Unit information: Dissertation in 2025/26

Unit name	Dissertation
Unit code	MODLM0080
Credit points	60
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Mr. Vieira Neves Cunha E Silva
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	none
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	none
Units you may not take alongside this one	none
School/department	School of Modern Languages
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

All PGT students are expected to undertake a dissertation as the culmination of their programme of study. This extended project is an opportunity to synthesize and integrate the skills and knowledge developed during the taught component of the MSc. This process allows for greater formation of your professional profile and career trajectory as an interpreter or professional linguist in adjacent fields, and for you to demonstrate and critically evaluate these skills and/or the subject expertise in your chosen area. For many students the dissertation will be the most extended piece of work they have undertaken to date, and the one in which they have the most control in terms of its focus and design. The choice of dissertation will help to set the trajectory for the next steps in your professional or academic career.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study?

The dissertation represents 60 credits out of the 180 credits required for completion of the MSc programme. As such, it is the most important single piece of work you will carry out on your course. Students are not expected to necessarily know what the focus of their dissertation will be before course commencement, but this will be formed progressively through engagement with the taught units. Your ideas for the dissertation will likely evolve during the academic year as you encounter new content or through conversations with peers and tutors, before finally being decided with your supervisor.

Your learning on this unit

Seminars in TB2 cover topics such as ethics reviews, project design, and research methods, and will be the main timetabled sessions for you to work on the development of your project. You will be assigned a supervisor after submitting a draft proposal.

The dissertation is a 12,000 word written project that may take one of three forms:

• A practical work study involving a critical summary of an internship or work placement utilizing your professional interpreting or industry-adjacent skills. Placements are usually in the summer, and some may be made available by the Translation and Interpreting Studies department through industry connections, however this cannot be guaranteed. Any aspects of the profession, or professional skills covered in the programme, may be considered for critical summary.
• Research dissertations may focus on any aspect of translation and interpreting practice, technologies, and the language services industry. You may also focus on the societal role of translation and interpreting in communication, public services, and international affairs.
• Practical dissertations involve the production of multilingual texts, including in audiovisual translation, intersemiotic translation, or various interpreting modes, plus an academic commentary on your working process.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

The dissertation is a chance to draw together the different threads of the course and frame the next steps of your future career. You will have a much clearer idea of where your strengths, weaknesses, and interests lie, and will understand how these fit in an evolving industry having built a valuable and resilient skills profile.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion, you will be able to:

1. Reflect critically and incisively on the role of language professionals in the industry, integrating professional and ethical values into your own practice

1. Assess and evaluate the skills and requirements for a project of a given scope in the language services field

1. Engage research and scholarly output to undertake rigorous analysis and present a compelling argument, potentially expanding knowledge in your chosen field or creating new material reflecting professional standards in your chosen area of activity

How you will learn

Initially you are guided by the unit coordinator to talk through your learning journey so far, with a view to the development of your dissertation proposal in accordance with your interests and skills. Roundtable discussions with other students as well as staff members will facilitate this process. Once you are assigned a supervisor, they become your primary point of contact for the dissertation. You can expect to do the bulk of your dissertation work during a three-month period after you complete your taught units, which is when work study placements usually take place. A supervisor will expect to give you about 4 hours supervision in all and you can discuss with them how this is best used. They can give you guidance and help, advising on sources and methods you might use, the structure of your enquiry, translation strategies if you do a practical dissertation, or possible work placement options for MSc students undertaking a work study dissertation.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

Based on conversations with peers and your tutor, you will produce a proposal and receive feedback which allows you to develop your initial ideas towards a final topic.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

Dissertation (12,000 words) [ILOs 1-3]

When assessment does not go to plan

Students must achieve a pass mark (50%) in the dissertation unit to be awarded the associated credit and Master’s exit award. Where a student has achieved a near-pass (45-49%), they will usually be permitted to resubmit the dissertation for a capped mark of 50%. Resubmission for a full range of marks may also be permitted due to Exceptional Circumstances. In the event of a fail in the dissertation unit, students will normally exit the programme with a PG Diploma or PG Certificate based on having achieved 120 taught credits or minimum 60 taught credits respectively

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MODLM0080).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.

The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.