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2019/2020  KAN-CBIOO2000U  Master's Thesis

English Title
Master's Thesis

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 30 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for MSc. in Business Administration and Bioentrepreneurship
Course coordinator
  • Palle Høy Jakobsen - Department of Strategy and Innovation (SI)
Main academic disciplines
  • Innovation
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 02-04-2019

Relevant links
Learning objectives
The subject of the thesis must be within the programme profile’s particular academic identity
and theoretical field(s).
  • Develop a research problem by which an actual challenge in biobusiness is productively connected to extant literature and to available data.
  • Select and adapt theories
  • Assess strong and weak point of methods and research design
  • Often the business challenge adressed in the thesis is affected by its bio-Scientific Foundations. In this case the thesis must demonstrate the student's ability to relate bio-scientific aspects to their business implication
  • Provide consistency and coherence in the relationships between problem statement, analysis and conclusion
  • Explain and discuss the implications of research results for practices and problems in biobusiness relevant in relation to business practice within the program's field of study
  • Communicate the content of the thesis to peers.
Course prerequisites
To be allowed to start the Master's Thesis, the students must have finished the 10 weeks' Internship, as it is part of the Master's Thesis.

If the number of students outnumbers the number of internship places offered by the industry partners in the program companies, the student will be given the possibility to write a theoretical master’s thesis or a case-orientated master’s thesis.

It is very important that all core courses are passed before the internship starts as it may have an influence on the performance of the tasks in the company. If one student has not passed the core course before the start of the internship, the study programme may reserve the right to cancel the internship.

The Internship does not have a separate exam but is part of the master’s thesis. Midway into the internship students write a short report on the contents of the internship in terms of its specific objectives, activities, application of specific tools, learning opportunities and relevance for the master’s thesis. The midway report is discussed at a joint meeting with the company mentor and the BBIP advisor. The student, the BBIP advisor and the company mentor must all approve the midway report shown by approved signatures. Their approval is a precondition for handing in the master’s thesis.
Examination
Master's Thesis:
Exam ECTS 30
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 Individual oral exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 2-3
Size of written product Max. 120 pages
The master’s thesis must not exceed 120 standard pages for a joint thesis submitted by two students. For a joint thesis submitted by three students, the max. number of pages is 160.
Assignment type Master's thesis
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
45 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-point grading 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 The summary ( max. one page) must be written in English. The summary is included in the assessment of the thesis.

For rules regarding individual exams, see your programme regulations and my.cbs.dk.
.
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Spring
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
In the event a student has not passed the regular examination in his or her master’s thesis, he or she should hand in a renewal of the contract with a reformulation of the research question. If a student does not hand in the master's thesis within the deadline, he or she also will have to hand in a renewal of the contract. In both cases, the student will use an exam attempt.
Description of the exam procedure

Deadlines for submitting the Master’s Thesis: The thesis  has to be handed in no later than June 1st. 

 

The oral defense will take place within 4 weeks after the master's thesis has been handed in. Regular exams are not held in July.

 

All other elements of the programme must be completed before the thesis is handed in.


 
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The master’s thesis consists of a written report based on the analytical challenges examined during the internship.

 

The master’s thesis addresses selected analytical issues relevant for the challenges examined during the internship. The internship is concerned with practical problems in commercializing bio-innovations, and results are presented in terms of practical conclusions. 

 

The main idea of the thesis is to revisit one or several such analytical challenges so as to examine and reflect upon them in depth, from an academic perspective. That means situating the problem in the academic literature, applying advanced theoretical and methodological tools, critically considering the strength of conclusions etc. 

 

The bio-science behind the innovations considered in the Internship project matter for their commercialization e.g. by having implications for innovation alternatives (and hence risks for imitation), or for the rate of technological change etc. These factors matter significantly for commercialization of science-based innovations. The thesis must bring out these relationships between the science, the innovation and implications for commercialization, demonstrating the student’s ability to span and connect issues in bio-science with its business potentials and limitations.

 
Description of the teaching methods
Thesis supervision from the BBIP faculty is allocated to each student.
The supervisor and the student agrees on the topic for the thesis, and supervision is offered regarding all learning objectives for the thesis. The host company assigns a mentor to the assignee. A contact between student, mentor and CBS-supervisor before and during the internship secures that in the internship the student works with issues, and in a context, facilitating the completion of a thesis based on the internship.
If a student writes alone, he will receive 16 supervision hours and two students writing together will receive 24 supervision hours.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback will be given during supervision.
Student workload
vejledning 24 hours
internship 800 hours
Last updated on 02-04-2019