EXAMINER

GUIDANCE FOR

MASTER'S THESES

Department of Maritime Studies

Innhold

1. Appointment of examiners ..........................................................................................................3

2. Course description for academic year 2021/2022 .........................................................................3
3. The examination..........................................................................................................................5
4. Grade description for Master's work/theses..................................................................................5
5. The examiner assessment ............................................................................................................8

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1. Appointment of examiners
According to the Regulations relating to studies and examinations at the Western Norway
University of Applied Sciences (HVL):
• For grading of master's theses, two examiners shall be appointed and at least one of
these shall be an external examiner.
• An examiner may not have been the supervisor for the thesis.
• As a minimum, the external examiner must have a master's degree in the relevant
subject area.
• The deadline for announcement of grades for master's theses is up to six weeks.

2. Course description for academic year 2021/2022

Contents and structure

The master thesis is an independent, empirical and scientific work in which the student
documents insight into research and development work, relevant theory and methods relevant
for the problem examined in the thesis. Based on the students profile choice the subject will
provide the student with the ability to deepen their knowledge about a specific topic within
the maritime field.

Through the independent work the students shall develop their analytical abilities and achieve
a deeper understanding of theoretical and/or empirical possibilities and challenges within the
chosen field of study.

The work on the master thesis is to be carried out in accordance with ethical guidelines for
research and rules and regulations at the partner institutions. In total, the master thesis will
document understanding, reflection and maturity.

The master's thesis will include:

academic and scientific theory positioning of the problem area and issue
justification of the theory and method selection
implementation of a research project in the chosen practice field
presentation, analysis and discussion of results

Learning Outcome

- Knowledge

The candidate:

• Has knowledge of key directions within scientific theory

• Has knowledge of key research methods within maritime research
• Has insight into what scientific knowledge is and how this is developed
• Has practical and theoretical knowledge of the phases of a research project
• Has knowledge of applicable norms for research ethics

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- Skills

The candidate:

• Is able to develop a research design and do theoretical and/or empirical analyses on

own or existing material
• Can analyze and critically assess different sources of information
• Can reflect on research ethics and related issues
• Can formulate research questions and relate these to different methods
• Is able to use software for analysis of qualitative and quantitative data
• Can carry out an independent, limited research project under supervision and in
accordance with applicable norms for research ethics

- General competence

The candidate:

• Can reflect on and critically assess own and other people¿s work
• Can communicate extensive independent work and masters language and terminology
of both the academic and maritime field
• Can analyze problems related to the profession, academia and research ethics
• Can discuss own and other¿s work with both specialists and the general public
• Is able to evaluate the quality of existing research literature
• Can use the knowledge and skills achieved through the work on the master¿s thesis on
future research projects

Entry requirements

The students must have completed the MMO5001 Philosophy of Science, Research Design
and Methods course (or equivalent), and completed a minimum of 45 ECTS Credits within
the study programme

Recommended previous knowledge

Builds on previous courses within the study programme.

Teaching methods

The master's thesis is an independent subject closely connected to the previous subject in the
course of study and will be carried out with supervision. A research proposal will be signed
by the student and the supervisor (s) when the proposal is approved by the supervisor (s). The
student is responsible for seeking supervision in accordance with the agreed plan. It may be
relevant for students to associate the work on the master's thesis with ongoing R&D work at
the institution or problems from the maritime industry.

Course requirements
A research proposal must be submitted as specified in the document Guidelines for the Master
thesis - Master of Maritime Operations, Haugesund

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Assessment

Master thesis, 100/100

Examination support material

Master thesis, 100/100 - All supporting materials allowed

3. The examination
The grade description for the Master’s Thesis at the Institute of Maritime Studies at HVL are
based on the descriptions established by the The National Faculty Meeting for Natural
Sciences (Det nasjonale fakultetsmøte for realfag, NFmR) and the National Council for
Technological Education (Nasjonalt råd for teknologisk utdanning, NRT) for Master's theses
in mathematical, natural science and technology subjects (MNT) in 2012. Since our students
may choose a technical or a social science problem, we have made some minor adjustments to
the original grade description from NFmR and NRT.

The grade descriptions are documented with the following text:

1. Grade description for Master's work/theses.

2. The examiner assessment, which is a document for examiners which explains the
criteria used in 1.

4. Grade description for Master's work/theses

Grade Designation Description

A Excellent An outstanding thesis which clearly demonstrates a

talent for research and/or originality, in a national
perspective.

The candidate has very good insight into the scientific

theory and methods in his/her field and has
demonstrated scientific knowledge at a very high level.
The objectives of the thesis are well defined and easy to
understand.

The candidate is able to select and apply relevant

scientific methods convincingly, has all the technical
skills required for the work, can plan and conduct very
advanced analysis or computations.

The thesis is considered very extensive and/or

innovative. The analysis and discussion have an

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 extremely good scientific foundation and justification
and are clearly linked to the topic that is addressed. The
candidate demonstrates extremely good critical
reflection and distinguishes clearly between his/her
contributions and the contributions from others.

The form, structure and language in the thesis are at an

extremely high level.

B Very good A very good thesis that is clearly and positively

distinguishable.

The candidate has very good scientific knowledge and

insight into the scientific theory and methods in his/her
field. The objectives of the thesis are well defined and
easy to understand.

The candidate is able to select and apply relevant

scientific methods soundly, has almost all the technical
skills required for the work, can plan and conduct
advanced analysis or computations.

The thesis is considered extensive and/or innovative.

The analysis and discussion have a very good scientific
foundation and justification, and are clearly linked to the
topic that is addressed. The candidate demonstrates very
good critical reflection and distinguishes clearly
between his/her contributions and the contributions
from others.

The form, structure and language in the thesis are at a

very high level.

C Good A good thesis.

The candidate has good scientific knowledge and insight

into the scientific theory and methods in his/her field.
The objectives of the thesis are generally well defined,
but may contain some inexact formulations.

The candidate uses the relevant scientific methods

satisfactorily, has most of the technical skills required
for the work, can plan and conduct quite advanced
analysis or computations.

The thesis is considered good with elements that are

creative. The analysis and discussion have a good
scientific foundation and justification, and are linked to
the topic that is addressed. The candidate demonstrates
good critical reflection and usually distinguishes clearly

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 between his/her contributions and the contributions
from others.

The form, structure and language in the thesis are at a

good level.

D Satisfactory A satisfactory thesis.

The candidate has quite good scientific knowledge and

insight into the scientific theory and methods in his/her
field. The objectives of the thesis are defined, but may
contain some inexact formulations.

The candidate is generally able to apply relevant

scientific methods, has the main technical skills required
for the work, and can plan and conduct analysis or
computations.

The thesis is considered satisfactory. The analysis and

discussion have a satisfactory scientific foundation and
justification, and are linked to the topic that is
addressed, but there is room for improvement. The
candidate demonstrates his/her ability for critical
reflection, but has problems distinguishing clearly
between his/her contributions and the contributions
from others.

The form, structure and language in the thesis are at an

acceptable level.

E Sufficient A thesis that is acceptable and satisfies the minimum

criteria.

The candidate has sufficient scientific knowledge and

insight into the scientific theory and methods in his/her
field. The objectives of the thesis are described, but are
vague and imprecise.

The candidate is able to apply some relevant scientific

methods, has a minimum of technical skills required for
the work, and can plan and conduct simple analysis or
computations.

The thesis is considered limited and somewhat

fragmented. The analysis and discussion have an
adequate scientific foundation and justification, but
ought to have had a better link to the topic that is
discussed. The candidate demonstrates sufficient critical
reflection, but may have problems distinguishing

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 between his/her contributions and the contributions
from others.

The thesis is mostly acceptable, but has definite

shortcomings with respect to form, structure and
language.

F Fail A thesis that does not satisfy the minimum

requirements.

The candidate does not have sufficient scientific

knowledge and insight into the scientific theory and
methods in his/her field. The objectives of the thesis are
not clearly defined or are lacking.

The candidate demonstrates a lack of competence in the

use of scientific methods, does not have the required
technical skills and independence for the work.

The thesis is considered very limited and fragmented.

The analysis and discussion do not have an adequate
scientific foundation and justification, and are loosely
linked to the topic that is discussed. The candidate does
not demonstrate sufficient critical reflection, and does
not clearly distinguish between his/her contributions and
the contributions from others.

The thesis has major shortcomings with respect to form,

structure, and language.

5. The examiner assessment

For each criterion, the examiner is to assess the candidate’s attainment of the
following:
Technical grounding:
Is the theoretical and technical foundation clearly described, enabling the
work to be placed in the context of relevant international research?
Theoretical insight:
Does the work, in particular the introduction, demonstrate that the candidate has
advanced knowledge of relevant theory and methods, and particular indepth insight
into a specific field that is applicable to the thesis?

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Goal description:
Are the goals and/or hypotheses for the thesis presented in a clear and comprehensible
manner?

Skill level:
Does the candidate master relevant methods and use these in the thesis in an applicable
and integrated manner?

Project result:
Does the work demonstrate creativity and/or contribute to new thinking/creativity?
Does the work appear to be particularly extensive or comprehensive? How do you rate
the quality and value of the new knowledge/results generated by this work?

Critical reflection:
Does the candidate demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the value of the results?
Does the candidate approach sources of information in a critical manner? Does the
candidate consider and evaluate factors of uncertainty such as methodological errors,
data errors, etc.? Does the candidate analyse relevant ethical questions related to
technical, professional and research matters? Does the candidate make and justify
reasonable suggestions for further developments or discuss the potential for such?

Structure:
Does the work demonstrate an organized structure (normally IMRaD:
Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion)? Is the work generally clear?

Language:
Is the candidate able to present issues and results with the necessary technical
precision? Is the work easily comprehended and does it demonstrate a good command
of the language used?

Form:
Is the style used for references, figures and tables consistent? Is the quality of figures
and tables acceptable? Does the candidate have a good command of relevant specialist
terminology?