Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester.

Exchange students and Fulbright students: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

Type of course

Admission requirements

Applicants must have a bachelor's degree (180 ECTS), or an equivalent qualification, with a minimum of 80 ECTS within tourism, out-door recreation, event studies, marketing and communication, social sciences, humanities or education.

International applicants who hold a bachelor's degree or equicalent issued in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand: An average grade C is a minimum requirement.

International applicants who hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent issued in countries other than the above mentioned region/countries: An average grade B is a minimum requirement in addition to fulfilling formal admission requirements for Master's level entry.

Non-EU applicants need to have a Higher Education Entrance Qualification from their home countries and certified fulfilment of English language requirements.

Application code: 9731 (nordic applicants)

Obligatory prerequisites

Course content

Objectives of the course

Students should obtain the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge: the student should have

• specialized knowledge of a chosen topic within the field of tourism studies
• a thorough knowledge of research design
• an in-depth understanding of relevant theoretical and methodological perspectives for their chosen topic
• a thorough knowledge of how to write an independent research project

And should be able to

• critically evaluate and research their subject area

Skills: the student should be able to

• formulate research questions, collect and analyze data in a scientific manner within a limited time period
• theoretically discuss results, assess findings, and reflect both critically and ethically on research processes
• undertake innovative, independent, informed, and critical analyzes in relation to tourism
• apply relevant theory and research methodologies in order to complete an independent research project
• critically discuss and debate their own research both orally and in written form

Competence: the student should be able to

• critically reflect on ethical issues and integrity requirements as part of scholarly work as well as in industry and community engagements
• communicate tourism research findings within the field of tourism studies
• contribute to innovation and innovation processes within tourism knowledge production

Language of instruction

Teaching methods

Thesis work starts in the first semester, and is supported by Master's thesis seminars in the first, second and third semester. The fourth semester fully concentrates on completing the thesis. Teaching will consist of 8 seminars (3x45 minutes), which also includes student involvement in classroom discussions and individual writing tasks. The student is assigned a supervisor during May second semester and must submit a Master's thesis project description by the end of the second semester.

Students are expected to work 1260 hours.

The course will be evaluated in accordance with the quality systems of UiT - The Arctic University of Norway.

Assessment

Coursework: the following cousework requirements must be completed and approved by the supervisor in order to take the final exam

• one written individual project description

Exam: the exam will consist of

• a written Master's thesis and an oral exam (45-60 minutes)
  • length requirement: approximately 30000 words (not including the list of references)
  • style: Times New Roman font size 12, 1.5 line spacing, 3.5 centimetres margins, and the inclusion of page numbers
  • submission dates: 15 May and 1 November

The student will be informed about their grade after the oral exam, based on the assessment of the Master's thesis and the oral exam. The oral examination consists of an examination/discussion of the Master's thesis and the literature used in the thesis. Both, an external and internal examiner, who decide the grade together, will assess the thesis and they will both be present for the oral exam.

The exam will be assessed on an A-F grades scale. Grades are A-E for passed and F for failed.

There will not be arranged a re-sit exam for this course.