PSY4521 – Project Development and Methodology
Course description
Course content
This course offers an in-depth and hands-on approach to writing up a project outline using quantitative and/or qualitative research methods, with a view to prepare you for undertaking the methods of choice for your Master’s Thesis.
Learning outcome
By the end of the course, it is intended that you will be able to:
Understand how to design a research project by using qualitative or quantitative data
Formulate research questions that may be addressed using quantitative/qualitative or mixed methods
Make good decisions about when to use qualitative and/or quantitative methods
Articulate reasons for choosing a particular methodological approach
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
The course is obligatory for all students in the Helse, utvikling og samfunn discipline on the Master`s Degree in Psychology.
Overlapping courses
- 5 credits overlap with PSY4520 – Qualitative Methods and Project Development (discontinued).
- 5 credits overlap with PSYM4821 – Project Development and Methodology (discontinued).
Teaching
This course relies on your active participation! It will be a much more interesting and worthwhile learning experience if you attend all the classes and take part as fully as possible in discussion and other activities. Here is an outline of the ways in which you are asked to participate:
- Do the required readings, plus further readings of your own, and be ready to discuss them in seminars.
- Attend classes (note that 75% attendance of lectures and seminars is compulsory)
- Contribute to seminar discussions and activities.
Diary of Readings and Reflections
You are encouraged to keep a diary of readings and reflections throughout this course. This will help you to make good use of the course in planning your masters project. You are not being asked to hand the diary in with your course work.
The course include lectures and seminars. The lectures are focused on topics that will help you plan and prepare you for your Master thesis. The seminars are focused for each specialization and focus on topics to help you plan your Master project. It is expected that you at the end of this course will hand in a project description describing your master project using a research template.
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Compulsory tuition activities are valid for the 2 next semesters after approval date.
Absence from compulsory tuition activities
If you are ill or have another valid reason for being absent from compulsory tuition activities, your absence may be approved or the compulsory activity may be postponed.
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
Assessment for this course is a written project outline intended to help you prepare for your master`s thesis.
The course will be marked pass/fail.
Length and format
7-10 pages, including reference list in APA format
Times New Roman font size 12 (permitted to use 9-point font for the list of references and figure text)
Single line spacing
A4 with 2 cm margins
Pages numbered
If you are unsure about APA formatting, please check a source such as:
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/
Examination support material
Generating all or part of the exam answer using AI tools such as Chat GPT or similar is not allowed.
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
If you are an exchange student, please note that you will receive a pass or fail for this course and this cannot be converted into an A-F grading scale.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.