Unit information: Dissertation: MSc Global Development and Environment in 2024/25

Unit name	Dissertation: MSc Global Development and Environment
Unit code	GEOGM0059
Credit points	60
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Professor. Richards
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None.
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None.
Units you may not take alongside this one	None.
School/department	School of Geographical Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Unit Information

The dissertation is based upon an independent research project developed by the individual student in consultation with an supervisor. The dissertation provides students with practical experience of formulating, designing, and undertaking a substantive and original piece of science/arts and humanities research. Students are introduced to key principles of research design and research ethics through intensive training in this unit. The submitted dissertation is evaluated to judge the individual student’s ability to formulate, design and conduct independent research into a clearly defined research problem; to select and deploy appropriate methodologies in investigating the problem; and to assess critically the relationships between empirical research findings and broader substantive and conceptual issues.

Your learning on this unit

Upon successful completion of the dissertation will be able to:

1. Formulate and design a research project, with due consideration of associated ethics;
2. Successfully carry out all stages of a research project;
3. Review and evaluate the existing, relevant literature on a chosen topic, including linking their own results to that wider literature;
4. Describe, discuss and analyse a particular area of research and its connections to other areas of knowledge;
5. Present a clear, coherent, and structured argument in written form;
6. Successfully organise their own resources, including time, to produce a piece of work under a tight timeline.

How you will learn

Dissertation support is provided by academic supervision and by a series of workshops and clinics supporting the acquisition of research skills. Topics may include:

Research Design Workshop: training and support for carrying out independent research; finding and evaluating library resources and other sources; techniques for preparing literature reviews and a personal research bibliography; and developing and/or using bibliographic databases, with support from the Library Team.

Research Project Clinics: One-to-one consultations with academic staff regarding research project ideas.

Risk Assessment Training: Guidance on assessing risk in field research and the process of ensuring compliance with research risk oversight in the Schoo.l

Ethics Training: guidance on the University’s Ethical Review process, including discussion and support for considering risks to participants, vulnerability in research involving human subjects, and ensuring compliance with ethical review. Training in intellectual property issues for research, secure data storage, data archiving and GDPR.

Visualisation, Statistics, and GIS Clinics: for training and support in using visualisation, statistical tools and GIS in research; in assuring data quality and preparing materials for analysis and dissemination.

Qualitative Research Methods and Policy Analysis Clinics: for support in using qualitative methods and employing policy analysis in research.

How you will be assessed

Dissertation (100%)

Resources

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. GEOGM0059).

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.