MAS448  Master thesis  (30 ECTS) 

Course facts

Learning outcomes

The candidate should be able to

• plan, implement and evaluate research projects within the field of physical activity and health
• evaluate (critically) scientific work within the field of physical activity and health
• document skills concerning the application of scientific theories and methodologies within the field of physical activity and health

Learning styles and activities

Forms of study & supervision
The thesis must be supervised by a Faculty member at the home university, and/or an external expert entrusted by a Faculty member in agreement with the European master Program Coordinator. Under guidance of the supervisor, the student shall develop a research proposal, complete a scientific study and submit an independent thesis following given guidelines. The student will be responsible for maintaining a good relationship with the supervisor. The student should inform the supervisor regularly about the progress of the thesis work as well as possible problems or challenges that may arise during the study period.
The master thesis has to be written as an individual project. However, the student can use data from a research project that they have been given access to. If the master thesis is part of a bigger project, this project should be described as part of the method. The students independent study within the project should be explained, and sampling procedures, data collection methods and statistical tools used to analyze data should be reported in full details.

Thesis format
The 30 ECTS credits master thesis should not exceed 80 pages, but be no less than 60 pages. Double line, Times New Roman as font, and 12 as point size (or Arial 10); A4 as the page format and one-sided printing; The page number should be located at the top right corner of each page; Left and right margins should be of about 2 ½ inches (about 4 cm); Top and bottom margins should be of about 1 ½ inches (about 3 cm); The front page of the document should include the complete title, name and surname of the student, name and surname of the Supervisor, and the academic year; A second page should include a 300-word abstract of the work; A third page (plus any additional pages, as needed) should include a detailed table of contents of the thesis; The list of References has to comply with APA guidelines.

The master's thesis will be published electronically in NIH's institutional archive Brage.

Assessment

The thesis will be evaluated based on NSSS regulations for the master degree. The thesis will be graded from A-F where E is the minimum passing grade. An oral examination will take place after the thesis is handed in. However, the thesis must be graded to passed before the candidate can be permitted to orally defend the thesis. The final mark of the thesis will be given based on the mark of the thesis itself and the oral examination. The oral examination includes a student presentation of the thesis (10-15 min) followed by a defense of the thesis, altogether up to 1 hour.
For evaluation and grading as part of the double degree with the University of Rome, Foro italico, specific rules and regulations apply. Please see: Università degli Studi di Roma "Foro Italico" 
Note that the double degree is only awarded to students who have applied directly to NSSS for admission to the European Master in Health and Physical Activity.