Norwegian version - HF - Masteroppgaven

On undertaking a master’s thesis at the Faculty of Humanities

This page provides important information about the implementation of master’s theses for students at the Faculty of Humanities. It describes the right to supervision and provides an overview of the division of responsibilities between the student, the supervisor, and the department.

From Autumn 2026, master’s students at the Faculty of Humanities will no longer submit a master’s agreement. Instead, the course descriptions for the master’s thesis courses state that all master’s students must familiarize themselves with the content of this page. Departments may, however, have additional routines.

Transitional arrangement: Students who have already begun their master’s programme and have entered into a master’s agreement with the department will complete the programme on that basis.

Assignment of supervisor and selection of thesis topic

The main supervisor for the master’s thesis is normally an academic employee at the department. Other individuals with the necessary academic competence, at NTNU or externally, may serve as co-supervisors. Students may contact the department administration for more information about the assignment of supervisor.

The thesis topic is chosen in consultation with the department.

Collaboration with external partners

Students who will collaborate with external actors must enter into a collaboration agreement. The agreement must regulate the company’s provision of a contact person, any expenses related to the work, and delayed publication. If the student has an internship in a company/organization and the company will use the content of the theses, an agreement must also be written.

NTNU has a standard agreement that regulates collaboration between a company and a student.

Student collaboration

Some master’s programmes allow students to write a master’s thesis together. Students who wish to collaborate must clarify with the department whether this is permitted. Contact the department administration.

Responsibilities and tasks

Student responsibilities:

• Schedule supervision meetings with the supervisor within the supervision framework. The student is responsible for notifying the supervisor in reasonable time if changes are needed.
• Prepare a progress plan for the work in consultation with the supervisor, including a supervision plan.
• Keep track of the number of supervision hours used together with the supervisor.
• Provide the supervisor with necessary written material in reasonable time before supervision.
• Keep the department administration and supervisor informed of any delays.
• Enter into a collaboration agreement with any external partner and/or other students when required.

Supervisor responsibilities:

• Clarify expectations regarding supervisory relationship.
• Ensure that applications for any necessary approvals (ethics, data protection) are submitted.
• Advise on the formulation and delimitation of the topic and research question so that the work is feasible within the standard or agreed study period.
• Discuss and assess hypotheses and methods.
• Advise on academic literature, source material, data, documentation, and any resource needs.
• Discuss the form of presentation (for example the outline and linguistic form). Discuss results and interpretations.
• Stay informed about the student’s progress in accordance with the agreed timeline and work plan, and follow up the student when needed.
• Keep track of the number of supervision hours used together with the student.
• Ensure that the student enters into a collaboration agreement with any external partner and/or other students when necessary.

Responsibilities of the department:

• Identify and appoint supervisor(s).
• Enter into an agreement with another department/faculty/institution if an external co-supervisor is appointed.
• Inform the supervisor(s) about their responsibility to safeguard research ethics, privacy considerations, and ethical guidelines for supervision.
• In cooperation with the supervisor, keep track of the student’s progress, the number of supervision hours used, and follow up if the student is delayed relative to normal study progression.
• Enter into a collaboration agreement in cases where the student will collaborate with an external actor.
• Formalize student collaboration in an agreement in cases where two or more students will write a master’s thesis together.
• Appoint a new supervisor if:

1. the supervisor becomes unavailable due to, for example, sabbatical leave, illness, or travel
2. the student or supervisor requests to terminate the supervision relationship for various reasons

• Inform the student when the supervision relationship ends, and how many supervision hours remain with the new supervisor.

Supervision and contact time

Contact time refers to the time the supervisor spends following up with the student. This includes individual meetings, group-based supervision, conversations, and email communication.

The master’s thesis is an independent piece of work, and it is therefore important that supervision time is planned and used consciously.

When can contact time/supervision hours be used?

Supervision time applies from the moment the supervisor is assigned and until the regular submission deadline. Use of supervision after this must be agreed upon with the supervisor and the department administration. If extended time is needed, this must be clarified well in advance. The supervisor may not have the capacity for further follow-up.

Students who exceed the nominal period of study without an approved agreement for leave or part-time studies are no longer entitled to supervision.

Clarifying expectations

Expectations for supervision should be clarified early. This may include:

• Working method
• Scope and type of follow-up
• The ambition level for the thesis

Use of contact time/supervision

It is important to consider how supervision time should be allocated. Email can be time-consuming, even for short questions. Supervisors often need time to find and formulate answers. A larger portion of supervision typically occurs in the final phase, when the text is being completed.

The supervisor’s main task is to provide feedback on written text. Students therefore cannot expect extensive follow-up via email, many detailed questions, or that the supervisor is always available on short notice.

Working on the master’s thesis requires a high degree of independence. Students are responsible for using the available supervision time in an appropriate way until submission.

How many supervision hours?

The amount of supervision depends on the size of the thesis:

• 60 credits: up to 60 hours in total
• 30 and 45 credits: up to 40 hours in total

This corresponds to:

• 60 credits: approx. 20 hours of direct contact
• 30 and 45 credits: approx. 14 hours of direct contact

This includes:

• Meetings and other contact
• Reading and feedback on text
• Any joint supervision

For each hour of direct supervision, time is also allocated for preparation and follow-up. Time is distributed so that direct supervision constitutes one third of the total time.

Changing supervisor

In rare cases, the collaboration between the student and the supervisor does not function well. In such cases, the student may contact the department administration to request a change of supervisor.

The department must assess how much supervision time has been used and how much can be transferred to the new supervisor. The student must be informed of the remaining supervision time.

Useful links

Writing and submitting your master’s thesis. Here you will find information on, among other things:

• Help with academic writing
• How to complete and submit the thesis
• Ethics and privacy
• Publication and embargo

NTNU’s standard Student and business cooperative agreements

Course descriptions

Contact information

Contact information for student advisers can be found on the study programme pages under “Contact”: Study Programmes – NTNU