At least 60 credits in the main field of study Leadership and Organisation at advanced level. The courses OL673E and OL674E must be completed.

This course is included in the main area Leadership and Organisation at advanced level of 91-120 credits.

The aim of the course is for the students to develop an expertise within the field of Leadership and Organization by carrying out an independent study and subsequently writing and defending a Master’s thesis. The aim is also to develop and deepen the students’ abilities to critically examine and evaluate research. The students shall also demonstrate improved methodological knowledge.

The course consists of independent work on a Master’s thesis with qualified supervision. Instances of group supervision and research seminars will also be included. The students shall independently complete a clearly defined study concerning an issue which the students choose themselves in agreement with the supervisor. The investigation shall result in a thesis that shall be presented and defended at a thesis seminar. The students shall also actively participate in the critical discussion of the thesis of their course peers. Each student will at least once initiate the critical discussion as the opponent at a thesis seminar.

After finishing the course the students should have:

1. Acquired the insights and competences that are required to be able to participate in a meaningful way in the process of seeking knowledge, ultimately testing this attained knowledge by means of a seminar.
2. The ability to clearly define a problem within the field of Leadership and Organization by delineating and executing a study that is relevant for the defined problem.
3. The abilityto present results clearly and intelligibly, mainly in writing but also orally.
4. Developed an independent ability to consider available knowledge, collect relevant material and to select research methods that are appropriate for the chosen topic.
5. Developed an independent ability to interpret and analyze material and make conclusions based on it.
6. The ability, in dialogue with peers, to analyze and reflect upon the design and results of different types of research assignments in a constructive manner.

The learning activities consist mainly of independent thesis work – formulating a research question, literature studies, collection of material and thesis writing. The students will be assisted by a supervisor, potentially with instances of group supervision and methodological seminars. The central and concluding element of the course is the thesis seminar.

The course is examined by the completion of an independently written thesis, 30 credits, which includes presenting the aforementioned thesis at a thesis seminar, opposition on a thesis written by a peer and active and constructive participation at the thesis seminars. Grading scale UA.

Learning outcomes 1-5 are assessed based on the quality of the student’s thesis. The assessment is made by an examiner who has not supervised the student’s thesis work. The assessment shall consider the student’s contributions to the constructive discussions of the theses of its peers in the concluding seminars (learning outcome 6). The examiner shall, if necessary, consult supervisors and other teachers on the course in the assessment process.

The students are expected to independently identify, evaluate and use literature which is relevant for the chosen research question.

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.

The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.