Postgraduate Course: Dissertation - Integrated Resource Management (PGGE11120)

Course Outline
School	School of Geosciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course type	Dissertation	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	60	ECTS Credits	30
Summary	This course allows students the opportunity to study in some depth a research topic of their own choosing that is of particular interest to them and useful in their future careers.
Course description	The dissertation is an extended piece of scholarship in which students have the opportunity to study in some depth a topic (largely) of their own choosing. In practice, the subject will be chosen iteratively on the basis of studentsż own interests, what relevant staff are able to supervise, and what is feasible given the literature, resources and time available. The dissertation should be distinct from earlier assessed work by the greater depth of comprehension and criticism demonstrated. Equally, of course, students are not expected to undertake the exhaustive scale of literature review or empirical work typical of a research degree. The dissertation may vary in the breadth of coverage. Since the time available for this work is short, it is not expected that the dissertation should report notable or original contributions to knowledge, but it is hoped that this may be an additional outcome. The point is that it must have a clear focus with definable objectives and boundaries, achievable in the time and word length available. The exact format of the dissertation will vary from case to case depending on the work done. It may take the form of a management report, field work, an experiment, an opinion survey, a literature review or any other exercise approved by the Programme Director. Its objective is to provide the student with an opportunity for demonstrating his or her competence in the chosen area of study. Please note that examiners mark for quality and not quantity of written work.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Successfully plan and execute an independent research project Write up research findings in a logical and coherent manner Transfer acquired research and investigative techniques to other circumstances Use enhanced communication and deduction skills Apply knowledge and skills acquired in other parts of the programme to this endeavour