The front cover of the thesis must contain the following information: title, subtitle where relevant, the student’s name, the university and campus, programme of study, number of words and submission deadline. VID’s front cover template for Master’s theses must be used for submission.

The student must confirm agreement with a compulsory declaration when submitting the Master’s thesis digitally. By confirming the declaration, the student agrees to familiarize him/herself with VID’s guidelines on plagiarism and cheating, including the illegal use of AI, and confirms that the thesis is in accordance with these provisions.

Assessment of thesis

Two examiners will assess the Master’s thesis; one internal examiner and one external examiner. See Section 11-7 of the Universities and University Colleges Act. The supervisor cannot normally act as the internal examiner.

Explanation of grades and appeals

The procedure for obtaining an explanation of and appealing a grade is described on My Page.

Deferred examination and grade improvement

In the event of a deferred examination or the desire to improve a grade, VID’s regulation relating to admissions, studies, examinations and degrees applies.

Upon resubmission of a Master’s thesis in the event of a fail (F), students can resubmit either a revised work or a new thesis on a different topic.

Students who wish to improve their grade must submit a revised version of the thesis on their second attempt.

For third attempts, students must submit a thesis based on a new topic and research question. This applies both to students who have received a fail grade (F) and to students seeking to improve their grade.

Academic misconduct in the Master’s thesis

The master’s thesis is an assessed examination, and academic misconduct in relation to the thesis is governed by Section 12-4 of the Universities and University Colleges Act of 8 March 2024 and the Guidelines for Dealing with Cheating or Attempted Cheating at VID Specialized University.

Where a student’s examination/thesis is annulled due to academic misconduct on the first and/or second attempt, the student must submit a thesis based on a new topic and research question on the second and/or third attempt. The student is entitled to 12 hours of supervision, 6 of which are compulsory.

If a student’s examination/thesis is annulled due to academic misconduct at the first attempt and the student subsequently receives a fail grade at the second attempt, the student must, for the third attempt, either submit a revised version of the thesis or a new thesis on a different topic. The student is entitled to a further 6 hours of supervision for the third submission.

Availability in the Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA)

An electronic version of the thesis can be stored in the Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA) if it has been awarded a grade of A–C. The student retains the copyright to the thesis and may choose not to have it made publicly accessible in NVA. Consent is given by selecting the relevant option when submitting the thesis digitally.