This paper report on results from a survey carried out among a selection of 834 master students at University of Bergen. Only students which took final exam in the spring 2005 or were registered as a master student in the autumn 2003 are included in the survey. 52% returned the questionaire. The majority (approximately 75%) of the students deviated from the standard study period. The Faculty of Medicine had the most students completed the study within the standard study period while the Faculty of Social Science had the least. The variation among the faculties can be explained by several factors like gender and age differences, family responsibilities and students’ participation in the working life. Further, of importance is also an early start of writing the thesis, to which extent students are integrated in a research project and the way the research question was initiated. Students at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, which were committed to complete the thesis within the standard study period, attached great significance to this arrangement. The majority of the students at the Faculty of Social Science and the Faculty of History and Philosophy did not agree in the importance of completing the Master thesis within the standard study period as opposed to students at the other faculties. We also revealed variation among the supervisors attitude towards standard study period; supervisors at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences was the most eager to carry through students while supervisors at the Faculty of Social Sciences was the least. Eager supervisors and frequent tutorials were of great importance for the length of the study period.