The dissertation is a substantial piece of independent research on a topic of choice allowing you as a master’s student the opportunity to develop and refine a project from concept through to completion. The Masters Dissertation module is worth 60 credits (one third of your study) involving 20 weeks of student commitment. It requires project planning that will lead to an assessed output, presented in a written format appropriate to the discipline and field of study. The published work will reflect the length and expected complexity of the investigation / enquiry. The high level of responsibility for conducting the project, will enable you to be creative in complex situations, demonstrate critical awareness, comprehensive understanding and knowledge with contemporary insights into problems that are at forefront of your discipline or professional practice. A conventional, and largely textual dissertation, will contain a maximum of 15,000 words. The format and output of the dissertation work should be agreed with your programme or discipline module lead and will be subjected to the normal internal approval process, prior to the start of the work. The module allows in depth exploration of a subject-specific topic often from different perspectives. The format will draw relevant conclusions or achieve an alternative synthesis, via this research process, and should show refined awareness of strengths and weaknesses. The dissertation module is designed to draw on the skills and knowledge developed through other master’s modules including Research Methods or its equivalent. It supports and develops your research abilities in research design, data collection, analysis and critical interpretation to facilitates application to your area of study within the discipline. In this respect, the work is considered to be original, and may be an empirical research project, a critical interpretative review and analysis of literature or existing knowledge, a business focussed project or case study or analysis of secondary data. It will evaluate both the process and outcomes of the investigation / enquiry either within the context of a written report, or through an appropriate commentary. The product can be a report, business plan, a review of organisational policy or systems operating in the sector or work-place, a consultancy project, a journal article or scientific paper, a work of art / design project or an approved combination of these indicative products. A project proposal must be subjected to the formal institutional approval process and that operating within the School or at discipline level, before the work is approved and can commence. Depending on the type of project and the desired output, remote engagement will be possible.