Course - Thesis in Public Health - FH3902
Thesis in Public Health
New from the academic year 2026/2027
Assessments and mandatory activities may be changed until September 20th.
About
About the course
Course content
The aim of the Master's thesis is for the student to complete a defined and independent research project under supervision following relevant research ethics. The topic of the Master's thesis should be within the topics covered by the Master's program in Public Health and in line with the course description. The topic and thesis question should be developed together with the supervisor(s). Work with the thesis will include planning (designing thesis question and project description) and carrying out the research project; this includes data analysis and writing a project report following ethical aspects, guidelines of research and good scientific practice within the applied research method. More information can be found in the guidelines for the master's thesis at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. These guidelines must be followed. If the master's thesis is written as an article, it should be complemented by a more descriptive document ("kappe") consisting of maximally 7000 words. If the master’s thesis is written as a monograph, it should not exceed 25,000 words.
Learning outcome
After completing the master's thesis course FH3902, the student is able to:
Knowledge:
- account for different scientific methods and sources in the relevant field
- show specialized insight into the topic of the Master's Thesis
Skills:
- formulate a precise research question
- consider choice of research design and research method best suited to answer the thesis question
- analyze data from a study/experiment
- identify and discuss research ethics in connection with research in general and the thesis in particular
- produce and communicate the results in an academic format using the correct terminology
- present his/her own thesis question and discuss the results in light of relevant research literature
General proficiency:
- complete an independent, defined research project, under supervision while following relevant research ethics within the topics covered by the Master's program in Public Health
- describe an academic project in a clear and well-written report (the Master's Thesis)
- contribute to increased knowledge within the topic of the Master's Thesis
Learning methods and activities
Individual supervision is set to 30 hours. The project description must be approved before the project is started. Mandatory attendance at a one-day seminar for Master students. The Master's thesis can be written in a Scandinavian language or in English.
Compulsory assignments
- Individual guidance to the Master's Thesis
Further on evaluation
The master's thesis is assessed based on the written work and an oral examination. The oral examination consists of a 15-minute presentation that is open to the public and a 30-minute examination where only the examiners and the master's student are present. The examiners give a preliminary grade on the master's thesis prior to the oral examination. The oral examination can be used to adjust the grade of the written work by up to one grade up or down. The student is only informed of the final grade. If the grade of the written work is assessed as F (fail), the oral examination will not be held.
OBL1 is ensuring that all students have at least 30 hours of individual supervision of the master's thesis. These 30 hours include all supervision, including the supervisor's preparations and follow-up work.
Specific conditions
Admission to a programme of study is required:
Public Health (MFHLS)
Required previous knowledge
The student must be admitted to the master's programme in Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. In order to be eligible to submit his/her master's thesis the student must have passed all exams, i.e. compulsory and elective courses worth 90 credits in total.
Subject areas
- Health Science
- Public Health