| Unit name | Dissertation in Healthcare Management |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIMM0089 |
| Credit points | 60 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. West |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
The taught element of the programme. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
The aim of the project and associated dissertation is for students to pursue a major project in an area of personal interest relevant to healthcare management at the level of Masters. It will give students the chance to work autonomously on a project of their choice and to both demonstrate, and develop communication, problem solving, research and project management understanding, knowledge and skills.
Every student will be allocated a dissertation supervisor, whose guidance they will use to undertake the project and complete the dissertation write-up (10,000-15,000 words long). A dissertation demands self-motivation and good organisational skills. Students are expected to show initiative in choosing their topic of study and in executing the project. The unit will further develop skills in developing an agenda of enquiry, formulating appropriate questions, conducting a literature review, planning a programme of enquiry, analysing data, and communicating the findings by a fixed deadline.
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Frame a clear, central project question;
2. Identify and critically review literature relevant to the topic and central question;
3. Understand and apply an appropriate enquiry methodology to investigate the chosen topic including research ethics process and considerations;
4. Analyse data and/or evidence, where appropriate, and draw apposite conclusions and recommendations that answer the central question;
5. Integrate discussion of the findings and conclusions into wider academic debates drawn from the literature review and formulate practice relevant recommendations;
6. Produce a dissertation in a clear, well-written and grammatically-correct style, that conforms to the conventions of academic presentation.
There will be five hours of supervision with a dissertation supervisor. Contact will be also provided electronically via email. Supervisor responsibilities include guidance on aspects of the dissertation preparation (including a specific discussion on research ethics approval, where appropriate), checking and helping with formal arguments and theoretical models, data collection, analysis and conclusions as applicable.
In common with other Russell Group universities, the School employs a range of staff including academics external to the University for the supervision of dissertations. This enables the School to ensure personal and individual supervision for students and allows us to utilise skills and expertise of academics who may not be full-time members of staff. In employing external members of staff there is an increased breadth and depth of research knowledge allowing Schools to create the best match between students and supervisors.
Formative assessment (ILO 1-4)
Supervisors will read and provide feedback on one full draft of the dissertation (either complete or by chapter). Provided the draft is submitted within guidelines, the supervisor will respond with feedback within 14 days. Feedback should provide detail on the requirements for improvement.
Summative assessment (ILO1-6)
A dissertation of 10,000 to 15,000 words is to be produced. The dissertation will assess students’ ability to frame an enquiry question in the context of relevant literature, apply a suitable strategy for either of qualitative, quantitative or library-based study; analyse resulting data and draw relevant conclusions and integrate these into wider academic debates drawn from the literature review. The dissertation will also assess students’ ability to produce a substantial piece of work independently and by a deadline, which also conforms to the conventions of academic presentation.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EFIMM0089).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
