Structure of the Programme

The programme for masters studies combines course work with the writing of a thesis. All courses are elective and the students are required to acquire a total of 21 credits with a general average academic score of 2.5 (out of 4) from these courses in the first year of their studies. The students can take maximum 12 credits in each term. Those who fail to do so may be granted an extra year to improve their scores. With the approval of the head of the Department, the students can take some of the elective courses from other departments. In addition, graduates of disciplines/departments other than sociology may be required to spend one or two semesters studying/taking a number of selected undergraduate courses before starting their masters studies. These students are allowed to take a maximum of three masters courses from other departments. Upon completion of their course work, the students are required to produce an original thesis based on genuine research. This is done under the supervision of a member of the Department and the research project requires approval of the Departmental Board. The thesis produced by the student must be defended by himself/herself before a jury whose final decision rests on majority vote.