Resource hub for Master¡¯s students in Biosciences

Welcome new Master's students!

Here¡¯s what you need to do in your first semester. Follow these steps in order to make sure you¡¯re registered correctly and ready to start your project.

1. Attend the Mandatory Information Meeting 

• You must attend the meeting at the start of the semester. 

• If you cannot attend, inform the Study Administration in advance. 

2. Get to Know Your Programme and Department 

• Learn about your master¡¯s programme structure and requirements. 

• Familiarize yourself with the different sections at the Department of Biosciences (IBV). 

3. Find Your Master¡¯s Project 

You can either: 

• Choose from published projects ¨C see available projects here. 

• Or find your own project. 

If your project is outside IBV or NHM: 

• Your main supervisor must arrange an internal co-supervisor from IBV or NHM. 

• The topic and scope must be approved by your internal co-supervisor. 

Note: You can also read the Instructions for Supervisors of Master¡¯s Students at IBV to understand the process. 

4. Complete the Study Agreement and Project Description

• Deadline: 1 December 

  • Submit your Study Agreement with a short preliminary project description (written by your supervisor). 

• By 1 March: 

  • Write your final project description and have it approved by your supervisor. 

  • Submit it using the form: ¡°Form for Submitting Changes to Your Study Plan Agreement.¡± 

  • Use the IBV project description template (PDF). 

Read through the general information for master¡¯s students at MN 

5. Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE)

• Complete the HSE self-declaration form. 

NB! If your project is internal at IBV: 

• You must also upload a risk assessment in the HSE form (provided by your supervisor). 

• Upload the reference number from your submitted HSE form to your study agreement. 

• You don¡¯t need to upload the risk assessment again in your study agreement. 

6. Register for Courses

• Register for your first-semester courses before the deadline. 
  (The deadline often comes before you¡¯ve chosen a project.) 

• Choose electives based on your interests and programme relevance. 

• See the List of Courses at IBV. 

Tip: Try to leave your last semester free for your thesis work. Finding three courses without schedule conflicts can be tricky ¡ª this schedule planner can help. 

7. If You¡¯re Delayed 

If your study agreement isn¡¯t ready by December 1: 

• Inform the Study Administration. 

• Give them a new estimated submission date. 

• Do not start working on your project until your internal supervisor has approved it. 

8. For International Students

If you¡¯ve moved to Oslo for your studies, see the Information for International Students for details on settling in, visas, and student life. 

Tasks for the start of term

• Register and pay semester fee
• Apply to courses by deadline
  • List of courses at IBV
  • This page can help you check for collisions in your course schedules
  • Make sure to check the exam date as well. It can be found in the course description. Choose the right term, and then exam.
• The results of the course admission will become visible in StudentWeb after the applications have been processed
• Make sure to attend the first lecture - also applies to those on wait-list

Lektor students at IBV

Welcome as students in The Department of Biosciences. 

Find a Master's Project

• Follow this link to see published 30 credit projects
• You are welcome to look for projects that aren't published, but if you do, make sure to:
  • inform the potential supervisor that your project should be 30 credits
  • talk about when you will be able to start working on the project

Study Agreement and Project Description

Students in the Biosciences master's program should hand in their study agreement and project description by 01 December. We don't expect lektor students to be ready that early, so there's no set deadline for you. Our advice is that you hand in the study agreement when you have found a project, and that you, in lieu of a project description, attach a document that shows what you and your supervisor have agreed on. The project description may be sent at a later time.

The study agreement should include a list of the courses that you will be taking. You can find a list of available courses in Biosciences here. Choose courses that you find interesting and relevant to a subject you would like to work on in you project. Ask your supervisor for recommendations if you have already found a project.

Contact the study administration at The Department of Biosciences if you are having trouble finding a project or if you have any other questions.

Working on your thesis

Our department does not have strict rules for the layout and format of the thesis, but you can find some guidelines here and cover templates here.

Go to the section "Handy resources" at the bottom of the page for resources that may be helpful in your process.

Submitting your thesis

After 12 September 2025, submission of master's thesis in Studentweb for publication in DUO will be discontinued. Starting 15 September 2025, all master's theses will only be submitted in Inspera for publication in the Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA - Norsk vitenarkiv).

• Your thesis must be submitted in Inspera by the set submission deadline.
• How to submit your thesis in Inspera
• Send the thesis to the examiners with cc to your supervisors and studieinfo@ibv.uio.no.

• Should the thesis not be submitted by the deadline, admission to the Master's programme will be terminated without any additional notification.

• Plagiarism checks will be conducted on all master's theses.
• Please note that if you have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your assignment, its usage must be declared. The Centre for Teaching and Learning in Science (KURT) have have designed a template for declaring generative AI usage.

Printing your thesis

You may also print your thesis through the UiO Graphic Center. IBV covers 15 copies in b/w or color up to NOK 1000. When ordering you must use koststed 15550000 and delprosjekt 102420154. It is recommended that you print your thesis, as the examiners may prefer a printed version.

Download standard cover page from Graphic Center

Master's Exam

Once the thesis is submitted, a master's defence (a presentation followed by an oral examination) must be held 3 - 6 weeks after thesis submission. All courses must be passed prior to the master's defence.

Information about the format of the exam

Forms for the exam can be found at the bottom of this page.

Tasks before the exam

The Candidate should:

• Send a copy of the thesis to the internal and external examiners, and make sure to CC both studyinfo@ibv.uio.no and your supervisors. This must be the same version that was submitted in Inspera.
• prepare for the exam

The Supervisor should:

• Find examiners¡ªone employed at UiO and one external examiner. Please note that the external examiner must not have been employed at UiO within the last two years.
• set a time for the exam in collaboration with the examiners
• inform the Study Administration about the names of the examiners and the time of the exam and provide the name and contact information of the examiners

The Study Administration should:

• arrange a contract for the external examiner
• book a room for the exam (if held in Kristine Bonnevies Hus)
• publish the event
• send information about the exam to all involved

Following the Master's Exam

Any borrowed IT equipment must be returned to the IT section at IBV and keys must be returned to the IBV expedition office. A clerance form must be filled out and sent to studieinfo@ibv.uio.no.

The diplomas at UiO have been made digital and can be found in the Diploma registry