Module Catalogue 2026/27

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The aim of this module is to enable students to put their specialist skills, knowledge, and understanding into practice through the medium of a significant individual project and written dissertation. This can take the form of either:
(1)       a major individual research project, or
(2)       a consultancy project for a client identified by the project supervisor and students.

Outline Of Syllabus

Dissertation projects might involve working within one of the School's established research groups, or elsewhere in collaboration with another industrial or academic partner. Wherever they work, students will be supervised, throughout their project, by an experienced scientist, manager or engineer. These supervisors provide advice on the approaches and methods that are best suited to the problem; on collection/analysis of data; and guidance in producing a well-written dissertation.

Students will be required to complete a project inception document as part of the project planning, including consideration of how the project contributes to personal skills development with reference to an appropriate professional body.

Students present their findings both as a full written dissertation and to a generalist audience through a poster presentation.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
•       Develop an advanced knowledge and understanding, at the forefront of one or more of the aspects of their discipline
•       Design an appropriate experiment/scientific investigation in their field of interest;
•       Critically analyse data

Intended Skill Outcomes

On completion of this module, students will have had opportunities to enhance their skills in the generation, interpretation and use of data relevant to their discipline. The mapping of certain AHEPv4 learning outcomes to each intended skills outcome is indicated in each point.
•       critically assess the value of data and other information on a topic (M4);
•       formulate or recognise key hypotheses, and identify key data/information that would allow these hypotheses to be tested (M2);
•       design solutions to a problem that evidence some originality and consider applicable health and safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental/commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards (M5);
•       select and apply appropriate data collection methods through field, laboratory, or other means (M1 and M3);
•       depending on the topic of the project, select and apply appropriate computational analytical techniques (recognising their limitations) to model complex problems and/or test hypotheses (M3);
•       present and summarise data and critically appraise their significance to reach substantiated conclusions (M2 and M3);
•       assess and address risks and ethical issues for their project (M8, M9);
•       communicate (in writing) the motivation, methods and findings of a project effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences (M17).
•       depending on the topic of the project, students may also develop skills in systems approaches (M6)
•       laboratory and workshop (M12), and in applying appropriate engineering technologies (M13).

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The students practise and develop their engineering and/or management knowledge, and their generic skills, through independent study of an individual project. They gain the skills and knowledge delivered by the module by “learning through doing” as they undertake the project. They are supported by one or more academic supervisors who advise on experimental approach, methodology and result interpretation.
AHEP 4 assessed are: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M8, M9, M12, M13, M16, M17

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The aim of the assessment is to test the student’s ability to implement a substantial independent project according to the Project Inception Report to answer a specific research question or questions of interest to the client, to report that investigation and to present the information both to an audience in the form of a presentation and as a substantial written report in a style that meets the needs of the research/client.

General Notes

N/A