MSC DISSERTATION - 2027/8
Module code: PSYM034
Module Overview
It is a requirement of the University that taught postgraduate programmes include a dissertation and/or major project module. For this module, students will conduct their own piece of empirical research in an area relevant to their Masters course under the supervision of a member of the academic staff. For the assessment, students will write either a qualitative or mixed-method research report of a comparable length to a published single-study journal article.
Overall student workload: 600 hours
This includes 12 hours of tutor supervision.
These hours will include development of theoretical framework, aims and hypotheses, recruiting samples, fieldwork and liaison with key personnel as appropriate, data recording and analysis, interpretation and writing up. Specific times for these subsections cannot be given as they vary from project to project.
Module provider
Psychology
Module Leader
FU Di (Psychology)
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: 380
Tutorial Hours: 12
Guided Learning: 198
Captured Content: 10
Module Availability
Year long
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
N/A
Module content
The dissertation content must be appropriate for your MSc degree programme. Students must defer to their supervisor(s) before embarking on the research.
Students whose projects are problem-driven and run in collaboration with an external party will receive supervision that ensures that rigorous, level-appropriate academic standards are maintained throughout. Such students may be obliged to produce an executive summary that can be attached as Appendix to the dissertation.
The dissertation must be an original piece of work: students must demonstrate this throughout the project duration.
It is expected that the dissertation will consist of new analyses of data to address a clearly specified research question. Normally students will be expected to collect new data of their own although secondary data analysis (including analyses of media data) and meta-analyses are acceptable and indeed encouraged by some members of staff. Dissertations that consist solely of reviews of the literature and contain no new analyses of data will not normally be acceptable. Your dissertation topic must be clearly identifiable as one appropriate for the degree course you are pursuing - if you have any doubts about the appropriateness of a proposed study, consult your supervisor or program leader.
Student projects and available supervisors are advertised on the MSc dissertation pages on SurreyLearn in the first semester. Students will then be asked to nominate supervisors (and/or projects) after which the module lead will allocate students to supervisors. Students will be given priority to staff who teach on their respective programmes. After students and supervisors have been matched the student should contact the supervisor to develop the research.
The specific project's timetable is within the jurisdiction of the student but must be agreed up front with the supervisor.
SEMESTER 1
- Allocation of supervisors
- Planning the research: submit a summary of the research proposal after discussion with the supervisor
- Agree project plan with collaborating organisation (where applicable)
- Contact gatekeepers, or work with collaborators, for access to participants, and start preparing for ethical approval. Clear guidelines about ethics procedures are given in module workshops and in the student handbook.
- Arrange data collection with gatekeepers/collaborators and participants
- Prepare literature review
- Start to prepare study materials
SEMESTER 2
- Submit research proposal
- Apply for ethical and/or governance approval. All students must apply for these approvals, and this needs to be discussed with the supervisor. Clear guidelines about ethics procedures are given in the workshops and in the student handbook
- Data collection and analysis
- Submit first draft of your results to supervisor
- Prepare full draft of dissertation
- Submit full draft of dissertation (without discussion section) to supervisor
- Make changes and write Discussion
- September: Hand in dissertation, submit executive summary to collaborating organisation (where applicable)
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Project (Group/Individual/Dissertation) | WRITTEN DISSERTATION (8000-10000 WORDS) | 100 |
Alternative Assessment
N/A
Assessment Strategy
The MSc dissertation is the primary summative assessment of the module and assesses students' ability to independently design, conduct, analyse, and report a research project in psychology. To support academic integrity, the responsible use of AI technologies, and the evaluation of the research process, the assessment incorporates consideration of process-based evidence alongside the dissertation.
Students will therefore submit the dissertation together with supporting evidence demonstrating the research process and the critical use of AI tools.
Formative assessment and feedback
Students will receive formative support throughout the dissertation process through supervision meetings and dissertation workshops.
Supervisors will provide formative feedback on the research proposal, ethics application, data analysis, and one draft of the dissertation (excluding the Discussion section) during the supervision process. Students are expected to engage proactively with this feedback and demonstrate how it informs the development of their dissertation.
Module aims
- The dissertation aims to provide students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth, empirical investigation of an appropriate problem or topic. The process of preparing and writing a dissertation provides the student with the opportunity to pursue in depth a topic relevant to their degree program. It should allow them to apply and develop research skills acquired during the MSc program and to demonstrate a reflective understanding of the research endeavour through their own work
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 001 | Identify a viable research issue or question pertinent to their field of study. This issue may be problem driven (arising from a real world setting) or theory driven (guided by a clear research question and/or leading to conventional hypothesis testing) or both | C |
| 002 | Conduct and present a coherent literature review | KCPT |
| 003 | Design a strategy for investigation (design, procedure, methods) that will address the research question and/or hypotheses, can be logically defended, and is in accordance with the BPS ethical guidelines | CP |
| 004 | Conduct appropriate statistical analyses that address the hypotheses, and/or apply qualitative analytic methods as appropriate to the research question | C |
| 005 | Interpret findings - whether numerical/statistical or textual - with reference to relevant theory and/or previous research, in an informed and defendable way acknowledging their own role in the analytic process. | KCT |
| 006 | Coherently articulate the benefits and limitations of the research | C |
| 007 | Identify the implications for future research and/or the practical implications, as appropriate, with due recognition of the scope and boundaries of these implications | C |
| 008 | Present findings in accordance with APA guidelines | P |
| 009 | Self-organisation (project planning and scheduling, time management) and initiative (in seeking answers to questions, in conducting the research), including the ability to work increasingly independently and with initiative throughout the duration of the project | PT |
| 010 | Communicate with the supervisor(s) in a constructive and proactive manner about the above, and with view to developing a clear and workable modus operandi for supervision (that may mean discussing mutual expectations and process issues arising during the course of supervision) | PT |
| 011 | Demonstrate effective, critical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the research process, particularly in literature searching and reviewing, in accordance with professional and ethical guidelines (e.g., BPS ethical standards). | CP |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy
Students are entitled to 12 hours of contact time with their supervisor scheduled as required to suit both supervisor and student. Contact time includes face-to-face meetings, telephone conversations, e-mails and reading drafts with respect to the project. Students are entitled to have feedback on their draft from their supervisor before the final submission provided they organise a suitable time for this in advance. Supervisors are permitted to comment on one draft only; this excludes the Discussion section. Any additional supervision must be strictly negotiated by supervisor and student, but if there is no justifiable reason for this, heavy dependency could undermine the achievement of independent working and therefore also the final mark will reflect this.
Students who work on projects run with external collaborators will need to meet with those collaborators, or representatives of the collaborating organisation, during the project. The amount of time spent with the collaborator representative will vary across projects, but students should expect to spend no more than 10 hours in such meetings throughout the project duration; these hours are additional to the time spent with the university-based project supervisor.
Your supervisor will provide feedback and guidance on all elements of the dissertation but they will not read your Discussion. This will be an independent piece of work where students can demonstrate their own understanding and critical analyses of their work and the practical, theoretical and methodological implications of this work and their findings.
Your supervisor can be expected to offer advice and guidance at all stages of completing the dissertation and it is normally expected that supervisors will read through a single complete draft of the dissertation before submission (except for the Discussion). The supervisor is not, however, responsible for the content of the dissertation nor can they be expected to correct typographical and grammatical errors. If you think you might have problems with presenting work in good English, you should discuss this with your supervisor early in the year so that appropriate help can be found.
The supervisor will nominate an independent marker (with sufficient knowledge of the field of research) who will mark the dissertation along with another member of staff.
Identifying a supervisor
Projects and available supervisors are advertised on SurreyLearn and introduced during workshops in Semester 1. Details of the supervisor allocation process will also be provided to students during Semester 1.
Learning and teaching methods include:
A series of workshops will be delivered during Semester 1 and Semester 2. These workshops will introduce module information, supervisor allocation procedures, ethics approval processes, responsible use of AI, research proposal preparation, writing the Discussion section, and guidance on publishing dissertation work.
Students will undertake independent research with an academic supervisor, supported through one-to-one supervision and, where appropriate, group supervision (total supervision time: 12 hours).
In addition, students are encouraged to attend seminar series organised by the School of Psychology to engage with a range of academic research within the discipline.
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: PSYM034
Other information
The School of Psychology is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Digital Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module contributes to the development of the following capabilities:
Employability
The dissertation is designed to develop students' employability skills through independent research. Students will enhance written communication, critical thinking, and research skills, as well as project management and self-management abilities. Conducting a live research project, often involving human participants, further supports the development of professionalism, interpersonal skills, and confidence in applying psychological knowledge to real-world contexts.
Global and cultural capabilities
Through designing and conducting research, students will develop awareness of ethical, social, and cultural considerations in psychological research. They will learn to engage with diverse populations and perspectives in a respectful and informed manner, and to critically reflect on how cultural and societal factors influence research questions, methodologies, and interpretations.
Digital capabilities
Students will develop digital literacy through the use of a range of research tools and platforms, including literature databases, participant recruitment systems (e.g. SONA), data collection tools (e.g. Qualtrics), and analysis software (e.g. Jamovi, NVivo).
In addition, students will develop responsible and critical use of AI tools in research. This includes using AI to support literature exploration and early project development, critically evaluating AI-generated outputs, recognising their limitations, and applying appropriate ethical and academic standards when integrating AI into their work.
Sustainability
Students will develop an understanding of ethical and responsible research practices, including consideration of long-term societal impact. Through their research, they will be encouraged to reflect on how psychological knowledge can contribute to sustainable and responsible solutions that benefit individuals and communities over time.
Resourcefulness and resilience
The dissertation, as a capstone assessment, requires students to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout their degree to an independent research project. This process fosters independence, adaptability, and self-regulation. Students will develop confidence, problem-solving skills, and decision-making abilities, while learning to engage constructively with feedback through supervision and workshops. Active participation in supervision meetings and dissertation workshops further supports the development of reflective practice and resilience in managing complex academic tasks.
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Psychology MSc(CORE) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
| Clinical Psychology and Mental Health MSc(CORE) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
| Social Psychology MSc(CORE) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
| Environmental Psychology MSc(CORE) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
| Psychology (Conversion) MSc(CORE) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% 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 2027/8 academic year.