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2011/2012  KAN-OECON_KAN  Master's Thesis

English Title
Master's Thesis

Course Information

Language English
Point 30 ECTS (900 SAT)
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
    Cedric Schneider - Department of Economics
  • Finance
    Kristian Miltersen - Department of Finance
Main Category of the Course
  • Finance
  • Economics, macro economics and managerial economics
Last updated on 29 maj 2012
Learning Objectives
The student may choose either 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).

Students are required 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.
Prerequisite
The Master's thesis concludes the Master's programme, cf. the Ministerial order of the study programme's §19, stk. 5
Examination
Master's Thesis defence
Master's Thesis defence :
Assessment Thesis
Marking Scale 7-step scale
Censorship External examiners
Exam Period Autumn Term and Spring Term, All year except for the month of July.
Aids Please, see the detailed regulations below
Duration 60 Minutes
Examination
The student may choose either to write a (traditional) Master's thesis or to write a business project AND a (shorter) Master's thesis.

The examination is an individual oral 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 censor. In the case of a business project, representatives of the firm can be invited to the defence but they cannot participate in the grading.

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

A Master’s thesis may be written and assessed either individually or jointly by two students.

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 has not passed 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.

An executive summary (no longer than 1 page) must be appended to the Master’s thesis. The summary may be written in English, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian.

NB: Detailed information regarding the exam and formalities is to be found on e-campus.
Course Content

The 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 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.

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

The Master’s thesis must be written individually or by two students together. In the latter case, the contribution of each student should be clearly indicated.

 

Teaching Methods
Supervision
Further Information
Upon written request to the supervisor, the author is entitled to a brief written characterisation of the thesis stating the motivation for the grade. This characterisation is prepared by the supervisor and is not binding for the external examiner.