MSc Project: Types, Deliverables, and Assessment

High-Quality Work Is Required

The project is equivalent to 2 (30 credit) taught modules (minimum of 16 full-time weeks work), and the final report becomes a published document. Thus, this activity should not be undertaken lightly - producing work of high quality requires time and effort.

Projects will normally be of the following types (or mix of types), depending on the specific MSc course taken:  

·Evaluative: this requires the student to critically evaluate a given system, procedures, business models, etc. identify strengths and weaknesses and propose improvements.

·Analytic: this entails the analysis of particular policies or strategies and solutions, identify strengths and weaknesses and propose improvements.

·Design and development: this entails designing, implementing and testing a system or sub system

·Empirical or investigative: research into particular systems or problems, comparisons of alternatives and in most cases a demonstrable improvement of current methods.

The module deliverables are:

·Project registration form.

·Individual project definition and research proposal (10% of the total marks)

·Formative Viva/Presentation - this is a formative assessment for students to gain some early feedback and used as an exercise for the final Viva/Presentation.

·Dissertation  (electronic copy via Canvas) (%80 of the total mark)

·Viva/Presentation to explain/defend the finding of the project to the supervisor and the second marker, within 2 weeks of submitting the dissertation  (10% of the total marks)

Please note that if a student does not demonstrate/present his/her work, we reserve the right to withhold his/her project dissertation mark until a demonstration/presentation takes place.

The timings for submitting each of the above deliverables depend on your mode of study (full-time or part-time) and time of entry (September or January). In what follows, '*' means “online submission via Canvas by 11.59pm” and '†' means “make an appointment with your supervisor and with your second marker”.

·Read the module guide and be aware of all deadlines and keep up to date with Canvas announcement and emails.

·Be prepared to meet student at least once a fortnight during term time to review progress. Meetings are not expected to be longer than 30 minutes for each student. At the beginning of the project more advice and support than this may be appropriate.

·Respond to any request for a meeting within 3 working days. Students should arrange meetings in advance by e-mail or in person.

·Ensure adequate resources are in place for the project and arrange any specialist training or support required.

·Supply at least some references or other pertinent information at the start of the project.

·Record meetings with project students and report any significant absences to the module leader.

·Give advice on the general form and contents of an assessment e.g., style of introduction, the presentation and discussion of results and the style of writing appropriate to the piece of assessment (report/ poster/ presentation).

·Encourage the student to produce a draft of an assessment in good time.

·Give feedback on draft work (proposal, report etc.) within one/two working week/s. Supervisors cannot be expected to provide feedback on anything submitted after agreed or published deadlines.

·Provide comments or editing on only small parts of individual sections of the draft assessment (e.g. 1 page) this is for feedforward purposes and give general comments on the remainder of the draft work.

·Only expected to read one draft of an assessment and not assist with continual revision. The supervisor's approval of a report cannot be taken to imply any particular grade has been achieved