Dissertation profiles

GPS students in the library

One of the strengths of Sociology at Newcastle is that you don’t simply learn about Sociology, you do Sociology. A hallmark of the third year is the dissertation project, an independent research project of a student’s own choice and design, which they undertake with hands-on support and mentoring from an experienced supervisor. Read about a recent success story.

In the second year, students begin planning for their project through a dissertation preparation assignment in their methods module.

In the third year, they have regular meetings with their supervisors and have access to workshops on research methods and information skills run by Robinson Library. A dissertation handbook offers specific advice about fieldwork, ethical approval and timetabling.

On our alumni pages, many of our former students spoke warmly about their experiences in tacking their final year project.

"I found the freedom we were given for the final year dissertation to be a hugely exciting culmination to the degree...The luxury of being able to immerse myself in this project was something I didn’t fully appreciate at the time, but I think I did sense how fundamental an experience it could be to my later career"
Ash Parsons
"The most memorable moment from my studying of Sociology at Newcastle was undertaking my own research and writing a dissertation...getting my dissertation of 13,000 words finally bound was a brilliant feeling"
Fran Thompson

We asked five of our students who graduated in 2010 to talk about their dissertation projects to give you an idea of the diverse range of topics that can be explored. All of them look back on their projects as one of the highlights of their time at university and a formative moment in their lives. We hope you enjoy reading these portraits!