DISSERTATION - 2025/6

Module Overview

The dissertation module supports students to plan, undertake and report on a substantial original project that is relevant to their professional practice and their workplace organisations.

 

Students will choose a topic area of their interest and will be supported throughout the project by a named supervisor. The project will involve developing a relevant research question and outlining the relevant policy context, carrying out a literature review, developing a robust methodology, collecting/identifying and analysing/synthesizing data, and to critically discuss the relevance of the findings to practice and current knowledge.      

 

Students will gain confidence in understanding and applying the research process. The students will have the opportunity to develop skills in research leadership, critical thinking, and writing, translating knowledge into practice, literature reviewing and digital knowledge.

Module provider

School of Health Sciences

Module Leader

MAGNUSSON Carin (Health Sci.)

Number of Credits: 60

ECTS Credits: 30

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): 30

Module Availability

Crosses academic years

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

Pre-requisite for this module is:

• Successful completion of Research Design and Methodology or demonstration of equivalent knowledge and understanding.
• Successful completion of 90 credits of the student’s programme.

Co-requisite for this module is:

• Successful completion of all PGDip elements within the student’s programme.

Note:  It is recommended that the student completes all other programme modules before commencing the Dissertation module, however if a student has a final module requiring completion alongside (of up to 30 credits), and has completed the Research, Design and Methodology module successfully, then this can be supported as a co-requisite.

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• The process of supervision


• Accessing academic and wellbeing support


• Research ethics


• Conducting literature reviews


• Planning and carrying out data collection


• Planning and carrying out data analysis


• Dissemination and sharing findings

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate how they have met the learning outcomes by completing a dissertation.  

 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

·         Dissertation

·         15,000 words comprising the submission of an independently written report containing several chapters, to include a critical review of the literature, methodology, findings/results, and a discussion of the relevance of findings to healthcare practice and current knowledge.

 

Formative Assessment 

Supervision of the project will be through a named Supervisor, to whom they can submit work for formative assessment and feedback.

Feedback 

Students will receive feedback through a variety of methods, these include:

• Written – formative feedback on draft work by supervisor


• Written – summative feedback on submitted dissertation


• Opportunities for academic verbal feedback 

Module aims

• Support students to organise and conduct a project under supervision.
• Enable students to gain confidence in understanding and applying the research process.
• Facilitate development of critical thinking and academic writing skill.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: offer a blend of learning methods to support the learning needs of students who may have had a break from academic study, and are completing part-time programmes. Group seminar sessions support professional peer to peer learning, and enable students to draw upon their own experience.

The learning and teaching methods include: 

• Lectures  


• Group seminar with group discussion 


• Supervision support for all students  


• Guided online learning activities 


• Self-Directed Study 

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: NURM112

Other information

The school of Health Sciences is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas: 

 

Employability: 

Students are registered healthcare professionals and will be developing skills and knowledge that can be applied to their professional role.  The completion of a dissertation that can be disseminated into practice and have a significant impact on healthcare service design, service users or workforce experiences and can significantly enhance their future career potential and employability. 

Digital Capabilities: 

Students will develop their digital capabilities through learning how to undertake a systematic search of literature using electronic academic literature databases. In addition, students are likely to engage with data analysis tools and electronic coding and filing systems. Students will, through the development of their dissertation, expand their use of digital skills of creating a written large report with academic references.  

Sustainability: 

Students will learn strategies and tools to critically appraise evidence, a transferable skill for life-long and life-wide learning and sustainable, evidence-informed practice in a changing healthcare environment.  

Resourcefulness and Resilience: 

The commitment required for a student to complete a 16-month part-time MSc dissertation project is considerable.  Students are guided to develop their reflective and critical thinking skills to evaluate, adapt, and respond flexibly to ever changing needs of healthcare practice, but also to focus on their own developmental needs. All transferrable skills required in modern health and social care practice.

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 2025/6 academic year.