Master's Thesis, Research Plan (10cr)

Objectives (course unit)

The student has a research plan for the thesis and has had a thesis seminar with the supervisor or in a group.

Content (course unit)

Independently carrying out the first part of the Master's thesis, a thesis seminar, individual guidance and supervision.

Location and time

Timing of preparing the research plan is the 2nd semester, or latest the 3rd semester.

Assessment scale

Pass/Fail

Teaching methods

The Master's Thesis research plan follows after the course "Academic Research and Practices" course. The students will work on it individually and will get feedback from both the peers and the thesis supervisor.

Learning materials

The main literature and material used for the research plan will be introduced in the Academic Research and Practices course.

Content scheduling

The Master's thesis research plan in the MEL programme includes the following parts:

Introduction
Title of the MEL thesis development project
The objectives and purpose of the project (what?):
• A brief overall description of the project's context.
• The strategic question that guides the project.
• The objectives of the project.
The justification for the project (why?).
The research questions (what? - again, but in more detail):
• Identify and discuss the research questions that you will answer in the project
An overview of the appropriate literature:
• Mapping the main writers in the field and their arguments
• Definition of key concepts and outlining of conceptual framework if necessary and possible (how conceptually?)
Research design:
• What methodological approach are you going to adopt?
• Research methods, samples, methods for analyzing research material.
Practical and ethical issues:
• Does the research raise any ethical concerns that need to be resolved?
• Are there any potential problems of research access?
• Are there any resource issues such as e.g. access to specialist databases?
• Are there issues of commercial confidentially or intellectual property rights?
A personalized plan or timetable:
• Consider drafting a Gantt chart or WBS that plots against a time line when the major elements of the project will be done

Practical training and working life cooperation

The Master's thesis is typically a development project done for the own working organisation of the student. The research plan will focus on the development need of the working life.

Further information

Thesis reports are public. Usage of nonpublic material requires a contract between TAMK and the target organization.
Students have to write a maturity test on the field of the thesis to demonstrate their familiarity with the field.

Assessment criteria - pass/fail (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The research plan is accepted when it has all the necessary parts. It is also important that the research topic fulfills the requirements and the level of the Master's degree programme in question. The plan must be timed in a way that it will be possible for the student to graduate in a given time frame.The research topic and the whole research plan will be evaluated and accepted by the thesis supervisor.