| CODE | IES5041 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Capstone Project | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 20 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Institute of Earth Systems | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The capstone project study-unit provides students with the opportunity to undertake an independent project at Master's level, applying both theoretical content and skills learned throughout the course to propose and implement a project that has practical relevance within the fields of environmental management and sustainability. Based on the guidance of the programme coordinators, students will select a topic, within a subject area of particular interest to them (and provided that appropriate expertise for supervision is available). Students will be expected to work largely independently throughout the process, whilst keeping in regular contact with their supervisors. Students are also expected to familiarize themselves with relevant work in the subject area, from both research and practical arenas, and with appropriate writing styles/formats. The project will entail standard research components including identification and clear statement of a research question, a review of relevant literature, design of an appropriate methodology to address the project aim, data collection and analysis, and subsequent discussion of results obtained. Students will also have the opportunity of discussing their work during an oral presentation session. Study-Unit Aims: - Provide students with the opportunity to conduct an independent project of practical relevance at Master's level; - Provide students with the opportunity to delve into detail of an area that they are particularly interested in, and to develop specialist knowledge of this subject area; - Develop students' capacity to successfully manage projects; - Enable students to competently perform basic analysis of data; - Develop students' skills in presenting project outputs. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify key elements of effective project management; - Identify appropriate methodologies for data collection and analysis; - Explain how scientific research can provide insights for management/policy in keeping with evidence-based policy-making. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Successfully manage a small-scale independent project; - Design a methodology for data collection and analysis; - Discuss the implications of research results obtained; - Critique his/her own research, identifying both strengths and weaknesses; - Cite sources of information in an appropriate manner; - Effectively present the results of a project in both written and oral formats. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Wisker, G. (2001). The Postgraduate Research Handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Peck, J., & Coyle, M. (2005). Write it Right: A Handbook for Students. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | ** Resits will be held during the period indicated by the partner institution responsible for the study-unit in accordance with the regulations applicable at the respective institution. | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Project | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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