| Unit name | Research Project |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CHEMM0046 |
| Credit points | 60 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Professor. Shallcross |
| 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) |
Case Study and Communication Skills Analytical Data Analysis Advanced Environmental Analytical Practical |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Chemistry |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why: Knowing how to plan and implement a research project is an exciting culmination of the programme. It allows students to demonstrate what they have learned (concepts and skills) and to apply them to a real-world environmental problem.
How: This unit is compulsory for this MSc and its accreditation by the Royal Society of Chemistry. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate skills of a professional environmental analytical chemist.
On successful completion of the unit, you will be able to evidence learning by being able to:
In addition, you will be able to evidence learning by being able to acquire the skills in project design, literature evaluation and scientific research to enable successful applications to employment or doctoral research programmes.
You will work with members of staff and their research groups. You will identify in advance several preferred project topics and supervisors. Academic performance will then be used to determine the final allocation to ensure an even distribution of students across academic staff. You will be expected to work semi-independently under the direction of your project supervisor, using your initiative to develop the project. You may also be expected to attend seminars and group meetings. Project work will be supported by regular formal and informal meetings with your project supervisor and a second assessor.
You will be assigned an academic supervisor, who is an expert in the specific topic. Weekly meetings are anticipated in which formative feedback will be provided. You may also receive feedback from postgraduate students and post-docs in the research group.
Assessment will be in the form of a project report (80%, including assessment of the methodology used), and oral presentation (20%). The project report will usually be around 30 pages in length. You will be assessed on your knowledge and understanding of the material presented, your technical skills, as well as your diligence, motivation, initiative and organisational skills. These elements of the unit will be assessed by both the project supervisors and second assessor through the application of detailed marking criteria.
If you are unable to submit your dissertation by the deadline because of exceptional circumstances, you may either be granted a limited extension, or be allowed to complete the project as part of a supplementary year. Depending on the amount of research work completed, that supplementary year may require you to engage again fully. Opportunities to resit following academic failure will be according to the University’s regulations.
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. CHEMM0046).
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.
