Placement and Thesis
Full course description
The ability to conduct independent research and express yourself clearly in writing is an essential academic skill. Job advertisements of interest to graduates in public health frequently include ‘research skills’ and ‘writing skills’ as a requirement. In the future, you will often have to design, conduct and manage research projects, write memos, policy papers, public information brochures, meetings and research reports, publications etc. Therefore, conducting independent research and writing a thesis is vital in a public health study programme.
The public health topics, methods and methodology training, academic thinking training, and professional skills training have paved the way for the Bachelor’s thesis, the programme's final project. You have already completed papers and reports, and you are familiar with the training and guidelines given to you for writing in an academic style, conducting a literature review and referencing correctly. In this final project, you will integrate and apply your learning and knowledge from the previous 2.5 years.
Twenty weeks have been allocated for the research placement and writing the Bachelor’s thesis between February and July each year. The placement is centred around independent preparation, planning and conducting academic research, which means that the student is to gain experience with conducting independent scholarly research on a Bachelor level under supervision. This is an opportunity for students to become acquainted with the art and science of research, preferably within an existing and ongoing research project. This research will be the basis for the Bachelor’s thesis. The topic of the placement and the thesis must align with the B-EPH curriculum's mission and objectives and demonstrate the student's accumulated knowledge and skills.
Course objectives
Expert
- E231. Tests and defends the use of health status measures in policies and written scientific output
- E431. Evaluates and critiques health-related public policies at Member State and EU levels
- E432. Compares and selects methods and theories for the evaluation of public and organizational policy processes and outcomes
Investigator
- I631. Writes a bachelor thesis with high-level but consistent supervision
- I632. Combines theory with literature research to produce original insights relevant to public health
- I831. Evaluates the quality and relevance of scientific evidence for public health policies and practice
- I832. Argues coherently and logically using a range of academic thinking skills and philosophical and ethical concepts
- I931. Matches gaps in public health knowledge with opportunities for scientific research
Communicator
- C1131. Writes a policy brief on an issue of relevance for EU policy and health
- C1133. Writes academic material at English Level C2
- C1122. Discusses topics and findings at English Level B2
- C1332. Provides constructive and insightful feedback to peers on thesis development
- C1432. Writes in a socially-responsible way that accounts for and respects social and cultural differences
Professional
- P1633. Behaves in a respectful, professional and reliable manner in tutor groups, practicals and group work
- P1635. Acts according to ethical standards and norms
Recommended reading
Literature review • Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2008). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: a practical guide. Blackwell Publications. • Aveyard, H. (2019). Doing A Literature Review In Health And Social Care: A Practical Guide. 4th ed. Open University Press. • Page, M. J., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 134, 178–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.03.001 Qualitative research methodology and data analysis • Polit, D.F., & Beck, C.T. (2019). Nursing research: generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. 11th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. • Creswell, J.W. & Creswell, J.D. (2018). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 5th ed. Los Angeles: Sage. • Neuman, W.L. (2011). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. 7th ed. Allyn and Bacon. • Green, J., & Thorogood, N. (2018). Qualitative methods for health research. 4th ed. Sage. Quantitative research methodology and data analysis • Gordis, L. (2019). Epidemiology. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders. • Rothman, K. J., Lash, T. L., VanderWeele, T. J., & Haneuse, S. (2021). Modern epidemiology. 4th ed. Wolters Kluwer. • Preston, S., Heuveline, P., & Guillot, M. (2000). Demography: Measuring and Modeling Population Processes. Wiley. • Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. 5th ed. Sage Publications.
- M. Paric