| Unit name | Dissertation (MSc Fin Tech) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ACFIM0013 |
| Credit points | 60 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sapre |
| 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 Accounting and Finance - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important
The Dissertation is the pinnacle of the MSc in Financial Technology, and provides students with an opportunity to execute a piece of original research on a topic that they choose. Where the student desires it, in some cases there may be the opportunity to work with an industry partner, who will provide specialist additional guidance and access to financial market problems and data, alongside the academic supervisor.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit runs throughout the academic year. Across TB1 and TB2, lectures and seminars will prepare students for independently conducting empirical research in finance. In TB1 there will be a welcome talk from the programme director and lectures on the structure of the dissertation and how to conduct a literature review. In TB2, there will be lectures and tutorials on research methods which will equip students with the skills necessary to critically evaluate the academic literature and produce original research for the dissertation report. In TB3, students will produce and present a research proposal, and complete the dissertation.
Students will apply and hone the broad skills in time management, critical thinking, and report writing that they developed in the other units. Depending on their choice of topic, students are also likely to extend their subject matter knowledge in a more specialised area from units such as Quantitative Methods, Big Data and Machine Learning (TB 1); AI, Blockchain Technology and Applications (TB 1); or Algorithmic Trading (TB2).
An overview of content
Students will choose their own topic, which will probably be on an aspect of financial technology of relevance to the financial services sector. They will study it in depth, analysing the problem at hand in detail.
How will students personally be different as a result of the unit
In addition to synthesising the knowledge and skills learned on previous aspects of the programme, students will hone their independent study, time-management, presentation delivery and report-writing skills. They will also be required to reflect on and deal with any ethical issues that might arise in conducting their research. Students will become more confident in conducting research, and they will develop resilience and tenacity to deal with problems as they occur.
Intended learning outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will be able to:
Students will be allocated an appropriate supervisor based on their topic choice. The interaction they have with their supervisor will be very personalised and dependent upon the nature of the subject matter (for example, theoretical versus empirical).
Additional optional seminars are offered that will be relevant for some topics, such as on the use of specialist databases, and a technical ‘help desk’ is provided during the main study period to offer support with programming or statistical issues.
Where students request it, and where such opportunities are available, they will have the option to work on an industry-related topic and will receive additional guidance, and possibly specialist data and other information, from an industry key contact at a financial technology firm. In such cases, the academic supervisor will remain responsible for ongoing support and for the final assessment.
Tasks which help you to learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
Students will receive initial feedback on their research proposal and will also receive comments and suggestions on their ideas and emerging findings through regular on-line or in-person supervision meetings. There will typically be individual meetings, but they may be organised on a small group basis when this is useful in situations where two or more students are working within a cognate area. Supervisors will also be available for ad hoc consultation via e-mail.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan:
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed by the following:
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. ACFIM0013).
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.
