LAT4190 – Master's Thesis in Latin
Course content
The master’s thesis is an independent piece of research on a topic chosen in consultation with your supervisor. The thesis may be linguistically oriented (language history, syntax, etc.) or oriented towards literature, textual criticism and transmission, stylistics and rhetoric, cultural or social history. The thesis may treat different aspects of a Latin text or of Ancient Rome. The thesis may also be a commentary on or an interpretation of a text or a comparative study of two or more texts. It may also treat the history of the discipline. It may be based on Latin texts from Antiquity, the Middle Ages or more recent periods.
Learning outcome
- choose a suitable area for your research.
- develop suitable research questions.
- relate to earlier research.
- collect and treat data.
- argue academically and come to reasonable conclusions.
- become acquainted with the relevant theoretical and methodological tools for the thesis.
- consolidate and develop your linguistic ability in Latin.
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.
You must be admitted to Classical Studies (master's two years) to sign up for this course.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
You must have passed LAT4400 – Reading Latin Texts and Project Development in Latin the semester before you submit your master's thesis, at the latest.
You must have passed all courses that are part of your master`s degree during the semester in which you submit your thesis, at the latest.
Teaching
The course consists of individual supervision. You are entitled to 7,5 hours of supervision. Read more about rights and obligations for the student and the supervisor.
On the department webpages about the master’s thesis you will find information about how you are assigned a supervisor and about the rights and duties of student and supervisor in relation to the supervision of the master’s thesis.
Before you can submit your master's thesis, you must have completed successfully the following compulsory activity:
- an oral presentation of your thesis at the Classics Seminar
Your presentation is valid for the term in which it is given as well as the following term.
Examination
The exam consists of:
- the master’s thesis (25-50 pages, 2300 characters without spaces, title page, bibliography and appendices not included)
- an oral examination (30 minutes)
The deadlines for submitting your master`s thesis are:
- 15 November in the autumn semester
- 15 May in the spring semester
It is however possible to submit your thesis until 15 December / 15 June, but if you choose to do so, your oral examination will most likely take place in January/August. Read more about this here.
The deadlines for withdrawal of registration of examination are 1 December / 1 June.
How to submit your master's thesis:
Please note that you must submit the following before the deadline:
- your master`s thesis to Inspera
- your master`s thesis electronically to DUO in Studentweb
- an electronic form for ordering a diploma
Examination support material
You are required to familiarize yourself with the rules for sources and citations. It may be considered cheating or attempted cheating to use other people's material without informing about it.
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or 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.
The Master`s thesis is evaluated by one internal examiner (not the supervisor) and one external examiner.
Before the oral exam, the examination committee gives the thesis a preliminary grade. The candidate may ask for this preliminary grade on the day of the oral exam, before the exam begins. The oral exam may adjust the preliminary grade. The final grade is awarded after an overall assessment and is announced to the candidate at the end of the exam.
Resit an examination
A master’s thesis that is not passed may be resubmitted only once, and then within the agreed time and in revised form. A master’s thesis that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.
If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- 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.