BO6-2011 Bachelor´s Thesis

Contents and structure

The Bachelor thesis is a research- or development project carried out independently by the students under supervision. Therefore, the students must use their specialist knowledge and research on practical and theoretical research questions. The bachelor thesis is written in groups of from two to three students. Students may hand in a written application to dispense if they have special grounds for not writing the thesis in a group.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge

The candidate:

• Has specialized knowledge of the relevant theories and methods to explore the chosen research problem.
• Is familiar with research and development work relevant to the chosen research problem. 

Skills

The candidate:

• Can give an account for an academic research problem.
• Can find, choose, and specialize in theories relevant to the research problem.
• Can evaluate and choose methods that are relevant to the research problem.
• Can plan and collect empirical data.
• Can analyze data and discuss the findings in a scholarly manner.
• Can evaluate the findings and draw a conclusion.
• Can plan and carry out a project with limited resources.

General Competence

The candidate:

• Can plan and carry out a project over time, alone and as part of a group, and in accordance with ethical requirements and principles.
• Can communicate research problems, academic subject matters, and solutions in writing.
• Can exchange opinions and experiences with others with a background in the field, thereby contributing to the development of good practice.

Entry requirements

The students must have completed 100 ETCS at the beginning of the fifth semester. 

Furthermore, the students must have passed BØA115 Statistics and the course requirements of ME6-1002 Research Methods in Social Science and ME6-1002 Statistics.

Teaching methods

The bachelor thesis is an independent work carried out by student groups. Therefore, the students are responsible for reaching the course's learning outcomes, the progress, and formulating the bachelor thesis. A series of seminars and videos prepares the students for writing the bachelor thesis. However, active supervision is also an essential learning method in this course. Each student group receives four sessions of supervision. The bachelor thesis guidelines provide further information regarding the supervision.

Compulsory learning activities

To be able to submit the Bachelor thesis, the students must: 

1. Arrange, prepare and actively participate in the compulsory supervision meeting, and sign the supervision contract. 
2. Participate actively in the poster workshop and submit the bachelor thesis's finished poster.  

Assessment

Bachelor thesis in groups of 2-3 students.

Grading A-F.

Non-passing candidates submitting a new version of the bachelor thesis will receive one-hour guidance. More information on examination and reassessment can be found in §11-19 i Forskrift om studium og eksamen ved Høgskulen på Vestlandet.