Kursplan - Master Thesis in Business Administration

Syfte

The student should develop his/her
- comprehension of different scientific and methodological approaches to the analysis of different issues in business administration
- skills in how to plan, carry out and master an independent work of investigation

Lärandemål

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to:
- identify a research topic and formulate a research question that develops knowledge in a field relevant to the student's master's program
- carry out an advanced information search focusing on the topic of the investigation, conduct a thorough literature review and present the results of the review in an evaluative manner
- conduct a comprehensive study in accordance with the scientific practices pertaining to the methods chosen, including collecting, analysing and presenting the research material systematically
- carry out the investigation in a transparent and meticulous way and draw safe conclusions
- critically and in an informed manner judge and analyze all aspects of the investigation, including ethical and social aspects
- defend the conducted research through dialogue with other students and faculty members
- evaluate and discuss research performed by fellow students in a critical and constructive manner
- present arguments orally, visually, and in writing in an objective, credible, and linguistically appropriate manner

Innehåll

This course consists of a number of activities that aim to develop the students' investigative skills. The main part of the course consists of independent work.

Undervisning

The course consists of lectures, exercises, seminars, and supervision. The course mainly consists of seminars where the students review each other’s theses, with the tutor present. The course consists of at least four (4) seminars and the course ends with a final seminar. The thesis is a group assignment.

Särskild behörighet

Företagsekonomi 105 hp med successiv fördjupning, varav minst 90 hp ska vara godkända vid kursstart. Av dessa ska minst 30 hp ligga på nivå G1N, vari minst 5 hp grundläggande ekonomistyrning måste ingå, minst 30 hp på nivå G1F, minst 15 hp på nivå G2F samt minst 15 hp på G2E. Dessutom krävs En B/En 6. Dessutom krävs En B/En 6. Grundläggande ekonomistyrning kan uppnås genom att ha läst kurserna Företagsekonomi grundkurs 30 hp, Budgetering och kalkylering 7,5 hp, Finansiering och kalkylering 7,5 hp Cost and Management Accounting I 7,5 hp eller motsvarande.

Examination

Uppsats (PM01), 15 hp, betyg Godkänd (G) eller Väl Godkänd (VG)

The examination of the course consists of an assessment of the completed work. The final seminar version of the thesis carries the most weight. An assessment is also made of the performance in the seminars regarding acting as an opponent and actively contributing to the discussions. The thesis is discussed at a final seminar and then revised. The completed version of the thesis should be handed in before the deadline according to instructions.

En student som har ett intyg från MDU avseende sin funktionsnedsättning har möjlighet att anmäla önskemål om anpassning vid salstentamina eller annan examinationsform i enlighet med Regler och anvisningar för examination på grundnivå och avancerad nivå vid Mälardalens högskola (2020/1655). Det är examinator som, utifrån det intyg som utfärdats, beslutar om eventuell anpassning och i så fall vilken anpassning som ska gälla.

Misstankar om vilseledande vid examination (fusk) anmäls, enligt högskoleförordningen, till universitetets rektor och prövas av universitetets disciplinnämnd. Om disciplinnämnden anser att en student gjort sig skyldig till en disciplinförseelse fattar nämnden beslut om en disciplinär åtgärd, vilket är varning eller avstängning.

Betyg

Väl godkänd, godkänd, underkänd

Övergångsbestämmelser och övriga föreskrifter

The thesis is graded with the ECTS grading (A-F) system. After grading, the student is not entitled to further supervision. For a thesis marked with F (Fail) the student has the right to hand in another revised and completed version.

A recommendation is that this course is not started earlier than the students third year of studies. When the course starts it is suggested that the student is registered for 15hp in Business Administration at the level G2F. Although the course is scheduled for the second half of the semester, i.e. the last 10 weeks, the roll call will be early in the semester. This is to enable the distribution of tutors before the start of the course and increase the possibility for the students to finish on time without having to compromise the quality of the thesis. It is mandatory that the students participating in the course are present at the introduction/roll call.

The alloted time for supervising is limited. In case of a non-approved thesis (the grade Fail) within the supervising time frame, the student is not entitled to receive any additional supervision time or a new supervisor, but may continue on his/her own and come back for reassessment. In total the student is allowed to have the thesis assessed five times.

The thesis is written in groups of two students.