HUMR5200 – Thesis in The Theory and Practice of Human Rights
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
Your thesis is the culmination of your master’s degree studies. During the writing process you will have an advisor from whom you will receive advice and substantive guidance.
If the content of the thesis is juridical: The substantive portion of your thesis cannot be no more than 18,000 words (i.e. introduction, all chapters, conclusion). Footnotes are included in the 18,000 words. Not included in the wordcount: Preface, table of content, acknowledgements, bibliography, tables and registers.
The thesis is an independent work, and the topic is of the student’s own choice within the field of the programme.If the content of the thesis is multidisciplinary: The substantive portion of your thesis cannot be no more than 20,000 words, footnotes included (preface, table of content, acknowledgements, bibliography, tables and registers not included).
It is the student and supervisor who decide whether the thesis should be recognised as strictly juridical, non-juridical or partly juridical.
It is also possible to write the thesis with 60 credits scope.
Learning outcome
The purpose of your thesis is to develop, exercise and demonstrate your expertise in the particular field your thesis, as well as of your general scholarly competence. Your thesis should be an independent contribution to scholarly knowledge and discourse.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Admission is restricted to students enrolled in the Master of Philosophy program in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Students must have passed the examination in - HUMR5191 – Human Rights Methodology: Research, Analysis and Thesis Preparation in order to register for this course.
Teaching
The form of teaching is independent work and seminars. Before starting writing, students take part in seminars which prepares them for the process of thesis writing. The seminars will offer necessary tools and guidelines for researching and writing a good scholarly thesis based on independent thinking and sound argument. Supervision is mandatory, and students are given 15 hours individual supervision. The supervisor must be appointed by the Faculty.
Practical information (guidelines, deadlines, regulations)
Remember to register for examination in HUMR5200 in the Studentweb within the deadline: 1 February spring semester (1 september fall semester).
When writing the thesis, you should use?the templatelisted atStudent-IT`s home-page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. There are guidelines for the use of the template.
Regulation for master`s theses for the international master programmes at the Faculty of Law
How to Write and Cite - At the Faculty of Law there is not required that you use one specific citing method, but you are required to use footnotes and not referring to author and page number in brackets directly in the text. If you want to use one specific style; Chicago 16 A is recommended.
Privacy Protection and Research Papers - University of Oslo - When writing a research paper (e.g. bachelor’s thesis, master’s thesis, etc.) in which you wish to include sensitive information, medical information, or other personal information from individuals, there are a number of requirements you must satisfy in addition to formally securing permission before you can begin work.
Here you can find Ethical guidelines for supervisors at the University of Oslo
Other relevant information
A list of theses submitted by our previous students can be found by visiting Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA). You can search for a specific title or a theme, or search by the name of the student.
Examination
From spring 2026 students are graded on the basis of
- A master thesis, written part
- An oral exam ?
Autumn 2025 students are graded on the basis of a written master thesis only.
Deadline of submission of the written thesis: 15 December
If you are not able to meet this deadline, next deadline is 15 May. If you deliver within 15 May, your diploma will show that you have submitted your thesis during spring and thus has been delayed in your studies. All students must remember to register in Studentweb for the thesis and pay the semester fee within the deadline 1 September (or 1 February for the 15 May deadline).
Submission of thesis:
The assignment must be submitted digitally in Inspera. If you need help, you can contact?Student-IT.
Inspera - Submit as one PDF. The file name must be your candidate number (for example, 10070.pdf). If this is not done, the grading of your assignment may be delayed.?See the instructions for how to submit assignments in Inspera.
All master's theses submitted in Inspera will be available in NVA . ?Students may also choose to delay or decline electronic availability.??Read more about full text in the Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA)
The faculty is unable to provide confirmations that the assignment has been submitted. However, you can check that your assignment is uploaded in Inspera. You can upload the assignment in Inspera as many times as you wish until the submission deadline.?
You must familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to exam support materials, and?the use of sources and citations. If you violate these rules, you may be suspected of cheating or attempted cheating.?You can read about what the university considers cheating, and the consequences of cheating here.
Examination support material
All available exam resources are allowed when answering this exam. Rules for source referencing are crucial for determining whether the use of resources is permitted.
Guidelines on the use of?Artificial Intelligence (AI) in exams:
If all exam support materials and resources are permitted, and the responsible teacher does not specify otherwise, the following applies to the use of AI during exams:
It is permitted to use artificial intelligence as an aid for:
- Checking spelling and grammar, as long as this does not lead to substantial changes in the text's content.
- Finding source material.
Text and other material that are generated entirely or partially using artificial intelligence are not considered the candidate's own work. If you use artificial intelligence to produce any part of the work you submit, you must therefore cite this in your paper. It must also be clearly stated how you have used the specific AI tool. If you do not reference correctly, you may be?suspected of cheating.
Candidates should also familiarize themselves with?information regarding ethical considerations and social responsibility in regard to the the use of AI, as well as the?University’s website on how to use AI as a student.
Language of examination
The Master`s thesis should be written in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
This guide is used by examiners for grading the master thesis.
Resit an examination
A master's thesis that has not been passed can only be resubmitted once, and then within the agreed deadline and in revised form.
A master's thesis that has received a passing exam result cannot be resubmitted in a revised form.
If you?withdraw from the exam?after the deadline, it is counted as one exam attempt.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.