Failed Master degree

[Michaelp]

Helllo everyone!

im in a desperate help.!!!! My situation is I started my master at 2011. And have complete all my master subjects in 2013, except my master thesis. 

so what happened is I spend the next 3 years on the thesis, I know it sounds terribly terrible. But I had some problems which prevented me from completing the thesis. I have extented my study right to fall 2014. But the thesis was not finished untill june. 2016. 

Recently I contacted my university if they can extend my study right (so I can deliver the thesis), but they rejected my application of extension of study right. Their argument was when my study right expired in des. 2014,  I have not contaced them to freeze my study (or applied leave of absence) . I was kinda frustruated at that time, was stressing with my writing, so actually i forgot to contact them. 

Since my application is rejected I really dont know what to do. I feel hurrible that i wasted 5 years for this master education and ended up with nothing.  Should I appeal? What should i do?? Appreciate your advises and suggestions. 

 

[Warelin]

Which University is this? Do they mention how long you have to complete their degree on their website? Do they mention it in their handbook?

[Michaelp]

It is a university in Norway.

normally they require you to complete the degree within 3 years. But there are exceptions. I wish that i contacted the university last year. But it is too late now... So desperate. 

Edited September 19, 2016 by Michaelp

[TakeruK]

I think the strangest part is that from Fall 2014 to June 2016, you were working on your thesis but no one knew that you were working on your thesis. I guess I am not sure how the Norway Masters system works, but most programs should have annual check-ins that you have to pass and there would be tuition fees or other annual things you have to do with the school in order to maintain student status. Does your thesis advisor or thesis committee know about this?

I think your best chance of getting something out of this is to get help through your advisor or your committee. If they know you have been working hard on your thesis and been keeping in regular communication with them, they might be able to convince the school to retroactively re-instate you as a student and then you may be able to get a degree based on the existing work.

If you really have been working on your own with no communication with anyone in your department, then I think that's part of the problem. Also, for most students, it's not really realistic to complete a thesis independently (otherwise you wouldn't need to go to grad school) so I find it unlikely that a school would want to grant you a degree based on unsupervised work. In this case, you might have to get some support from your department to be reinstated as a student and then finish your thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. It might mean you have to continue working on it a little more, but hopefully, they will allow you to count the previously completed courses. 

[Concordia]

On the plus side, were you to re-take the degree, you'd zoom through the coursework and have a ready-drafted thesis to hand in.

[Michaelp]

To maintain the student status, one has to be registered every semester. As i said earlier, the last time i reg. was for fall 2014.  I dont think that my thesis advisor knew that i was not reg. Me and my advisor had couple of meeting at the beginning (fall2013) , he wasnt even interested on my topic. Since then we havent had any contact. But i think i will contact my thesis advisor and hope he can somehow help me.i believe the chances are very small.

since my application of extension of study right has been rejected, therefore i also can not retake the master degree at same university. Unless i apply for another university (one option, not desirable) 

[dr. t]

I don't see any way out of this. External circumstances or not, you kind of screwed yourself.