Master's Thesis, Disaster Management
Course content
The Master thesis is a research written report submitted at the end of the Master of Disaster Management.
Your Masters thesis should demonstrate that you are able to formulate, analyze and process problems/issues within the field of disaster risk management, which demands the integration of empirical data, theory and scientific research methods.
The thesis may be based on primary or secondary data and material.
The master’s thesis must be completed individually and must be completed in accordance with the MDMa Thesis Guidelines and approved thesis agreement; and must be submitted by the thesis submission deadline indicated in the MDMa exam schedule.
The thesis comprises a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 35 A4 pages (1 page = approximately 2400 characters including spaces). Preliminaries, annexes, and appendices are not included in this page count.
The master’s thesis must be accompanied with an abstract in English of no more than one A4 page. The abstract must summarize the problem statement, research questions, research objectives, the methods used, important findings, discussion, and conclusion. The abstract will be included in the overall assessment of the Master’s thesis.
The thesis process
1. Synopsis
2. Research proposal
3. Data collection
4. Participation in thesis seminar
5. Thesis incl. oral defence
Upon enrollment in the master's thesis, students are entitled to a max of 30 hours of total guidance from the main and/or co-supervisor for an individual master's thesis/project.
Master of Disaster Management - compulsory
This course is offered to MDMa full programme students only.
On completion of the thesis, students should be able to:
Knowledge
- Demonstrate insights into the research process from identifying the nature of a research problem, formulating research questions and translating these into research objectives.
- Understand the value of the choice of appropriate research methods.
Skills
- Collect necessary data/information and critically analyse, review and interpret own research in the context of existing literature.
- Give a thesis presentation, highlighting research problems and questions, research objectives, methods and main findings, conclusion and possible recommendations - as well as discussing critical questions and remarks regarding the findings and conclusions.
Competences
- Develop and present well-argued and referenced recommendations as to future practice(s) in a given field.
- Where relevant, include proper communication with and feedback to study objects and local authorities on research results including practical policy implications (if research is based on local data) with a view to contribute to improvements at the local level.
- Demonstrate ability to critically use research within the field of disaster risk management and humanitarian action.
Supervision according to thesis guidelines
Research Methodology & Ethics
The master's thesis concludes the master programme.
Students must have completed all courses incl. electives and passed
all exams on the master programme before the master thesis oral
exam/defence.
Only available for students enrolled in the entire programme.
Examiners provide individual feedback on the thesis during the thesis oral exam/defence
Enrolled students in the Master of Disaster Management programme must register for the master's thesis through Self-Service (kunet.ku.dk).
After signing up for the master’s thesis, you must submit a master’s project agreement by the specified deadline.
Master’s project agreement
You must have completed and approved the master’s project agreement
before you can start the master’s project. You can find the
master’s project agreement here. The master’s project agreement
must be approved by your supervisor.
If you have any questions regarding the registration for the master's project, please contact mdma@sund.ku.dk
- ECTS
- 20 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Written assignmentOral defence, 60 mins
- Type of assessment details
- Written assignment with oral defence
The Exam includes an overall evaluation and assessment of the written thesis, the oral presentation and the subsequent discussion.
The Master's Thesis
The master's thesis is prepared in accordance with the approved thesis contract and the MDMa Thesis Guidelines and correspond to min. 30 and max. 35 A4 pages (1 page = approximately 2,400 keystrokes, font size 12 pt. line space 1.5) excluding preliminaries i.e. cover page, table of contents, etc., the references and annexes.
The thesis should include an abstract in English of no more than 1 A4 page and summarize the research question, the methods used, important findings, a discussion if relevant, and a conclusion. The abstract will be included in the overall assessment of the master’s thesis.
Assessment is based on the scientific content as well as writing skills by the student. The scientific content will carry most weight.
The Oral Exam/Defence
The duration of the oral exam/defence is 60-minutes including evaluation. The oral 60-minute exam consisting of 15-20 minutes of oral presentation of the master's thesis followed by 25-30 minutes of scientific discussion focusing on the issues of the thesis.
If student and supervisor agree, it is possible to hold the oral exam online. Together, the student(s) and supervisor must decide:
- Whether the exam is to be held solely physically
- Whether the exam is to be held solely online
- Whether the external examiner can participate online if they wish.
The supervisor must inform the exam coordinator when booking an external examiner.
Phases of MDMa Master's Thesis
- Participation in (non-graded) oral presentation of thesis project (Thesis Seminar)
- Master's Thesis (30-35 pages) according to MDMa thesis guidelines
- Oral Thesis Exam/Oral Defence (1 hour) - Exam registration requirements
-
- Aid
- All aids allowed
The use AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT or similar tools, is not allowed in and for exams.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
- Exam period
-
See the MDMa Exam Schedule.
- Re-exam
-
The exam form for the reexam is the same as the ordinary exam. See dates in the MDMa Exam Schedule.
Criteria for exam assessment
To achieve the maximum grade of 12, the student shall be able to:
Knowledge
- Demonstrate insights into the interdisciplinary field of disaster risk management (DRM)
- Have a thorough understanding of research processes from identifying the nature of a research problem, formulating research questions and translating these into research objectives in a DRM context
- Understand and relate critically to state-of-the art knowledge in the chosen research area
- Understand the value of an appropriate choice and use of specific research methods
Skills
- Demonstrate proper use of selected research methods
- Identify and collect necessary data/information and critically analyse, review and interpret own research in the context of existing literature in the research field.
- Communicate research findings and conclusions clearly, correctly and concisely according to academic standards.
Competences
- Develop and present well-argued and referenced recommendations as to future practice(s) in the field of DRM field.
- Where relevant in the research process, participate professionally in interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral collaboration with a view to enhance knowledge and practices in the field of DRM.
Part time Master and Diploma courses
- Category
- Hours
- Preparation
- 28
- Project work
- 480
- Seminar
- 12
- Guidance
- 30
- English
- 550
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- SDMM12005U
- ECTS
- 20 ECTS
- Programme level
- Part Time Master
Full Degree Master choice
- Placement
- Autumn And Spring
- Price
-
Fees are published on the course page: https://www.mdma.ku.dk/courses-and-dates/thesis/
The fees cover course registration, thesis supervision, and examination. Fees may be subject to change.
- Schedulegroup
-
Individual Thesis Work based on the MDMa Thesis Timetable
Spring/Summer Thesis Module February-August
Fall Thesis Module September- January - Capacity
- No limit
- Studyboard
- Study Board for the Professionel Master´s Degree Programmes at The Faculty og Health and Medical Science
Contracting department
- Department of Public Health
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Course Coordinator
- Peter Kjær Mackie Jensen (6-736769716f6b46797b746a34717b346a71)
Timetable
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