Information about master’s thesis for the study area Natural Sciences and Informatics is collected on this wiki.

Topic page about writing your master's thesis

Master's degree programs within the study area Natural Sciences and Informatics:

• Natural Science with Teacher Education - MLREAL
• Master of Science in Biotechnology - MBIOT5
• Master of Science in Geology - MGEOL
• Master of Science in Computer Science - MIT - MSIT
• Master of Science in Ocean Resources - MSOCEAN
• Master of Science in Biology - MSBIO
• Master of Science in Biotechnology - MSBIOTECH
• Master of Science in Chemistry - MSCHEM
• Master of Science in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry - MSENVITOX
• Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences - MSMNFMA
• Master of Science in Natural Resources Management - MSNARM
• Master of Science in Physics - MSPHYS
• Master of Science in Food and Technology - FTMAMAT

Before you start

The master studies within the study area includes:

1. Course work; compulsory and/or elective, at least 30 ECTS must be on second degree level, Experts in Teamwork (EiT) compulsory for all programs, except MLREAL. Selection of courses must be approved by the supervisor.
2. Master’s thesis, corresponding to;

• 60 ECTS - MBIOT5, MGEOL, MIT, MSBIO, MSBIOTECH, MSCHEM, MSENVITOX, MSNARM, MSPHYS, MSOCEAN
• 45 ECTS - MSMNFMA, FTMAMAT
• 30 ECTS - MLREAL, MSOCEAN

Detailed structure of the master's program and any prerequisites for starting the master’s thesis are regulated by respective program's study plan.

Master contract

As student, you must find a project and supervisor for your master's thesis. The student, supervisor and responsible Faculty or Department must sign a master contract.

The master's contract must include:

• List of the courses to be included in the degree (does not apply to FTMAMAT)
• Project description
• Resource requirements
• Risk assessment (does not apply to MSMNFMA, MIT, MGEO, MLREAL mathematics and computer science)
• Standard agreement (if the thesis is done outside NTNU)

• Generate the contract in Share Point.

The main supervisor must be employed in a permanent scientific position or II's position at the responsible Department or Faculty.

Master's contract - Program specific requirements

How to find a project and supervisor, requirements for the project description and resource/financing plan and where to submit the master's contract.

MSCHEM, MSENVITOX, MLREAL Chemistry as subject 1

• Thesis proposals published annually in March. In general: find project and supervisor by contacting relevant academic staff at the Department of Chemistry
• Project description required
• Resource and financial plan required, discuss with supervisor
• Risk assessment
• Submit signed contract to study advisor at the Department of Chemistry

MGEOL

• Find project and supervisor by contacting relevant academic staff at the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum
• Project description required; 3-4 pages including introduction/theoretical approach, research problem/hypotheses, methodology and progress plan.
• Submit signed contract to study advisor at the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum

MSBIOTECH, MBIOT5, FTMAMAT

• Thesis proposals published annually in the Spring semester. In general: find project and supervisor by contacting relevant academic staff at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science or Department of Biology
• Project description required
• Resource and financial plan required, discuss with supervisor. If more than one supervisor, define the function of each one.
• Risk assessment
• Submit signed contract to study advisor at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science

MSBIO, MSOCEAN, MSNARM Biology and Geography specialization, MLREAL Biology as subject 1

• Find project and supervisor by contacting relevant academic staff at the Department of Biology
• Project description required; 3-4 pages including introduction/theoretical approach, research problem/hypotheses, methodology, references, and progress plan.
• Resource and financial plan required, discuss with supervisor.
• Risk assessment
• Submit signed contract to study advisor at the Department of Biology

MIT, MLREAL Informatics as subject 1

• Thesis proposals published annually at Master's thesis
• Submit signed contract to student adviser at the Department of Computer Science

MSPHYS, MLREAL Physics as subject 1

• Thesis proposals published annually in March on Project and thesis assignments at the Department of Physics.
• Short project description required.
• Risk assessment
• Submit signed contract to study advisor at the Department of Physics

MSMNFMA, MLREAL with mathematics as subject 1

• Thesis proposals published annually
• Recommended tools at Programvare
• Submit signed contract to the Department of Mathematical Sciences

Deadlines for submitting the master's contract

• September 15 - MLREAL (independent of subject 1)
• October 15 - MGEOL, MSMNFMA
• January 20 (second semester) - MSPHYS, MSCHEM, MSENVITOX, MSBIOTECH, MBIOT5, MSBIO, MSOCEAN
• August 20 (third semester) - MIT

Doing the thesis outside of NTNU

If you plan to do the master's thesis outside NTNU, you must sign a standard agreement between you as student, the supervisor at NTNU and the company/institution. The respective Department must approve the agreement. Regardless of whether you do the thesis internally or externally, the main supervisor must be employed in a permanent scientific position or II's position at the responsible Department or Faculty. All biology programs may have a responsible supervisor at the Science Museum.

The Standard Agreement must be attached the master's contract. Regulations mentioned above for respective program counts even if you do the thesis outside of NTNU.

Writing the thesis

Check the course description for your master's thesis for compulsory activities related to the thesis. If you do not know the course code of your master's thesis, check the program's study plan.

Deadline for the master's thesis

The deadline for submitting the master's thesis is regulated by your study program.

• May 15 - MBIOT5, MGEOL, MIT, MSBIO, MSBIOTECH, MSCHEM, MSENVITOX, MSNARM, MSPHYS, FTMAMAT
• June 1 - MIT, MSMNFMA, MLREAL

Your deadline will be adjusted if you get courses taken prior to admission included in your degree.

• 20.5-30 ECTS: December 15 (3rd semester)
• 30.5-45 ECTS: September 15 (3rd semester)
• 45.5-60 ECTS: May 15 or June 1 (2nd semester)

Submitting the master's thesis

Submit your thesis in Inspera. Details about how to do it, see Digital Home Exam - for students

Deadline extension

Extension for submitting the thesis might be requested twice. For theses corresponding to 60 ECTS and 45 ECTS, a maximum of 3 months may be granted for each application. For 30 ECTS theses up to 6 weeks. Delayed submission of master's theses and accepted reasons for extension are regulated by UTF §4-3 (9-10). Send application to your program's Department and/or Faculty.

Final Masters Exam

Some programs within the study area have a final master's exam. Please check with your department or Faculty what applies for your study. The final master's exam must take place within a month after the master's thesis has been submitted. All courses included in the master's degree must be passed (special syllabus may be exempted).

How the master thesis is assessed

The deadline for grading the thesis is 3 months after the Master's thesis is submitted. The master's thesis is graded by the same grade regulations common for all MNT subjects.

Regulations

The Master's program within the study area is regulated by;

• The Study Regulations
• Supplementary rules for the degree program
• The respective program's syllabus and the course description for the master's thesis
• For the Teacher’s Education, also applies to the Framework Regulations.

The regulations are available at Generelle lover og regler - studier