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

Contents

The course aims to further develop the student's ability to independently address a problem within Business Administration. Furthermore, the course aims to provide knowledge about, and experience of how to independently plan and conduct a study using scientifically grounded methods and contributing to research within Business Administration. The course also aims to develop the student´s ability to critically review and assess other scientific reports and provides an opportunity for theoretical deepening within a self-chosen area. The course consists of three work seminars, the master thesis, a main opposition and a side opposition.

Expected learning outcomes

After completing this course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• identify a research field within Business Administration and formulate and argue for a research question that furthers the knowledge within that specific field,
• conduct a literature review and develop a relevant theoretical framework and discuss the position of the thesis within the theoretical field.

Skills and ability

After completing this course, the student should be able to:

• collect comprehensive empirical material relevant to answer the research question,
• communicate the main arguments, contents and results of the thesis in a scholarly manner,
• defend the thesis at a seminar and critically examine other theses both orally and in writing,
• communicate central concepts for the course in English, both orally and in writing.

Judgement and approach

After completing this course, the student should be able to:

• argue for the chosen research methods and critically discuss the strengths and weaknesses thereof,
• discuss relevant ethical aspects in the research process,
• analyze empirical material using appropriate analytical methods,
• critically discuss and position research findings using a theoretical framework,
• draw conclusions from research findings, discuss implications and limitations thereof, specifying the contributions to the research field and develop proposals for future research,
• reflect on relevant ethical and societal implications of research findings.

Required Knowledge

90 credits whereof 75 credits in Business Administration, whereof 45 credits at advanced level excluding internship courses. Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English 6/level 2.

Form of instruction

The thesis work is largely an independent task, which means that the student’s individual freedom, creativity, and personal responsibility are emphasised. It is expected that the ongoing master thesis manuscript is presented and discussed with the supervisor at least three times during the thesis process. The course consists of three work-in-progress seminars, a master thesis, a main opposition, and a side opposition. The work-in-progress seminars should be conducted before the collection of empirical data begins. The course structure is described in the department’s thesis manual.

Examination modes

For the course as a whole, a three-grade scale is used: Pass with distinction (Väl godkänd, VG), Pass (Godkänd, G) and Fail (Underkänd, U). Grades on the course are awarded when students have passed all examinations and compulsory course elements. To obtain the grade Pass with Distinction, all examinations must be passed, and Pass with Distinction must be achieved on module 1, the master's thesis. Examinations take place during specified exam periods during the semester.

For the grade to be registered in Ladok, an archive copy of the thesis must be registered in DiVA. Examinations take place during specified periods during the semester.

Work-in-progress seminars (2 credits)

This part of the course is examined through participation in three compulsory work-in-progress seminars. The work-in-progress seminars are graded as pass or fail.

Master's Thesis (26 credits)

The Master's thesis is examined through the writing and defence of an independent work. The defence cannot take place until the student has received the grade Pass on the work-in-progress seminars (module 1). Assessment is on a three-grade scale: Pass with distinction (Väl godkänd, VG), Pass (Godkänd, G) and Fail (Underkänd, U). The thesis is assessed and graded by a grading teacher and an examiner, while the defence is assessed by the supervisor at the seminar. The length of the thesis usually ranges between 70-100 pages.

Main opposition (1 credits)

The module is examined through an oral and written main opposition of another 30 credit Master's Thesis. The written main opposition is an individual task. The oral main opposition is generally conducted together with the co-author of the own thesis. Assessment is on a two-grade scale: pass or fail. As the main opponent, the student leads the seminar.

Module 4. Side-opposition (1 credits)

This module is examined through an individually written side-opposition on other 30 credit Master's Thesis. Additionally, active participation in the seminar for this particular thesis is required. Assessment is on a two-grade scale: pass or fail.

Other regulations

Rules and regulations concerning the production of academic texts and correct referencing will be applicable to all written assignments. Disciplinary action may be taken against students who uses unauthorized help aids or in some other way tries to mislead on a test or when another type of task is being evaluated. Rules and regulations concerning the production of academic texts and correct referencing will be applicable to all written assignments. See instructions in the thesis manual, Thesis Writing in Business Administration. Systems for plagiarism detection may be used for control. In addition, Umeå University rules and regulations for education and research applies.

The thesis and seminar assignments are written in English.

The thesis is written jointly by two students. If there are special reasons, the course responsible may decide that the thesis can be written individually. It is not possible for two students who jointly write a thesis, to be registered for different types of theses (e.g. one student writing a Degree Project and the other a 2nd year Master's thesis).

Supervision is only guaranteed during the first semester that the student is registered on the course, regardless of how much supervision that has been utilized.

The thesis course is a campus course, which implies physical attendance for supervision, participation in seminars, and collaboration with a thesis partner.

Supervisors must be given access to all materials during the essay course. The empirical data used in the thesis must be available to supervisors, main opponents, and graders in their complete form (raw data).

This document has been translated from Swedish into English. If the English version differs from the original, the Swedish version takes precedence.

Academic credit transfer
Academic credit transfers are according to the University credit transfer regulations.