Study Guide MA in International Studies 2010

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Study Guide

MA programme in

International Studies

STUDY GUIDE CENTRE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND AREA STUDIES

APRIL 2010


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Contents

Introduction.............................................................................................................. 3

Purpose 3

Admission requirements 3

Legal Authority 4

Forms of study 4

Study guidance 5Exam Regulations 7

Exam attemptsAssessmentParticipation in a courseResult of testCredit transfer (credit module form)Elective coursesWritten paper

Register for an examUnregister for an examFile a complaint

Structure of the programme 10

Description of the disciplines .............................................................................. 11

Modern Global History ................................................................... 11

International Political Economy ................................................... 12

Global Society .................................................................................. 12International Relations and Organization .................................... 13

Project Management ........................................................................ 13

Global Justice .................................................................................... 14

Project (Internship)/Elective course ............................................. 14

Thesis ................................................................................................. 17

Thesis rules and procedure .................................................................................. 27


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IntroductionThis guide is a supplement to Academic Regulations for the Masters DegreeProgramme in International Studies , and it is recommended that it is readalongside the present guide. The guide expands and comments on theformalities and at times perfunctorily directives in the academic regulations. Fordetails concerning exams and the grading system, please keep posted on theactual academic regulations.

PurposeThe objective of the Masters degree programme is to:

develop the specialist knowledge and abilities of students and increase their

theoretical and methodical qualifications and independence compared withthe bachelor level; give students specialist insight by using advanced elements of the

disciplines and methods of the subject area/areas, including training inacademic work and methods, developing the ability of students to performmore specialised vocational functions and to participate in academicdevelopment work;

qualify students for further study, including PhD programmes.

Admission requirements Academic requirements: Access to the Masters Programme in InternationalStudies at the University of Aarhus requires successful completion of either aBachelor degree within Social Sciences (Economics, Law, Political Science orother Social Sciences), or a Bachelor degree within Humanities containing orsupplemented by at least 30 ECTS credits within Anthropology, EuropeanStudies, Economics, Law, Political Science or other Social Sciences.

Language requirements: As English is the language of instruction, non-nativespeakers of English are required to provide evidence of their English languageproficiency in one of the following ways:

Certified documentation of B-niveau (B-level) in English from a Danishentrance examination

TOEFL test results of at least 560 (paper-based), or 220 (computer-based test)or 83 (internet-based test) The Aarhus University TOEFL code is 8935

IELTS test with a minimum score of 6.5 points Cambridge/Oxford Certificate/Test in Advanced English "C1 level" obtained by examination from a CEFR-validated English language

course.


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English-taught entrance examination (upper secondary school/high school)or Bachelors degree

English language qualifications obtained through at least 210 hours of

English lessons (1 hour = 60 minutes) in a non-Danish entrance examination.

Only students who fulfil the minimum requirements, mentioned above, shouldapply.

Legal AuthorityThe Masters degree programme in International Studies at the University of Aarhus is an academic programme pursuant to the Executive Orders onBachelors and Masters degree programmes at Danish Universities (ExecutiveOrder no. 338 of 6 May 2004).

Students are responsible for keeping themselves informed about the rules,currently in effect, regarding the degree programme.

Forms of StudyFor some students, it can be quite a radical change studying at a Danishuniversity. Life as a student entails a great deal of free time, but nonethelessyou must still take responsibility of managing your free time in a sensible way.For some international students, it can be quite surprising how few lessons youactually receive. Because of that, you cannot expect to have the full textsreviewed in class. During lessons, substantial texts will normally be presentedand first of all discussed in class. Normally, tuition is given in classes of approximately 40 students. Tuition can consist of expositions on differenttopics given by the instructor, but will often consist of discussions regardingpresentations or questions, stated by either the instructor or the students. Youcan either give oral presentations or work on smaller written assignments. It canalso occur that classes are divided into smaller groups given or undertakingspecific assignments. However, significant work is more or less accomplishedout of class, consisting of reading and writing assignments. It is essential thatyou yourself take responsibility for your studies.

However, you are not only responsible for yourself. Tuition should also be acollective process and can only be successful if all students participate in aprepared and active way. By being unprepared and inactive, you only loweryour own and your fellow students learning abilities. You realise and learn alot more during conversations with others.

An important part of studying is being part of a study group. Getting used todiscussing and supporting one another is extremely rewarding from the verystart.


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Study Guidance During a study individual problems often arise to which the written studyguide has no answer. If such problems arise or you have any doubts in general,you can consult the student counsellor at the Study Guide Centre at The Instituteof History and Area Studies . As the student counsellor is bound to secrecy, youcan also talk about more personal problems and difficulties. E.g. it is a goodidea to talk to the student counsellor if you are thinking about leaving yourstudy. The student counsellor can also provide information about thepossibilities of exemptions from the academic regulations, e.g. in connectionwith tests and exams taken elsewhere, and refer to other kinds of help andcounselling, if needed.

The opening hours of The Study Guide Centre at The Institute of History andArea Studies are Monday to Friday between 9.30 and 10.30 for enquiries bytelephone and between 10.30 and 14.00 for personal enquiries.Tel. 8942 2022E-mail: [email protected]/vejledningscenter/kontakt

You may also seek supervision elsewhere. Below is information about a numberof supervision authorities which students may make use of. Information aboutopening hours etc. can be found at the websites stated:

The Faculty of Humanities: Questions of a more general character can be asked tothe Faculty of Humanities Secretariat. This could typically be questions aboutsubsidiary and supplementary subjects, individually scheduled electivesubjects, how to get part of your education at other Danish universities, rules of admission, change of study, credit transfers etc.www.humaniora.au.dk

The Study Administration: Questions about admission, registration, change of study and the like can be asked to the University Studies Office. This is also theplace to get forms for application for leave, change of study, admission etc. The

office is open daily between 10.00 and 14.00, Thursday, however, between 10.00and 16.00.E-mail: [email protected]/da/adm/studkont

Counselling and Support Centre: The Study Centre is the offer of the University of Aarhus for students with special needs of counselling, supervision and aids.The target group is students with:

Study related problems due to a physical or psychical disability (handicap)

Another linguistic or cultural background than Danish


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Careers Guidance: Careers guidance is an offer for all students at the Universityof Aarhus. The careers guidance is not just an offer for graduates and nearly-graduates, but also for students who want to clarify competences and think jobopportunities during their education.

It is also possible for students to get individual career guidance in the guidancecentre and from counsellors at the Faculty of Humanities and the StudyAdministration. At the university's web portal for career guidance you can findinformation about present lectures, courses and arrangements, good advice for job applications, rules for enrolment in an unemployment fund, trade unionsand pension funds and information about diploma in education and uppersecondary school teacher jobs. You will find the career guidance portal at:www.au.dk/da/erhvervsvejledning

Exam Regulations

Each subject has been assigned a number of ECTS points compared to how largea part of the year's full-time studies the test makes up. 60 ECTS pointscorrespond to one year of full-time studies. It is therefore expected that thestudent is able to take tests corresponding to 30 ECTS points after eachsemester.

Exam attemptsStudents are given no more than three attempts to pass each examination. TheBoard of Studies for the Institute of History and Area Studies may grantdispensation for a fourth or fifth examination attempt if deemed justified due toexceptional circumstances. Unusual conditions could be illness or death in thenear family. An extra examination attempt due to illness usually requires amedical certificate.

EvaluationExaminations are either internal or external. Internal examinations are assessed by one examiner, or by an examiner and a co-examiner. External examinationsare assessed by an internal examiner and an external examiner appointed by theDanish Ministry of Education.

The marking scale of 7 or the assessment pass/fail applies to all examinations.Class participation is assessed pass/fail.

Participation in coursesExaminations passed by means of class participation require active, regular and

satisfactory participation in the course concerned. Active means participating


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in the activities connected to the course (general preparation, oral presentations,minor written tasks, minor media productions etc.). Regular meansparticipating in at least 75% of the lessons provide, distributed regularlythroughout the semester. Satisfactory means achieving the level required topass the examination in question.

It is solely the judgment of the specialist teacher that determines whether thecondition active, regular and satisfactory participation has been fulfilled; but thespecialist teacher should at the beginning of the course announce which criteriaare taken as a basis.

Result of testThe student has the right to get the result of a test no later than six weeks afterhaving done the test. The board of studies fixes a date for publication of theevaluation. The result of the examination can be seen in "Self-service forstudents" immediately after the evaluation. You will get the mark for yourMasters thesis two months after handing in the thesis.

Credit transferIn individual cases or under general rules adopted by the Board of Studies, theBoard of Studies may allow element passed under other degree programmes atthe same level under this executive order to replace elements of the degreeprogramme (credit transfer). The Board of Studies may also allow elementspassed under the Danish or international degree programmes at the same levelto replace elements of the degree programme in International Studies. Credittransfer of a thesis is not possible.

Elective coursesElective courses must be approved the same way as a credit transfer. You mustsubmit a credit module form to the Board of Studies, if you chose an electivesubject outside the institute. The host department must sign the form.You will find the form at www.au.dk/da/adm/indskriv/meritmodul.pdf . Theform is in Danish but you are welcome to come to the Student Guide Centre toget help to fill it out. You can also get the form in the Student Guide Centre.

Written papersThe length of written examination papers is also calculated in standard pages of 2,400 characters (including spaces). Written examination papers must besupplied with a front page form which can be picked up at the secretariat ortaken from the website of the department. Calculating the length of anexamination paper includes notes, but not bibliography, title page, table of contents, summary or appendices, if any. On the front page form the number of words included in the examination paper must be stated. All written papershave an allowed minimum and maximum extent. This should be taken literally,meaning that not even small deviations are allowed. Papers being too short or


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too long do not meet the formal requirements of the academic regulations andwill therefore not be passed.

When evaluating the papers, the academic content weighs most. I.e. the paper isevaluated primarily on the understanding of the academic material, thesharpness of the analyses etc. But the academic content cannot be separatedfrom its presentation. Therefore, the ability to spell and to express oneself alsocounts in the evaluation. It is not possible to state exactly how much the abilityto spell and express oneself means.

Register for courses and examsAs a student at the Institute of History and Area Studies you have to register forthe courses you are going to attend in the coming semester, even though thecourses might be mandatory. You have to register for courses via the studentsself-service here: https://mit.au.dk/ Here you have to choose the linkUndervisningstilmelding and then the appropriate programme. On the basisof new regulations the course registration is simultaneously a registration forexams. Therefore the students have to state what kind of exam the chosencourses should be used for. Step 1: selection of the courses one wishes to attend;Step 2: selection of what kind of exam one wishes to attach to the chosencourses. It is possible to change your exam registration from 1 to 17 October inthe Autumn semester and from 1 to 17 March in the spring semester.

Unregister for an examStudents can unregister from an exam via the Self-service for students.Deadline for unregistering an exam is one week before the start date of theexam concerned. The consequence of later unregistering, lack of submission of an examination paper or absence from the examination will be that the testcounts as a used attempt unless the student can present a valid medicalcertificate. If so, the examination attempt will be cancelled and the student mayapply for permission to take a re-examination.

File a complaintIf you feel you have been treated unfairly in connection with an exam, you mayfile a complaint. At first it will be reasonable to address the examiner to discussit with him or her. If this does not lead to a clarification, you may send a writtenand substantiated complaint to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities. Thismust be done no later than 2 weeks after the publication of the evaluation of thetest. The Dean of the faculty presents the complaint to the examiner and theexternal examiner. They may make a new evaluation, offer re-examination orreject the complaint. The decision is communicated to the Dean of the faculty inwriting no later than 2 weeks after the receipt of the complaint. Immediatelyafter this the Dean of the faculty informs the examinee about the result. If thecomplaint is completely or partly rejected, the examinee may insist on the case being presented to an appeals board. Such an appeal, which must be in writing


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and substantiated, must be presented to the Dean of the faculty no later than 2weeks after the examinee has been informed about the rejection of the complaint by the examiner and the external examiner.

The appeals board consists of 4 members. The examiner chairman appoints 2examiners and the Board of Studies of History and Area Studies appoints 1teacher and 1 student. The appeals board can: 1) raise the mark, 2) assign a newevaluation with new assessors, 3) offer re-examination with new assessors or 4)reject the complaint. The decision of the appeals board cannot be presented toother administrative authorities. Neither the complaint nor the appeal can resultin lower marks than the one originally given.

Structure of the Programme

International Studies at the University of Aarhus is a two-year MA programmewith English as the language of instruction. The programme includes threesemesters of full time course work, a project or international internship, and afinal thesis written under supervision during the fourth semester.

The Masters degree programme in International Studies is organised in thefollowing way:

1. semester 2. semester 3. semester 4. semester ModernGlobalHistory(10 ECTS)

InternationalRelations andOrganizations(10 ECTS)

Project/ Electivecourses(30 ECTS)

Thesis(30 ECTS)

InternationalPoliticalEconomy(10 ECTS)

ProjectManagement(10 ECTS)

GlobalSociety(10 ECTS)

Global Justice(10 ECTS)

The core courses are Modern Global History, International Political Economy,Global Society, International Relations and Organizations, Project Management,and Global Justice.

The student can choose elective courses among the full array of Universitycourses offered in Aarhus and it is recommended to take a traineeship duringthe 3 rd semester of the study. The student may compose the 3 rd semester withelective subjects and/or internship, corresponding to a total of 30 ECTS.


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Guest lecturers and prospective employers from businesses, institutions, andorganizations with an international scope are part of the course and projectdesign.

Descriptions of the disciplines

Modern Global History

With the current speed of changes and development, whole societies are in asituation where they feel they need to catch-up with globalisation. The tensions between the global and the national as well as the local form todays political,economic, cultural and social paradigms. The main concepts informing theseparadigms can be understood through the study of modern global history.

The objective of the course in Modern Global History is thus for the students tolearn how understandings of history inform many current political, economicand business decision-making processes and negotiations. During the cause of the course the student should be able to identify the historical dimensions of thecomplexities of globalisation in the relationship between nation-states, regions,supranational global networks, businesses, and international corporations andorganisations.

An introduction to various perspectives on what constitutes history and the

centres and margins of the world should sensitize the students to the diversitywithin modern global history. In order to understand approaches to history andto grasp modern global history, students will be acquainted with theoreticalapproaches to modernity and modern history, with different modes of doinghistory beyond the nation-state, especially through an understanding of conceptual history; finally, students will get acquainted with historicaldevelopments from the nineteenth century until today.

International Political Economy

International political economy addresses the complex relationship betweeninternational politics and international economics, specifically relations betweenstates and markets, between states and international institutions as well as between states and civil society actors, such as companies, NGOs and otherinterest groups. With ever increasing economic globalisation these complexinteractions have become increasingly more important and they impact onvirtually every economic, social and political event on the globe.

An important dividing line in the international political economy concerns the

relationship between the rich and well-organised states and the poorer


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members of the world community. This North-South divide (and to some extentremnants of an East-West divide) continues to characterize the internationalpolitical economy, but new divisions and new alliances across these traditionaldividing lines are constantly emerging, not least because major modernizingstates (BRIC: Brazil, Russia, India, and China) are of increasing importance.

The course will introduce the main theories in the field, outline the historicalemergence of an integrated world economy with a particular emphasis on thepost-World War II period, identify its evolving governance structure, i.e. themain international organisations, major international regimes and the mostimportant current problems. The global management of the financial crisis (orlack of management) will play an important role here.

Global Society

Nothing in todays fast moving world can be understood properly without asense of the global and the complex international connections that make upsociety and politics. The International Studies MA at Aarhus University equipsstudents to think beyond the local, national and regional.

The course in Global Society equips students with tools to assess to what extentthe contemporary world can be described as global, globalised or globalising.Building on and/or in parallel to the course on Global Modern History, itprovides an introduction to the study of globalisation reflecting the broadcontributions of sociologists, human geographers, anthropologists and others tothese debates. It provides solid grounding in key concepts and dimensions of globalisation, including notions of migration, mobilities, regional and globalintegration, glocalisation, transnationalism, flows, networks and scapes, andalso seeks to identify concrete ways in which such theoretical debates can andhave been operationalised in empirical terms.

The course begins with reflection on the key historical question of thecomparative intensity and extensity of globalisation today in comparison withthe age of empire and nation-state formation in the late 19th century; it will thentrace the trajectory of regional integration(s) and globalisation in the post-WorldWar II era, before looking at various dimensions of globalisation today in moredetail. It will seek to bring in non-anglo-centric, non-eurocentric views of theworld, including the broad literature on post-colonialism; it will also make broad use of the comparison of globalisation in North America, Europe andAsia, as well as questions concerning global cities, global networks andorganisations, and forms of globalisation apparently challenging the dominantorganisation of the modern world into nation-state-societies.


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International Relations and Organisations

In an increasingly globalised world, it becomes ever more important to be ableto navigate knowingly and prudently. The study of international relationstheory provides the necessary take-off competences for such navigation.The aimof the course is to familiarize you with analytical tools that can help you deepenyour understanding of contemporary international relations and organisations.The course is designed to engage you in building an advanced understanding of global key issues.

You will first be introduced to the major theoretical traditions withinInternational Relations: liberalism, realism, the international society tradition,international political economy, and the post-positivist tradition. In this fashion,you will achieve a thorough understanding of international relations through avariety of theoretical lenses. Furthermore, the course will provide you with anunderstanding of how key actors - states, firms, non-governmentalorganisations (NGOs) and international organisations - interact in worldpolitics.

To this end, the course includes three modules. The first gives you anunderstanding of the nature of international organisations, examiningcontemporary developments in some of the prominent internationalorganisations (UN, WTO, IMF, etc.). The second module looks into the complex

issue of globalisation. The third module examines the EU and its role in theworld. Modules will be illustrated by means of case studies, ensuring anintegration of theoretical and empirical practical knowledge. In general, thecourse critically appraises claims for explaining, understanding and shaping thecourse of events.

Project Management

Projects are increasingly used to solve unique and complex tasks and to increase

synergy by bringing together specialists to work for a common goal. Projectsrange in scope from small internal to large complex international projects aswell as in the outcome ranging from construction of pre-specified units (like a bridge) to highly political and ill-defined tasks (like reducing poverty in aregion of a developing country). During the course we will discuss:

Projects as a special type of organisation. What distinguishes a project from a bureaucracy and a simple organisation?

Establishing a project. How to define and organise a project. Project planning. How to specify the course of a project. Requirements and designs. How to specify the intended result of a project.


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Project control. How to measure and regulate progress in project work. Storytelling in projects. How to assist the stakeholders' sense making and

motivation.

Project strategies. How to design an overall approach that can lead to theintended results without upsetting the balances around the project.

Organisation and management of international projects.

Global Justice

A breach of the law at a particular place in the world will be a breach of the lawfor everybody in the world. The German philosopher Kant noted this more than200 years ago but we still have some way to go before we have even atolerable level of global justice.

Some states have been relatively successful in creating justice within its borders formal rule-of-law justice as well as social justice. However, many states forone reason or the other have not been able to create any acceptable standard of justice, and we do not have sufficient devices in place for securing global rule of law, let alone global social justice.

In this course on Global Justice we shall take a closer look at the state of the art,what we have in terms of international law, international human rights,international accountability for atrocities and how we conceive the prevailingsituation in terms of ideas and theories of global justice.

Project (Internship) /Elective Course

Each student formulates an individual project either based on an internship orelements from the core courses to be applied in praxis. In both instances theobjective is for the student to operationalize parts of the core curriculum inrelation to a potential job market. The project can be designed as a pilot projectfor the final thesis.

Competences:Through working on the subject matters, the student obtains academic andsocial competences regarding to:

Translating and mediating between different disciplines and therequirements of the project;

Identifying, combining, and applying relevant methods and perspectivesfrom different disciplines in order to solve specific problems outside a coursesetting;


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Designing projects to match specific requirements posed by variousstakeholders;

Reflecting on the added value of combining perspectives and tolls fromdifferent disciplines.

You may compose the 30 ECTS within the discipline.

If you choose an internship:In order to acquire 10 ECTS for the internship it must be at least 6 weeks andapproximately equal to 222 working hours (a Danish full time week is 37 hours);In order to acquire 20 ECTS for the internship it must be at least 12 weeks andapproximately 444 hours;In order to acquire 30 ECTS for the internship it must be at least 18 weeks andapproximately 666 hours.

Before the internship begins, an agreement must be signed between theinternship host and the Board of Studies. The agreement should as a minimumcontain: place of work; kind of work; duration of internship; contactperson/supervisor; wage (if applicable); publication; copy right.See www.iho.au.dk/agreement_internship for further information.

Examination:Portfolio exam consisting of 1) a written report including a description of thetraining period and reflections over the benefits acquired during the trainingperiod. The report should be a maximum of 9 pages. 2) A sample of the workconducted during the training and 3) a letter of recommendation from the host.It is assessed as a passed/not passed exam.

Internship in combination with an elective course:If you choose an internship with duration of 6 to 17 weeks and thus are onlyable to earn 10 or 20 ECTS, you should choose one or two elective topics.

You can choose courses inside and outside the Institute of History and AreaStudies. The Board of Studies must approve course selections in light of students thesis topic plans.Each semester the Board of Studies publishes a list of possible elective subjectsat the institute.You must submit a credit module form to the Board of Studies. If you havechosen an elective subject outside the institute, the host department must signthe form.

Examination:The examination takes place at the host depart, ref. the examination regulationsof the academic regulations where the course is offered. The discipline will be


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transferred to your study programme with the mark originally obtained. If theelective subject has been offered at the Institute of History and Area Studies,you are usually examined according to the academic regulations where it isoffered, unless otherwise agreed with the Board of Studies.

Information about traineeships and project co-operation with businesses in theCounty of Aarhus can be found at Projektzone.dk. Projektzone arrangesinternships and project co-operation agreements between businesses andstudents at the University of Aarhus and the Aarhus School of Business.The project zone can be found at: www.projektzone.dk

If you do not do an internship:If you prefer not to do an internship you have to choose Project 1.

Competences:The student is able to test competences in a practical setting and shoulddemonstrate an understanding of the practical implications of the applicationsof tools taught in the core courses.

Description:In consultation with a supervisor the student will select elements from the core

courses to be tested on a specific case with international implications in theprivate or public sector. The objective is for the student to operationalize partsof the core curriculum in relation to a potential job market. The project can bedesigned as a pilot project for the final thesis.

Examination:A written report of maximum 18 pages consisting of a description of the project,a description of the project findings, reflections on the advantages anddisadvantages of the project design. It is assessed as a passed/not passed exam.

You furthermore have to take 10 + 10 ECTS in elective topics.

You can choose courses inside and outside the department of History and AreaStudies. The Board of Studies must approve course selections in light of students thesis topic plans.

Examination:An individually written paper of maximum 12 pages. It is assessed as apassed/not passed exam.


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ThesisCompetences:The thesis allows the student to perform a major task through a sustainedperiod of work. Writing the thesis enables the student to employ a variety of theskills and competences acquired through the programme in InternationalStudies within a single analytical framework.

Description:The thesis should train the students ability to work independently, analytically,and scientifically with a comprehensive body of material. It may consist in thecompletion of a task identified by an international company or organization.The student applies to the Board of Studies to be assigned a supervisor.

Teaching form:Individual supervision.

Examination:Written individual thesis on an optional subject. It should be about 60-80 pagesin length including notes but excluding the bibliography. The student chooses atopic in consultation with a supervisor at the beginning of the third semester;the thesis is due at the end of fourth semester. The thesis is externally graded.

Thesis rules and procedure

You must send in an application for assignment of a supervisor to the board of studies. The application form can be found on www.iho.au.dk/thesis . Theapplication must be sent in well in advance of the commencement of the courseof events, however no later than 1 month before. If you have already made anagreement with a supervisor, you should state this in your application.

As a starting point you can only apply for a supervisor within IHO (except

students at International Studies who can also apply for a supervisor amongpartners). If, however, you have special reasons for wanting an externalsupervisor, you must send in a separate reasoned application to the board of studies.

The dates for commencement of the thesis are:

1st February 1st September


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The deadline for handing in the thesis is 6 months later, i.e. 31st July and 28thFebruary respectively. In exceptional cases you may commence writing yourMasters thesis at other times (see Special Conditions).

The supervisor sends the form Masters Thesis Agreement to the Board of Studies. From the Masters thesis agreement the time of commencement anddeadline, the wording of the assignment (working title), the supervision plan and changes, if any, to this must appear, if the board of studies has made anexemption from exceeding the time limit.

A wording of the assignment is to be understood as a synonymy for a workingtitle.

Individual SupervisionAt the beginning of the semester writing the thesis the supervisor and thestudent agree upon working title, literature, supervision plan for the Mastersthesis and supervision. The latter usually includes an agreement about meetings between supervisor and the student at least once a month. The meeting must be based on a written draft from the student which has been sent to the supervisorin advance. A total of 30 hours are available for supervision of a Masters thesis.The title of the Masters thesis must be determined a month before deadline.The title must be reported on a form to the board of studies. After the final titlehas been reported to the board of studies, no supervision can be given.

Collective Supervision about Writing the ThesisThe student counsellors invite all students in each subject of the year tocollective supervision about writing a Masters Thesis. The students areinformed about rules, the possibilities of getting a supervisor, the possibilities of preparation before the writing commences etc.

Focus on Writing the Masters Thesis and Wording of the AssignmentThe study administrator invites the future writers of a Masters thesis to acollective supervision focusing on making the students ready to commencewriting the Masters thesis and getting the wording of the assignment approvedat the beginning of the next semester. The students must be assigned asupervisor at this time according to the instructions of the board of studies. Atthe supervision meeting you are encouraged to set up Masters thesis groups.

The Supervisors Inform about the Course of the Masters ThesisThe supervisors call all their new Masters thesis students to a meeting with thepurpose of informing and agreeing upon the conditions of the further course of events.


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Missing Exams in Excess of the Masters ThesisIf a student is more than 20 ECTS points late compared to the normal studyplan, he/she cannot commence writing the Masters thesis.

If a student is up to 20 ECTS points late compared to the normal study plan, itwill be written in the Masters thesis contract that the deadline for handing inthe Masters thesis is put off with up to four months.

It is assumed that the missing exams are passed during the first semester of writing of the Masters thesis. If the missing exams have not been passed beforethe Masters thesis has to be handed in (cf. the deadline set in the Masters thesisagreement), the Masters thesis cannot be passed. The regulations for Masterstheses that are not handed in in due time will come into force.

For students registered after the 1995 announcement other regulations aboutprogression are valid as, according to the announcement, the Masters thesismust not be last in the progress of the study. This means that a specialagreement can be entered even if other exams are missing, corresponding tomore than 20 ECTS points stipulated in the regulations of IHO. All otherregulations are, however, valid for the Masters thesis for all students,irrespective of the registration conditions.

Leave, Illness, Special Personal Conditions, Traineeship etc.During writing the Masters thesis the usual regulations are valid regardingillness, i.e. the student can seek postponement of the deadline owing todocumented illness. The student writing the Masters thesis must procuredocumentation according to common practice. The board of studies will take adecision on the extent of the postponement of the deadline based on thedocumentation submitted.

The student writing the Masters thesis may during writing of the Mastersthesis seek leave from the university according to valid regulations. The studentcan, however, not get any supervision during leave. Furthermore the studentwriting the Masters thesis cannot get any financial assistance (SU) during leave.

In case of maternity leave, the student writing the Masters thesis must alwayscontact the Supervision centre at the institute.

The student may seek postponement of the deadlines for commencing andhanding in the Masters thesis due to other conditions such as traineeship,special personal conditions etc. An application (with documentation) must besent to the board of studies.

Handing in the Masters ThesisMasters theses must be handed in on 28th February and 31st July.


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The Masters thesis must be handed in within normal hours in the board of studies secretariat (Lise Hansen) in Building 1410, Room 145.

Three copies of the Masters thesis must be handed in.

Evaluation of the Masters ThesisThe Masters thesis is evaluated with a mark according to the Danish 7-pointmarking scale. No Masters thesis statement is drawn up.

Masters Thesis not PassedIf a Masters thesis handed in is not passed, it means that the student has usedan examination attempt, cf. the Danish Universities Act. As in all other tests youalso have 3 examination attempts when writing the Masters thesis.

The supervisor calls in the student for at talk where the student is informedabout the supervisors and the external examiners reasons for the mark and aplan is made for improvement of the Masters thesis to make it pass. At asubsequent supervision meeting a revised Masters thesis agreement is made,with a revised title and a deadline 3 months later.

At the latest 14 days following the evaluation of the Masters thesis (orfollowing the date it should have been handed in) the supervisor approves anew wording of the assignment and a revised supervision plan. A newagreement is entered and approved by the supervisor. Deadline is 3 monthsafter the original deadline.

The same applies to exceeding the deadline.

Masters Thesis not Handed in in due TimeIf a Masters thesis is not handed in at the deadline set it means that the studenthas used an examination attempt, cf. the Danish Universities Act. Theprocedure will then be the same as applies to Masters theses not passed (seeabove).

At repeated exceeding of the deadline the same applies.


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Study Guide MA in International Studies 2010