Unit information: Final Year Research Project in 2015/16

Unit name	Final Year Research Project
Unit code	AENGM0032
Credit points	40
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Professor. Tom Richardson
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Selection of year 2 and 3 AENG units, depending on actual project
Co-requisites	Occasionally particular year 4 AENG units, depending on actual project
School/department	Department of Aerospace Engineering
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

The aim of the project is to provide the opportunity for a substantial and original piece of research work of engineering relevance at Masters level. It may be wholly research or include aspects of novel design, or systems engineering, which is orientated towards theoretical and/or experimental work. Integral to this project are project management skills, communication skills, reasoning skills, originality and creativity in problem solving.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the project the student will:

• have demonstrated the ability to work independently on a substantial engineering task of some complexity and unpredictability at the boundaries of knowledge; B3, C9
• deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences; B2, B4
• demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks; C3, C8
• have consolidated and demonstrated skills in written and oral presentation and project management; C1
• continue to advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level. C10

Teaching Information

All members of the Aerospace Engineering staff (and occasionally staff from other departments) are involved. Each project has an Advisor, one Specialist Assessor and one Non-Specialist Assessor. A moderator (usually the Head of Department) is also part of the assessment team. Where projects have close industrial involvement external personnel may also be involved in the advisory role but not the assessment.

Assessment Information

The assessment is based upon the student's ability to convey and defend their technical research to both specialist and non-specialists in TWO distinct forums; 1. A project report (consisting of a 20-page Report in the style of a Journal Paper. 2. A viva voce examination (including a poster board project presentation)

Breakdown:

Viva 20%
Report (marked by Advisor) 45%
Report (marked by Specialist Assessor) 35%

If the mark between the Advisor and Specialist Assessor varies by more than 10% a third marker will be asked to moderate.

Reading and References

Various, depending on project topic