DISSERTATION (CES) - 2020/1

Module code: ENGM165

Module Overview

The dissertation is a compulsory module for all MSc students. The dissertation provides the opportunity for students to undertake an extended piece of work in a chosen area of interest in their field of study, working on their own with individual one-on-one supervision. It enables students to use skills drawn from the MSc programme as a whole as well as previous study or work experience. The dissertation can be based on either primary or secondary data sources taken from the public domain.

Module provider

Centre for Environment & Sustainability

Module Leader

CHENOWETH Jonathan (CES)

Number of Credits: 60

ECTS Credits: 30

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Overall student workload

Independent Learning Hours: 594

Lecture Hours: 6

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

Students carry out an individual research on approved research topic which they choose.

Assessment pattern

Assessment type Unit of assessment Weighting
Project (Group/Individual/Dissertation) FINAL DISSERTATION 100

Alternative Assessment

N/A -Dissertation Resubmission

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to conduct research in the field of environmental management and sustainable development.

The summative assessment for this module consists of:


  • Final dissertation (100% of the module mark)



Formative assessment and feedback

Students will receive feedback on their dissertation research proposal to help them shape their research ideas and plans accordingly. Students will also receive formative feedback through comments from their supervisor on written drafts of chapters for their dissertation and verbal feedback in supervision meetings. An initial draft section of the dissertation of at least 2000 words must be submitted to the supervisor by a given deadline prior to the submission of the final dissertation.

Module aims

  • The Dissertation module aims to give students an understanding of the research process and methods available, the requirements of planning and the interpretation and presentation of data in a relevant context. Students are encouraged to come up with topics to work on. The academic team may also suggest topics in their areas of expertise. Once a student agrees a topic area he/she will be assigned a supervisor with sufficient experience and academic background to provide the necessary guidance.
  • -To build on the knowledge and skills acquired during the taught modules. 
  • -To apply knowledge and theory to a particular scoped project. 
  • -To undertake an individual programme of work of relevance and usefulness contributing to environmental management applicable to various sectors (energy, water, product, health and finance, etc.).

Learning outcomes

Attributes Developed
1 Time management T
2 Set research objectives and scope P
3 Develop a project/dissertation proposal P
4 Carry out a thorough literature search C
5 Plan and organise a research programme T
6 Identify a relevant area with the appropriate analytical tools and evaluation K
7 Collect, analyse and interpret data in the context of the literature search C
8 Evaluate findings and make recommendations K
9 Understand the constraints in research: e.g. availability of information, financia P
10 Present and communicate the results of the project through a written report

Attributes Developed

C - Cognitive/analytical

K - Subject knowledge

T - Transferable skills

P - Professional/Practical skills

Methods of Teaching / Learning

A three day training session and additional seminars and tutorial sessions to assist students develop a research proposal. Individual research conducted under the guidance of an academic supervisor.

 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENGM165

Programmes this module appears in

Programme Semester Classification Qualifying conditions
Corporate Environmental Management MSc(YEAR LONG) Year-long Compulsory A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module
Environmental Strategy MSc(YEAR LONG) Year-long Compulsory A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module
Sustainable Development MSc(YEAR LONG) Year-long Compulsory A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.