• The design of healthcare systems
• Medical, psychological, sociological and economic aspects of health and illness
• Theoretical foundations of healthcare research, evidence-based practice, ethics, and the challenges and organisation of care for an ageing population
• Digitalisation and the use of technology in healthcare
• Principles and measures of quality and risk management in healthcare
• Use and application of research methods
• Communication of research findings
• Self-management and the ability to work in a team

The module "Professional Field Internship" consists of a practical phase (professional field internship) and an accompanying seminar. The accompanying seminar serves the preparation and follow-up of the practical phase and takes place as a block event.

Ideally, you should complete your internship in the summer semester between May and June. Please contact the relevant companies or institutions of your choice in good time. We recommend that you submit your internship plans in writing to the person responsible for the module before starting the internship and that you have the compatibility of the internship with the requirements for the recognition of the internship checked and determined.

Under "Downloads" you will find a leaflet containing important information about the formal and organizational framework conditions of your internship, as well as a form template for the internship certificate.

As part of the ‘Research Project’ professionalisation module (gsw440) in the third semester, you will plan and carry out a well-defined research project in co-operation with a research institution and/or a healthcare organisation. You will be supported by mentors throughout this process. At the same time, an accompanying research colloquium takes place at the university, facilitating an exchange of the participants’ research experiences and providing supervision of the processes.

Further information can be found in the information sheet under ‘Downloads’.

Admission to the Master’s degree module requires enrolment and a minimum of 60 CP.

The Master’s thesis is undertaken at the end of the degree programme. You should agree on the exact start date with your supervisors. The start date does not have to coincide with the start of the semester. You must register with the Examinations Office using the official form.

The period from the allocation of the topic to the submission of the Master’s thesis is usually six months. The Examinations Office will officially inform you of the latest date by which you must submit your thesis.

Please note that the thesis will be deemed a fail if you do not meet the submission deadline and cannot provide valid reasons for the failure to do so.

In individual cases, the examining board may, upon a justified proposal, extend the processing time by up to two months.

If you have fallen ill during the processing time (known as ‘inability to sit an examination’), you must provide appropriate evidence in order to be granted an extension.

Notification of your inability to sit the examination, together with supporting evidence, must be submitted to the Examinations Office without delay. You can submit this evidence via the contact form for students.

A certificate of incapacity for work will be accepted as proof, unless the Examinations Office has requested a different form of documentation. The proof must state the expected duration of the illness. Please always address the medical certificate to the Examinations Office and not to the examiners. The examiners will be notified by the Examinations Office if the grounds for the extension have been accepted. Please remember to notify the Examinations Office of the grounds for the extension without delay, i.e. as soon as possible.

You are responsible for finding a supervisor and a topic for your final dissertation within the Department of Health Services Research. You may carry out your thesis either within the Department of Health Services Research (in-house thesis) or at an external institution (external thesis). If the latter is the case, please refer to the document ‘Rules for external Master’s theses’.

The thesis will be assessed by two appointed examiners, who will act as reviewers. During the processing time, you will be supervised by the first reviewer.

As a rule, supervisors must be members of the professors' group at the School V - School of Medicine and Health Sciences who are involved in teaching on the relevant Master’s programme. In exceptional cases, two full-time lecturers from the department who are not members of the professors' group may also supervise internal theses. In this case, the head of the research group in which the thesis is to be carried out must formally approve the supervision.

The formal requirements are set out in the Examinations Office’s guidance note. There are no strict rules regarding the length of the thesis, but it should not exceed 60–80 pages (in the specified layout, excluding appendices). Please consult your supervisors regarding the format.

Please submit your final thesis by the deadline in PDF format (1 file) as an attachment to an email to the Examinations Office. Please note the internal responsibilities of the Examinations Office.

Upon submission, you confirm that you have written the thesis independently, have used no sources or resources other than those cited, and have adhered to the general principles of academic work and publication in accordance with the guidelines on good academic practice at the University of Oldenburg.

Please send the bound copies of your thesis directly to the examiners!