Bachelor Thesis

Introduction

The bachelor thesis is a major independent project, where students are required to formulate a problem statement within BI's subject areas and take full responsibility for conducting a research or investigative project. The thesis is written individually or in groups of up to three students.

All bachelor theses must contain at least the following:

• introduction: background and motivation for the thesis, problem formulation with limitations, and information about the structure of the thesis
• literature review: the theoretical foundation of the thesis
• methodology chapter: explaining in detail how data has been collected, analyzed, and interpreted
• presentation of data findings
• analysis of data findings
• discussion of analysis results
• Conclusion: answering the research problems and recommendations for further research

Any deviations from this structure must be approved by the supervisor. Certain types of theses may contain additional chapters.

Course content

Students choose their own topic and research question. The research question must be approved by the supervisor. The course is conducted for all students through a combination of common lectures, teaching sessions, and individual guidance in smaller groups.

The common instruction sessions first provide information about the fundamental requirements and expectations for a bachelor's thesis and include:

• a general introduction to philosophy of science and methodology
• a review of the different steps of the research process
• a review and discussion of fundamental research ethics principles

Subsequently, the instruction is divided into two parts:

1. The Writing Component, which covers:

• the different phases of the writing process
• what constitutes a good research question
• how to ensure good structure in a text
• how to use, write good summaries of, and rewrite (paraphrase) academic literature
• what constitutes good language (academic writing style)
• how to receive – and give – good feedback on text
• text editing
• literature searching and information literacy, reference technique and management.
• AI (Artificial Intelligence) and source criticism
• Critical perspectives on AI as a writing tool and analytical tool. The writing component should be attended by all students writing a bachelor's thesis

2. The Methodology Component 

The methodology component of the common instruction focuses on qualitative research methods. The reason for this is that all bachelor's programs already include one or more courses covering quantitative methods in their course portfolio. Students who need a refresher in quantitative methods are encouraged to use the digital learning resources on quantitative methods available in the course room:  https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification 

The following topics are covered in the methodology component:

• what we aim to achieve with research – qualitative research strategies
• how to collect qualitative data – qualitative research methods, document analysis, interviews, and observation
• how to organize and interpret qualitative data – qualitative analysis techniques

The methodology component should be attended by students planning to use qualitative methods in their bachelor's thesis.

Teaching and guidance in smaller groups are organized by each supervisor:

• All students are entitled to a minimum of 3 individual guidance sessions
• Additionally, the supervisor may organize seminars, workshops, and/or discipline-based teaching
• If the supervisor does not conduct seminars, workshops, or discipline-based teaching, the students are entitled to 5 individual guidance sessions

Disclaimer

This is an excerpt from the complete course description for the course. If you are an active student at BI, you can find the complete course descriptions with information on eg. learning goals, learning process, curriculum and exam at portal.bi.no. We reserve the right to make changes to this description.