Course syllabus for Degree Project in Global Health

Specific entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary school course English 6/English level 2.

To enter into this course, students must have passed An Introduction to Global Health, Global Burden of Disease, Health Systems and Policy in Practice, Qualitative research and methods 1 and Quantitative research and methods 1.

Outcomes

After the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• Demonstrate advanced subject-related and methodological knowledge relevant to the chosen area of global health research.

Competence and skills

• Develop a research project in global health by identifying a knowledge gap, reviewing relevant literature, designing a study, managing and analysing data, and interpreting findings.
• Apply relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks in the design, analysis, and interpretation of global health research. Apply appropriate methods for managing and analysing data, with due regard to validity and reliability, or trustworthiness.
• Write a research report that adheres to established guidelines and documents the research process, findings, their relation to previous work, and implications for global health.
• Discuss their own and others’ research work in a public forum.

Judgement and approach

• Evaluate scientific and ethical aspects of their own and others' research work.

Content

In this course, students learn to develop and complete an independent research project in global health, taking it from problem identification through to study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Each student will work under the guidance of at least one supervisor with a PhD. Students will begin by submitting a project outline, which will be developed into a research proposal and ultimately a research report. Throughout the course, students will apply appropriate methods for data collection and analysis from earlier courses.

Students will write a literature review and a research report that covers the theoretical background, research questions, methodology, ethical considerations, results, and the relevance of their findings to existing research in global health. In addition to their own projects, students will participate as peer reviewers, assessing both scientific and ethical aspects of their colleagues' work.

The course concludes with an individual oral exam and students defending their research at a public seminar, where they will present and justify their findings. This provides an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to communicate research outcomes effectively and engage in scientific discourse.

Teaching methods

The course is principally performed through independent work. Each student will have at least one supervisor to guide them through the research process. The course includes a series of seminars designed to support students at various stages of their research. These include an initial seminar to discuss the project outline, a half-time seminar to review progress and provide feedback, and a final individual oral exam and public conference where students will defend their research. Active participation and peer feedback are integral components of the course.

Examination

This course is examined through a combination of written and oral examinations. To pass the course, students need to pass all examination components. To pass with distinction, students need to receive a pass with distinction on the scientific paper and oral examination.

Compulsory participation
Participation in the outline seminars, half-time seminars and final conference is compulsory.

The examiner assesses if, and in that case how, absence from compulsory educational elements can be compensated for. Before the student has participated in the compulsory educational elements or compensated the absence in accordance with the examiner's instructions, the final course results will not be reported. Absence from a compulsory educational component may imply that the student cannot compensate for the missed compulsory educational element until the next time the course is given.

Limitation of number of occasions to write the exam
Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to participate in five more examinations. If the student has not passed the exam after four participations, he/she is encouraged to visit the study advisor. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination or new admission is provided. The number of times that the student has participated in one and the same examination is regarded as an examination session. Submission of a blank examination is also regarded as an examination. An examination for which the student registered but did not participate in will not be counted as an examination.

In the event of special circumstances, or if a student with a disability is in need of certain adjustments, the examiner may decide to depart from the syllabus' regulations on examination form, number of examination opportunities, possibility of completion or exemption from compulsory educational elements, etc. Content and intended learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities must not be altered, removed or lowered.

Transitional provisions

Examination will be provided during a time of two years after a possible cancellation of the course. Examination can take place according to an earlier literature list during a time of one year after the date when a major renewal of the literature list has been made.

Other directives

The course language is English.

Course evaluation is carried out according to the guidelines that are established by the Committee for Higher Education.

Literature and other teaching aids

Mandatory and recommended literature and readings will be available on the learning management system during the course.