Exam
Diploma thesis
Pre-diploma
- The pre-diploma must be taken in the last semester before the diploma.
- Pre-diploma must be taken at AHO.
- In pre-diploma, you write the program for the diploma you will do in the diploma semester.
Program
- The program can be written in Norwegian or English.
- The program must be approved by the supervisor and course responsible for the pre-diploma.
- When you pass the pre-diploma course, the program is automatically approved.
- The program must be delivered again on Moodle one week into the start of the diploma semester.
- If you have made changes to the program since the pre-diploma, these changes must be approved by the supervisor.
Supervisor
- You are assigned a supervisor from among the school's teachers
- There is not possible to demand a specific person.
- You can have one or more co-supervisors.
- A possible change of supervisor must go through the head of institute
Additional information about supervisors for architecture students:
- As an architecture student in the tenth semester, you can freely prioritize courses among the studio courses offered on the master's program in architecture, without this necessarily affecting who you get as a supervisor.
- We recommend that you spend your last regular semester in a studio course with the subject matter and supervising teaching body you wish for your diploma work. This is a recommendation and not a rule.
- Alternative, if you pick a studio course with a different teaching body than the one you wish as supervisors for your diploma-project, we advise you to contact your preferred supervisor(s) as early as possible so as to let them know about your plans. You should have had this supervisor as your teacher in one of your earlier master studio courses.
- You will have a main supervisor, but the entire teaching team of that studio course your supervisor teaches in will be a reference group in the supervision.
Transition rule that applies only to architecture students:
Spring and autumn 2023 are a transition period for the architecture students, and therefore the following applies:
· • If you have taken 2 studio courses in the same series, in your tenth semester you have the opportunity to take a third semester of studio courses in the same series that you have already taken before.Diploma regulations
Register for the Diploma semester
You sign up for Diploma in Studentweb within the deadline for ordinary course registration. If you miss the deadline, you might have to wait one semester to start the diploma semester.
In order to embark on your Diploma project, you must have achieved the following credits, in which Pre-diploma of 6 credits must be included.
- Master of Architecture – 300 credits
- Master of Design (5 years) – 270 credits
- Master of Design (2 years) - 90 credits
- International Master of Landscape Architecture – 90 credits
Diploma program/project description
If you pass the Pre-diploma course, your program/project description is automatically approved. If you fail the diploma semester, you must submit a new program/project description. The supervisor and Head of institute must approve the new program.
Design students submit project description one week after semester start.
Language
You may write your diploma program/project description and diploma project in Norwegian or in English.
Supervisor
You are assigned a supervisor from the body of teachers and it is your responsibility to inform your supervisor about your diploma program/project description. You cannot claim a specific teacher. You may have one or more co-supervisors. A change of supervisor must be approved by the Head of Institute.
External supervision
AHO will give an economic grant for up to 10 hours per student for obtaining relevant academic expertise from outside of AHO. You make the necessary arrangements yourself and a short term contact must be signed. When the assignment is over you hand in a timesheet and the contract to the Academic Services. Attach a copy of passport for international supervisors.
Number of attempts
Withdrawal
If you want to withdraw from the diploma without using one of your three attempts you need to withdraw by December 1st (Fall semester) and May 1st (Spring semester). Give written notice to the Academic Services. If you withdraw after the deadline, it will count as an exam attempt.
If you withdraw, you must write a new program/project description.
Illness/deferred submission/presentation
If you fall ill during the diploma semester, you may be granted deferred submission / presentation of your diploma project. Upon delayed submission / presentation you will be censored along with the next semester's students. Even if you are granted a new postponed deadline due to documented illness, you may choose submit at the ordinary deadline. A diploma project cannot exceed two semesters.
In case of illness in a group project, all members will get the deferral.
Deferred submission applies only to illness for more than 3 days and you must submit a doctor’s note to the Academic Services no later than 7 days after the illness occured. The doctor’s note must contain from-and-to-date of the illness and percentage grading of work ability.
Confidential project
A closed review can under very specific circumstances be granted by application, if the project contains sensitive data and/or is a collaboration with a company and therefore needs to be treated confidential.
Theoretical project
The school allows theoretical projects.
Submission of diploma project
Submission for International Master of Landscape Architecture
You cannot develop your project any further after submitting you project in December/May. You may however continue working on how to convey your project through preparing for the presentation and the exhibition.
1. In the middle of December/May you submit:
- Programme (optional)
- Abstract 1-4 A4 pages with text/pictures/sketches
- Digital posters ready for plotting
- Models (if applicable)
- Edited documentation of the process in digital format: sketches, photos of sketch models, texts etc
- If theoretical project: digital file
2. When mounting the project, you submit:
- Exhibition material, such as posters and additional models
- Sketch books, sketch models, or other types of process material and exhibition material
- Digital presentation.
- If theoretical project: two printed copies
Submission for Master in Design
You cannot develop your project any further after submitting you project in December/May. You may however continue working on how to convey your project through preparing for the presentation and the exhibition.
1. In the middle of December/May you submit:
- Digital report (The report must show the complete project and contain reflections on finished result. You may have links to webpages with prototypes and videos)
2. When mounting the project, you submit:
- 2 copies of physical report
- Models, digital prototypes, films, digital presentation-files, posters, exhibition material or other.
- Digital presentation
Submission for Master of Architecture
You cannot develop your project any further after submitting you project in December/May. You may however continue working on how to convey your project through preparing for the presentation and the exhibition.
1. In the middle of December/May you submit:
- Diploma programme
- Abstract of 1-4 A4 pages with text/photo/illustrations
- Main models
- Digital posters ready for plotting
- Edited documentation of the process in digital format: sketches, photos of sketch models, texts etc.
- Theoretical project: digital file of your paper
2. When mounting the project, you submit:
- Exhibition material, such as posters and additional models
- Sketch books, sketch models, or other types of process material and exhibition material
- Digital presentation
- If theoretical project: two printed copies
Help from others
The diploma thesis is an independent project. It is not possible to let others do the work for you, either as a service or as paid work.
Exceptions for design.
Presentation and Review
You must prepare a digital presentation of your project. This presentation is part of the assessment and must be submitted before the reviews start.
You will present the project in an open review with external examiners and audience present within a given timeframe: Single project 20 minutes, group projects 30 minutes. You present first, then the examiners will ask questions and give their comments.
Formats
- Accepted file formats: Pdf., mp3, mp4.
- Maximum file size is 900 MB.
- Zip-files are not allowed.
- The files must be named correctly:
- Diploma Report_Ola_Hansen.pdf/Abstract_Ola_Hansen.pdf
- For plotting, you can only use paper purchased in the reception at AHO.
Assessment
You are assessed on the submitted material, conveyed through presentation and exhibited project.
Grade
The grading scale is: «Pass/Fail». The result is published in Studentweb.
Written evaluation
The examiners will write a written evaluation shortly after the reviews. The evaluations will be sent to the students digitally.
See "Examiner's guide" for details.
Mount and exhibit project
You mount the project yourself on an assigned spot and within a given timeframe. During the reviews the audience may view the projects, but the public exhibition will open after the reviews and assessment are finished.
If you need screens, computers or other technical devices in the exhibition, you must notify the IT-department well ahead.
Fail
In case of fail, the student will be invited to an informal meeting with the Head of Institute, student advisor and supervisor present.
You must write a new program/project description in order to start again. You have three attempts on the diploma exam.
Diploma Ceremony
The semester closes with a diploma ceremony where diplomas are handed out.
Appeal
Usage, archiving and publishing of diplomas
AHO reserves the right to use the diploma projects on aho.no for marketing purposes. AHO is obliged to archive all passed diplomas and uses the institutional archive ADORA for this purpose. All projects are made public, unless the thesis is confidential or the student has not consented to publication. These projects are archived in ADORA, but are not made public. Printed diplomas are registered in the library's collection and lent out.
ADORA agreement diploma
AHO is obliged to archive all diplomas. The diplomas will be archived in ADORA and requires this agreement. The copyright belongs to the students, the school is listed as publisher.
All diploma students must complete and sign the publication agreement. The publication agreement is available in Moodle, and the signed agreement must be submitted in Moodle by May 1st (spring semester) or December 1st (Fall semester).
Instruction for completing the agreement:
- Tick YES in all three boxes if you have no reservations publishing the thesis in ADORA.
- If you have reservations making the project public and tick "no" under Electronic publication permission, please consider if you agree to internal use of your diploma and tick "yes" in the two other boxes. Your project will be marked with "Access to the project is restricted, contact the AHO library". The library gives reading access to projects marked with this text.
- Ticking off "no" i all three boxes gives AHO no rights to your project and will be marked with the text "Contact the candidate for access - no rights granted AHO". The project will still be archived in ADORA.
Explanation of grading / Grade appeal
To request an explanation of grade please fill in the online form.
If you wish to appeal your grade, please use the online form to submit an appeal against grades.
If you have requested an explanation of the grading, the deadline to appeal is 3 weeks after you received the explanation.
If you wish to appeal against the grade on a group project or group examination, all the students who were graded in the project must agree and appeal jointly.
The appeal is handled by an Appeal Committee consisting of an external and an internal examiner. The committee makes its evaluations without knowledge of evaluation or grade.
The appeal committee can decide to move the grade up or down. The decision of the appeal committee is final and cannot be appealed.
Appeal procedure
Grade Appeal Procedure
The Study Administration notify students of failing grades by e-mail, informing them about their right to resubmit (for non-written exams) or appeal the grade.
Request for Explanation
Students can request an explanation of a grade or a failing grade. Send request to Study Administration in writing within one week from the grade was posted on StudentWeb.
The course instructor responsible for the grade has two weeks from the submission of the request to provide an explanation.
For studio courses the written evaluation given by the course instructor is used as explanation of the grade (cf Regulations for master’s degree programs at AHO § 6-12)
Appeal
The student can appeal against the grade. Appeals are to be sent to the Study Administration within three weeks after receiving the explanation of the grade, or after the grade were published on StudentWeb.
The appeal is handled by an Appeal Committee consisting of an external and an internal examiner. The committee makes its evaluations without knowledge of evaluation or grade.
The following documents are sent to the Appeal Committee:
- Final delivery
- Program
- A syllabus
- A copy of the Law of Universities (universitetsloven) §5-2 and §5-3
Appeal process
The Appeal Committee deliberates within three weeks, and render a new assessment based on the submitted materials. The committee can extend its deadline but must keep the student informed. The student will be advised of the final decision in writing. The decision of the appeal committee is final and cannot be appealed. The Study Administration keep a copy of the final decision. (cf the The Law of Universities and Colleges (universitets- og høgskoleloven) §5-3(6)).
Postponed submission due to illness
Students who become ill may be eligible to extend their submission deadline. To qualify for an extension, the illness-related absence must exceed three days.
To request a deferred examination, please fill out this form in Nettskjema.
Please remember to upload a medical certificate along with the form. The medical certificate must specify the duration of the absence and the time period it is valid for. The application must be submitted within seven days of the illness beginning.