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2013/2014  KAN-OECON  Master's Thesis

English Title
Master's Thesis

Course information
Language English
Exam ECTS 30 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn, Spring
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study board
Study Board for MSc in Advanced Economics and Finance
Course coordinator
  • Economics
    Cédric Schneider - Department of Economics (ECON)
  • Finance
    Kristian Miltersen - Department of Finance (FI)
Main academic disciplines
  • Finance
  • Economics, macro economics and managerial economics
Last updated on 08-09-2013
Learning objectives
The students may choose:

- To write a (traditional) Master's thesis
or
- to write a business project and a (shorter) Master's thesis

Hereafter both formats are referred to simply as Master's thesis.

The topic of the Master’s thesis must fall within the academic profile of the MSc in Advanced Economics and Finance and must be written in English.

The Master’s thesis can be written individually or by two students together.

Students are required in their written thesis to:
  • Describe, analyse and work on a complex problem going beyond the level of the compulsory and elective courses by either dealing with new theoretical issues or by applying state-of-the-art methods to new problems.
  • Apply, present and elaborate on specialized knowledge within the area of the MSc in Advanced Economics and Finance.
  • Reflect critically on the foundation, relevance and validity of methods, theories, and empirics used.
  • Identify key issues and relevant solutions and to present these with linguistic clearity.
  • Balance the problems addressed with the methods applied, and in the business project, balance scientific rigor and ease of presentation.
  • Be responsible for the planning, timing and execution of the thesis work and as part of this to develop a problem statement that facilitates control and structure in the student’s work on the thesis and its content.
Course prerequisites
The Master's thesis must conclude the Master's degree.
Examination
Master's Thesis defence:
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Individual or group exam Group exam, max. 2 students in the group
Assignment type Master's thesis
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
60 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Preparation time No preparation
Grading scale 7-step scale

The student’s spelling and writing skills are taken into consideration in the overall assessment of the examination performance, but the academic content is given the highest weight.
Regulations regarding the summary An executive summary (no longer than 1 page) written in English must be appended to the Master’s thesis.
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Autumn Term and Spring Term, All year except for the month of July.
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

The examination is an oral group examination based on the Master's thesis.

The assessment is carried out by the academic supervisor (if there are more supervisors, then only the primary supervisor) and an external examiner.

The grade given must express an overall assessment of the written thesis (including the executive summary), the oral examination and the student’s spelling and style, although the academic content will carry most weight.

The (traditional) Master’s thesis may not be more than 80 standard pages in length for one student and not more than 120 standard pages for a joint thesis submitted by two students.

The (shorter) Master's thesis must be no more than 30 pages for one student and 45 pages for two students writing together.

The business project must be no more than 25 pages for one student and 37 pages for two students writing together.

In the event that a student does not pass the regular examination, he or she has the option, upon consultation with the academic supervisor/examiner, to either submit a revised version of the Master’s thesis or submit a new Master's thesis on another topic.

NB: Detailed information regarding the exam and formalities is to be found on e-campus.
Course content and structure
The traditional Master’s thesis serves as a test of the student’s ability to engage in in-depth study and independently describe, analyze and process a complex issue within economics and finance at the Master’s level. The thesis is supervised by a faculty member.


The business project is a consultancy report supervised both by a corporate advisor and an academic supervisor and aims to solve a concrete problem for a given firm (or organization or institution) using state-of-the art methods from economics and finance. The consultancy aspect will be part of the evaluation, including issues like relevance of the problem for the firm, choice of methods, the ability to apply relevant economics and finance, and the actual solution proposed.

When writing a business project, the student is responsible for entering into an agreement forming the basis of the cooperation with the firm. This agreement between the student and the firm must be approved by the academic supervisor.

The shorter Master’s thesis takes the form of an academic, scientific article. The article should deal with an economic or finance problem related to the business project in a short and concise way. It may deal with the problem in a novel way or it may provide a survey of existing literature. The shorter Master’s thesis is supervised by the same academic supervisor as the business project.

 
Teaching methods
Supervision
Last updated on 08-09-2013