2BIO201 Master`s Degree Thesis in Biotechnology
- Course code2BIO201
- Number of credits60
- Teaching semester2026 Autumn, 2027 Spring
- Language of instruction and examinationEnglish
- CampusHamar
- Required prerequisite knowledge
Required prerequisites: Must have completed at least 50 ECTS
The thesis is an independent scientific investigation into a topic within the broad concept of biotechnology and/or life sciences. The thesis will be in the form and structure of a scientific manuscript. It is written in English or a Scandinavian language.
Students are offered thesis within the four main categories of biotechnology:
- Biomedical: focused on the prevention, treatment, or cure of disease, development of new therapies, and creation of new medical devices
- Agricultural: focused on the optimization of farming techniques, including soil management and genetic engineering of new crops
- Environmental: focused on developing more sustainable products and alternative sources of energy
- Bioinformatics: Bioinformatics is a branch of science that uses computers to store, retrieve, analyze, visualize, and distribute information related to biological macromolecules like DNA, RNA, and proteins. It is an interdisciplinary field that includes biology, computer science, chemistry, and statistics.
Learning outcome
Upon passing the course, students have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Students
- has advanced knowledge on the theories, methods and research as well as extensive knowledge on the most updated scientific literature within a specific topic in biotechnology chosen by the student.
Students
- can plan and design scientific activities, collect, analyse and visualize data for scientific research and use it to interpret and discuss own findings.
- can carry out an independent research or development project of considerable size.
- can present the results from own research to a scientific community.
Students
- can communicate own scientific research as well as other important research findings from peer-reviewed publications to researchers as well as to students, stakeholders and the general public.
- can apply his/her knowledge and skills in scientific projects.
- can analyse and discuss relevant research ethical problems.
Upon signing the supervision agreement, the students will commence work on their master's thesis. The thesis may include, but is not limited to, a literature review, laboratory experiments, and statistical analyses if required as well as writing. The final product may be submitted either as a conventional master's monograph or as a well-detailed report in article format, depending on the agreement between the student and the supervisor.
The following activities must be reported to the course coordinator by the supervisors to ensure the expected progress of the master's thesis. Progress will be registered in Fagpersonweb by the course coordinator. Each milestone must be completed before proceeding to the next.
- Within the first three weeks after signing the contract, the student must initiate a dialogue with the supervisor. Depending on the project and agreement, the supervisor may request a project description, literature review, or other preparatory tasks.
- A first draft of the Introduction must be submitted by 15 January.
- A compulsory 15-minute presentation covering the laboratory experiments and preliminary results must be delivered by 28 February.
- A first draft of the Materials and Methods section must be submitted by 30 March.
- A first draft of the Results section must be submitted by 30 April.
- The complete thesis must be submitted no later than 1 June.
| Form of assessment | Grading scale | Grouping | Duration of assessment | Support materials | Proportion | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Written examination with an adjusting oral examination | ECTS - A-F | Individual |
An examination committee consisting of an internal and external examiner will evaluate the written thesis and decide on a grade. The grading system is based on the letters from A-F, where E is the minimum passing grade. This grade may be subject to a minor adjustment based on an oral presentation and subsequent closed defence performed after thesis submission.