Table of contents

The course is connected to the following study programs

Teaching language

English

Prerequisites

Students must have a minimum of 30 ECTS credits in English at master's level including at least one theory/methods course in English at master's level (EN-454-/EN-455) in order to submit their thesis. 20 ECTS credits must be within the same area of specialization as the master's thesis (literature/culture or linguistics). Students who would like to write a thesis on a culture topic, are required to take a course offered in this area.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge: Upon 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

Skills: 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

Contents

The master's thesis is based on independent research and writing on a topic dealing with English literature, culture, linguistics, or didactics. We encourage topics that are related to one of the courses in the English master's programme or research areas of the teaching staff.


The project is to be an analytical investigation of a topic, involving a critical assessment of relevant sources. Students may also choose an experimental linguistic topic offered by the Experimental Linguistic Laboratory, involving the collection and interpretation of a novel dataset.

Students work on their thesis during the third and fourth semesters. Students take two 10 credit courses in their third semester of the second cycle along with working on their thesis. The thesis should be approx. 20.000 words.

Teaching and learning methods

Individual tutorials, poster session and feedback seminar. Estimated workload: 1080 hours.

Examination requirements

Individual tutorials and participation in the poster session. Formal supervision of the thesis starts after a project description has been handed in and approved. The master's thesis may not be submitted for assessment until all courses have been successfully completed.

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 person responsible for the course decides, in cooperation with student representative, the form of student evaluation and whether the course is to have a midway or end of course evaluation in accordance with the quality system for education, chapter 4.1.
Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 15, 2026 1:29:47 PM