Business Administration, Master's Thesis III (second-year) 30 credits

About the course

The objective of the Master's thesis is to develop the student's ability to conduct an academic study of relevance to research in the area of Business Administration. Through the thesis work, the student shall demonstrate an ability to plan, conduct and present a thorough scientific study of relevance to the area of the Master's program. The thesis' contribution should rest upon clearly evaluated and motivated standpoints. Furthermore, the student shall demonstrate good knowledge of the chosen research area and be able to position the study with regard to extant research in the field.

Module 1. Work-in-progress seminars, 0 credits
The module comprises three work-in-progress seminars. The work-in-progress seminars develop the student's ability to review and analyze scientific studies and reports.  The three seminars focus on the following areas:

• Seminar 1. Oral and written examination of a prior Master's Thesis. The written examination must follow the guidelines for the side-opposition.
• Seminar 2. Development of research questions and choice of theoretical points of departure.
• Seminar 3. Presentation of the theoretical framework and research method. (The seminar is based on a draft of the introductory, theory and method chapters, including the planned data collection approach and a plan for the continued work). The seminar should be held before the collection of empirical data commences.

At seminar 2 and 3, the students are expected to present drafts of different parts of their Master thesis and to review other students' thesis drafts. Seminar 2 and 3 are thus opposition seminars.

Module 2. Side-opposition, 0 credits
The module includes one written side-opposition of another Master's thesis, and active participation at the seminar where the thesis is defended. The side-opposition is an individual assignment. The side-opposition shall demonstrate the student's ability to identify strengths and weaknesses of a thesis and to present proposals on how to rectify such weaknesses.

Module 3: Master's Thesis, 30 credits
This module constitutes the core of the course and develops the student's ability to, at an advanced level, examine a topic within the area of Business Administration of relevance to the Master's program. The students shall identify, formulate and motivate the thesis topic within the theoretical field. This may include applying theories and models in new areas, or to use new methods for data collection and analysis. The authors should thus make a contribution to the literature within a specific literature field or problem area.

The thesis shall include a thorough literature review that positions the thesis within a relevant theoretical frame of reference. The theoretical frame of reference shall demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the area. The literature review shall provide evidence of the student's ability to independently review and evaluate the literature. The choice of research methods should be well-founded, and the student's methodological and theoretical choices should demonstrate awareness of how researchers have approached similar questions in earlier studies. The research method should be clearly connected to the problem area and be consistent throughout the thesis. The thesis should provide evidence of systematic processing and analysis of the theoretical and empirical material. The level of abstraction in the analytical discussion should be high. The arguments in the thesis should be consistent and the various parts of the thesis must be coherent. The length of the thesis is between 70 to 100 pages depending on the research area and applied method. The final thesis shall be defended at a seminar.

Module 4: Main Opposition, 0 credits
This module comprises a written opposition paper and oral opposition of another Master thesis. The students shall conduct a thorough review of another Master's thesis. The designated thesis should be presented within the same Master's program or, should particular circumstances dictate, a thesis from the student's minor subject. The written main opposition paper is an individual assignment. The oral main opposition is done together with the co-author.