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Module

CEG8596 : MSc Project and Dissertation in Water Resources

  • Offered for Year: 2023/24
  • Module Leader(s): Professor Richard Dawson
  • Owning School: Engineering
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Semester 2 Credit Value: 5
Semester 3 Credit Value: 55
ECTS Credits: 30.0

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 research project and written dissertation.

This module represents the major individual research project that students must complete as part of their degree.

Outline Of Syllabus

Your project might involve you working within one of the School's established research groups, or you might work elsewhere in collaboration with another industrial or academic partner. Wherever you work, you will be supervised, throughout your project, by an experienced scientist or engineer. Your supervisor will provide advice on the approaches and methods that are best suited to your research problem and on your collection/analysis of data, and will guide you in producing a well-written dissertation.

You will be required to complete a project inception document as part of the project planning, including consideration of how the project contributes to your personal skills development with reference to an appropriate professional body, and to maintain a portfolio documenting the implementation of the project (submitted as an appendix to the dissertation report). You will be required to present the results of your studies to a generalist audience through an oral presentation and a written article.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion13:003:00PiP oral presentations
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion1120:00120:00Dissertation writing up
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion130:0030:00Article preparation and presentation
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture12:002:00N/A
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion117:0017:00Preparation of oral presentation
Guided Independent StudyDirected research and reading1120:00120:00Literature review
Guided Independent StudyDirected research and reading130:0030:00Project Inception Report (PIR)
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study1272:00272:00Data collection, analysis and interpretation.
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesScheduled on-line contact time32:006:003 x 2hour Online Synchronous seminars
Total600:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Students practice and develop their discipline related skills and knowledge, and their generic skills, through the medium of an individual research project. Some taught lecture/seminar sessions provide introduction to generic skills (eg literature reviews, writing skills). They gain the skills and knowledge delivered by the module mostly by “learning through doing” as they undertake the project. They are, in addition, supported by one or more academic supervisors who can advise on methodologies and interpretations.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Dissertation3M100Written dissertation (approx. 50-70 pages), inc appendix on project planning and implementation. Includes 10% allocation for article
Formative Assessments
Description Semester When Set Comment
Oral Presentation3MOral presentation of study methods and interim results.
Written exercise2MProject Inception report (PIR)
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The specialist and generic skills, and the knowledge and understanding practiced and developed during this module are assessed primarily through examination of a written dissertation. Complementary skills in project planning and self-assessment are practiced through the project inception report (PIR) and assessed through the portfolio. Communication skills are practiced through the oral presentation, and assessed through the article.

Reading Lists

Timetable