Study progression
The masters' agreement is a binding agreement between you, the department and your supervisor. It is therefore important that you follow the plan that you set with your supervisor to the best of your ability.
In accordance with the Regulations governing studies and examinations at the University of Oslo and Regulations conserning courses, course groups and degrees at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, you may apply for part-time studies. You may be granted up to 50% of normal study progression if you document a need for this. This means that as a part-time student you must complete at least 30 ECTS credits per year. In the case of low progression, according to the master’s agreement, you will receive a warning from the study administration. You risk losing your right to study if your study progression is lower than what has been agreed.
You can read more about study progression here.
If you believe that you will not be able to complete the study programme within the standard period of time, you must contact the programme coordinator in the study administration. The programme coordinator can offer advice and guidance if you experience challenges during your studies.
First semester
WelcomeWeek
Orientation meeting in the middle of August
There will be a mandatory orientation meeting in the middle of August for all new master's students. It is important that you show up, both in order to keep your spot on the programme and to get important information about your studies.
Orientation meeting for the current year
WelcomeWeek
The WelcomeWeek for master's students takes place during week 33, starting with the orientation meeting. During this week you will get to know your fellow students, the Department of Physics, and the University of Oslo.
More information about the WelcomeWeek
Theoretical curriculum
You can find recommended study plans for your programme on the programme pages.
You must complete 60 ECTS credits of theoretical coursework during the master’s degree. Which courses you should take can be discussed with the contact person or a potential supervisor for your specialisation.
Note that as soon as the master’s agreement has been approved, you must apply for any changes to the theoretical coursework. The master’s agreement is normally approved between the 1st and 2nd semester.
Supervisor and Master's project
We recommend using the first weeks of your studies to find a supervisor and preferably also a thesis topic. If you wait until November, this will have to be done at the same time as you have assignments and exams in the courses you are taking.
You may have several supervisors, which we recommend. You can also have supervisors from other departments or outside the university, but at least one of your supervisors must be an internal supervisor.
- For the programmes Physics, Nuclear Technology and Computational Science, programme option Physics, this means that you must have a supervisor from the Department of Physics.
- For Electronics, Informatics and Technology, this means a supervisor from the Department of Physics or the Department of Informatics.
- For Quantum Science and Technology, this means a supervisor from the Department of Physics, the Department of Informatics, the Department of Chemistry, or the Department of Mathematics.
You can get help from your contact person in choosing a thesis topic.
Deadline to hand in master's agreement
Your deadline for submitting the master’s agreement depends on previous courses taken.
- 2-year master’s: normally 1 December
- 2-year master’s for students who have completed 20 ECTS credits or more before admission: 1 September
You may lose your study place if you do not submit a complete master’s agreement and project description by the deadline. Note that you are welcome to submit your master’s agreement earlier than the deadline. You will not be able to register for courses until the master’s agreement has been approved.
We recommend that you write your own project description in collaboration with your supervisor. In this way, you will gain ownership of the project and a much better understanding of what the project is about.
How to fill in the master's agreement
Read the information in the form carefully, and preferably look through the entire form before you start filling it in. The form cannot be saved and submitted at a later time.
The master's thesis
Students in a 2-year master’s programme can only choose “Long thesis (60 ECTS)”.
Include an HSE declaration if the work you are going to carry out involves a risk of physical injury. This must be prepared in advance in collaboration with your supervisor and uploaded as an attachment.
Progress plan and theoretical curriculum
The theoretical curriculum must be exactly 60 ECTS, and the agreement cannot contain more or less. Master’s agreements cannot be approved if there is any deviation from 60 ECTS. If you are unsure about some of the courses to be included, list those that are most likely in the form. The theoretical curriculum can be changed later if necessary.
If you are going to use special syllabus, have completed parts of the theoretical curriculum before admission at other institutions, are going on exchange, or have conditional admission to the master’s programme, this is the page of the agreement where you enter this information.
If you have already completed compulsory courses that you do not wish to include in the theoretical curriculum, you should comment on this at the end of the agreement.
The item “Information about work space at the department/institute, equipment needed etc)” requires clarification from your supervisor. Please answer in full sentences here so that it is easier for the supervisor to understand the content when the agreement is to be approved.
Contact the contact person for your study programme or track for help with the curriculum, or contact your programme coordinator for assistance if you are unsure.
Supervision of your thesis
Your supervisor(s) will receive a copy of the entire form, as well as the attachments for the project description and any HSE declaration or special syllabus.
Make sure you have the correct email address for your supervisor(s). It is a good idea to inform your supervisor(s) that you have submitted the form if you are not sitting together while filling it in.
Attachments
Here you attach the project description, as well as documentation for any application for part-time studies or leave of absence.
- Temporary title is a title created by you and your supervisor(s) that describes the project.
- Temporary thesis statement is the aims, research question(s), background, and scope of the project.
- The methodology you will be using describes the method you will use.
- A progress plan for your thesis, with indicated milestones is normally 2–3 measurable milestones for each semester you will be working on the master’s project. Check the course page for your master’s project for any compulsory requirements.
- Describe the goals as clearly as you can and include a deadline for when they should be reached, so that you can see whether you are delayed or not. The programme board expects you to develop these goals in more detail as the project progresses.
- Curriculum relevant to your master's thesis is normally articles or books related to the research question, method, or background for the project you will carry out, so that you have a starting point for the project.
If you are applying for part-time studies or leave of absence, attach documentation and describe why you are applying in the comment field. Be aware that this text will be visible to your supervisors.
Resource for writing a project description
How to make changes to the master's agreement
Once you have entered into an agreement for carrying out your master’s degree, you must apply for changes to this agreement when there are changes to the project. The form for the master’s agreement can be found on the faculty’s pages about master’s studies. Even though the form is only available in English, you may respond in Norwegian if you are more comfortable with that.
Changes to the agreement will normally involve less work than completing the master’s agreement, as you usually only need to fill in what is to be changed and not the entire agreement again.
We recommend that you first look through the entire form and also talk to your supervisor(s) about the changes before you fill in the form. Once you have submitted the form, your supervisor will receive a link to a separate consent form. They will be able to see the changes and any uploaded project descriptions and descriptions of special syllabus.
Students fill in who their supervisors are, which programme and department they belong to, and confirm that they have read the relevant information before they can apply for changes. They can then tick off one or more changes they wish to make to their master’s agreement.
Working alone or with another student or Short or long thesis
These items are not relevant for students at the Department of Physics, as students cannot work together on our master’s projects or change the length of the master’s project.
Adding or changing supervisor(s)
When changing the supervisor group, there will normally be a need to add or remove one or more supervisors. You will usually only be asked to fill in who has been your supervisor and who will be your supervisors.
If you wish to change your main supervisor, we ask that you first speak with the programme coordinator.
Self declaration HSE
If the project has changed, or it becomes clear that the project requires HSE measures for your project work, an assessment must be uploaded. In that case, describe the HSE measures in a document and upload it under this item in the application. If a new project description is needed, tick that you also wish to change the project description.
Change courses and/or progress plan
If you need to change the curriculum or when the courses will be taken, you will be asked to enter information about the curriculum and which semesters the courses will be completed. Use the semester fields even if you have already completed one or more semesters.
Application for part-time study/leave of absence
If you need part-time studies, leave of absence, or an extension of the deadline for submitting your master’s thesis, tick this option. You will be able to upload documentation here, but note that you can only upload one document. If you have several files with documentation, you must therefore merge them before uploading.
Transfer of credits from former education
This item applies to students who wish to use courses they have completed at another institution. For example, if they have been on exchange during the master’s and now need to have these courses approved as part of the degree. Students applying for transfer of credits from other institutions will normally also need to tick that they are changing the curriculum.
Change project description
Projects may change over time, or it may be necessary to change the project for other reasons. When a student reaches the point where the project is no longer what was agreed in the master’s agreement, they must submit the form to change the master’s agreement.
If major changes to the project are needed, which also involve a change of main supervisor or financial implications, the student is asked to contact the programme coordinator for guidance.
Other
If you have other reasons for wishing to change the master’s agreement, contact your programme coordinator to find out what is possible.
Guidance to part-time, leave of absence, postponement
Leave of absence
Students who need a leave of absence from their studies may apply and can be granted 100% leave for a period. Documentation from the applicant is normally required. Students on leave are not considered active students and cannot demand supervision from their supervisor(s).
Deadlines
30 June for the following autumn / 31 December for the following spring, or as soon as you have relevant documentation.
For master’s students at the Department of Physics, you must apply by 1 September if you need a leave of absence already in the first semester.
You can find more information about leave of absence from study programmes at UiO on our website. Master’s students are asked to use the form for changing the master’s agreement, which is linked from the top of this page.
Part-time studies
You can apply to the programme board to complete your master’s degree on a part-time basis. The programme board can grant up to 50% part-time study. Valid reasons for applying for part-time studies may include work or organised student activities of a certain scope, caregiving responsibilities, or chronic illness. Written documentation is normally required. Part-time status is granted for the current and future semesters, normally not for semesters that have already been completed.
Deadline
30 June for the following autumn / 31 December for the following spring, or as soon as you have relevant documentation.
In the first semester of the master’s programme, the deadline is 1 September.
Postponement
Postponement is considered in cases of acute events. You can apply for a postponement in the event of unforeseen problems with the project or short-term illness affecting yourself, your supervisor, or your children.
Tick part-time studies or leave of absence in the form for changing the master’s agreement.
You are encouraged to contact the programme coordinator before you apply.
Deadline
There is no deadline for applying for a postponement in acutely arising situations.
Form for master's agreement at MN Faculty
You can find the master’s agreement form and information for you as a master’s student on the MN Faculty’s webpages. Students are expected to be familiar with the content on this page.
We recommend that you review what needs to be filled in on the agreement form before you meet with your supervisor to finalise it.
Do this every semester
- Register for the courses in your theoretical curriculum
- Complete semester registration
- Pay the semester fee
Read more about what you need to do as a student
Last semester
In your final semester of the master’s degree, you are expected to work only on the master’s thesis itself. If you are delayed in your study progression and are missing courses in the theoretical curriculum, you must contact the study administration to agree on how to proceed.
You can find the submission deadline in Studentweb. The submission deadline is strict, and you must submit within the time stated there. If you do not submit your master’s thesis by the deadline, your right to study will be revoked, and any work you have completed will not be assessed.
Read more about completing your degree
Graduation ceremony
At the end of each spring semester, a graduation ceremony is held for students who have completed their studies.