ECM702: Dissertation

Module code: ECM702

Module provider: Economics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 100

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Full year

Module convenor: Dr Stefania Lovo, email: s.lovo@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Neha Hui, email: n.hui@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

A dissertation is an independent piece of research work in the MSc by Research programme in the Department of Economics. It is considered to be the most important element in this programme as it demonstrates the knowledge and skills acquired both in terms of the subject area and academic research rigour. It is normally conducted by an individual student guided by two academic supervisors who themselves are working in or close to the chosen specialised domain. It gives students the opportunity to undertake a substantial theoretical and/or empirical research project which draws from the prior knowledge and skills acquired from past experience or during the taught part of the MSc by Research programme. The dissertation enables students to practise writing an academic paper, allows students to develop problem-solving skills, and enables students to manage research activities and critically assess the outcomes from a project.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of the research topic subject matter
2. Plan and manage a systematic approach to a research project
3. Carry out a literature review
4. Develop the process to find a solution to a given research problem
5. Evaluate the solution, derive conclusions, and provide a critical appraisal
6. Present their work in both written and oral form

Module content

The content of the dissertation will be usually illustrated by a theoretical and/or empirical component, which may be a model, conceptual framework, solution, empirical understanding, or any other deliverables. The research work must be conducted in an ethical and professional manner. The text of the dissertation would normally range between 10,000 and 15,000 words and it would usually be supported by ancillary material, such as replication codes and datasets for applied work. The field of enquiry will be selected by the student in consultation with and approved by the supervisors.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The dissertation project is normally conducted by an individual student guided by their supervisors. The student will have regular meetings with the supervisors and contact with other members of staff with expertise in the chosen research field. The remaining time will be devoted to individual research and study. The weighting between the written dissertation and the practical component will be agreed between the supervisor and the student, but the weighting will not normally exceed 30% for the practical component.

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs