AGDK14007U Master´s Thesis

Thesis models for students at Global Development:

Thesis – classic format

A thesis of 50-80 pages (+ an additional 50 % per extra group member) with the following main components:
• An introduction giving an account of the theory and methods employed, outlining the academic background for the study and its relevance for the context of Global Development.
• Main section in which the empirical material is analyzed with respect to the selected theories and relevant contexts.
• A conclusion.

Internship based thesis

A thesis of 50-80 pages (+ an additional 50 % per extra group member). The thesis must include the following main components, the order and scope of each to be decided in collaboration with the supervisor:
• An introduction giving an account of the theory and methods employed; outlining the academic background for the study and its relevance fo the context of Global Development.
• A consultancy report primarily addressed to an external party, in which a problem from the project-oriented work (internship) is analyzed. This report is to be supplemented by a brief introduction, in which the format defining the consultancy report is justified.
• A paper, in which a theme or challenge relevant to the project-oriented work (internship) is discussed, targeted for an academic audience.
• A paper on methods and ethics, giving an account of a methodological and/or an ethical problem that is especially significant for the fieldwork and the project

Academic article

A thesis of 50-80 pages (+ an additional 50 % per extra group member) with the following main components:
• An introduction giving an account of the theory and methods employed, outlining the academic background for the study and its relevance for the context of Global Development.
• One article. The article must be targeted for a specific scientific journal. Students must enclose guidelines for the chosen journal.
• A policy brief aimed at a relevant target audience (ministry, company, NGO, research institution, think tank).
• A paper on methods and ethics, giving an account of the methodology chosen and one or several ethical problem that is especially significant for the project.

The maximum group size is 4 students. The thesis is defended in an oral defence of approx. 45 minutes (incl. voting). The defence is always individual and is based on the entire thesis + its components.

The Head of Studies must approve the student's choice of topic for the MSc thesis and set a deadline for its submission, see Section 19(5)-(6) of the University Programme Order.

Thesis students must comply with the rules on confidentiality and collaboration with third parties as well as confidentiality as specified by the Faculty of Social Sciences. Furthermore, students must comply with regulation regarding the collection and handling of data.
If a student is doing fieldwork abroad, the student must inform her/his supervisor about the field work, the location of the field work, the duration of the field work and any possibly ethical considerations or relevant risk assessments related to the field work. The student is expected to consider the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel advice before undertaking a fieldwork abroad.

Registration deadline for the master thesis follows the rules described in the section on master thesis registration in the Curricula’s Common Part.

Spelling and writing skills are weighted in the overall assessment of the thesis, but the academic content must be given the highest weight, see Section 24(1) of the Examination Order. The University (Board of Studies) may grant exemptions from this provision for students who are able to document a relevant and specific impairment, unless spelling and writing skills are significant objectives of the examination.

The thesis must include a summary. The summary is included in the overall assessment of the thesis.

If the deadline for the master thesis is not met the student can apply for a second exam attempt (and eventually a third attempt) following the rules described in the section on second and third exam attempts of the master thesis in the Curricula’s Common Part.

A thesis at Global Development can be done as a group work. The maximum group size is 4 people. In case of a group thesis the rules and regulations for group work apply (see the Curricula´s Common Part section 4.6)