Table of contents

The course is connected to the following study programs

Teaching language

English

Prerequisites

Students must have a minimum of 60 ECTS credits including at least one theory/methods course in English at master's level (EN-454/EN-455) in order to submit their thesis. 30 ECTS credits must be within the same area of specialization as the master's thesis (literature/culture or linguistics).

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the master's thesis, students have

  • detailed insight into scholarly literary or linguistic research methods, relevant literary or linguistic theory, and thorough knowledge of the field of research related to the master's thesis
  • specialized knowledge of the topic of the master's thesis

Upon successful completion of the master's thesis students are able to

  • work independently with academic issues
  • apply problem-oriented, methodological and theoretically mature approaches to the research
  • compose academic texts using the conventions of the appropriate academic field
  • critically evaluate arguments and assess the relevance and criteria of quality.
  • engage productively in academic discussions

General competence:

Upon successful completion of the master's thesis, students can

  • communicate the nature of the research project and its findings to others in a clear, concise academic style

Contents

The master's thesis is approx. 30.000 words in length and is based on independent research and writing on a topic either dealing with English literature or linguistics. The project is to be an analytical investigation of a literary or linguistic topic, involving a critical assessment of relevant sources. Students may choose an experimental linguistic topic, involving the collection and interpretation of a novel dataset. We encourage thesis topics that are related to one of the courses in the master's programme or research areas of the teaching staff.

The master's thesis (EN-500) spans over three semesters starting in the second half of semester 2. In addition to two 10 credit courses, students attend a writing seminar. The aim of the writing seminar is to help students find their topics, and relevant literature, culminating in an abstract and literature list on their project. In semester 3, students take one 10 credit course alongside EN-500. Semester 4 is solely dedicated to EN-500 and finishing up the master's thesis.

Teaching and learning methods

There are compulsory individual tutorials (approximately 15 hours) and an obligatory poster session in the autumn as well as a writing seminar in the spring (semester 2). In addition, there is a round table feedback seminar offered early in the spring. Estimated workload: Approximately 1620 hours.

Examination requirements

Compulsory individual tutorials (approximately 15 hours), participation in the writing seminar (semester 2) which includes the completion of an obligatory project abstract and participation in the poster session. Formal supervision of the thesis starts after a project description has been handed in and approved of. All courses must be successfully completed before final submission of the master's thesis for assessment.

Examinations

The master's thesis is marked separately, and a graded assessment is given. An oral examination will take place after the thesis has been assessed and received a passing grade. In the oral exam, the candidate gives a short presentation of the argumentation of the master's thesis, and this is followed by a discussion of the topic with an internal and external examiner. The duration of the oral exam is approximately 45 minutes. The oral exam may adjust the grade given for the thesis by one grade.

Student evaluation

The study programme manager, 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.
Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 15, 2026 1:29:41 PM