Unit information: Thesis (MSc Palaeobiology) in 2027/28

Unit name	Thesis (MSc Palaeobiology)
Unit code	EASCM1016
Credit points	60
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Cunningham
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 Earth Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

This unit gives students the opportunity to undertake a major piece of novel and cutting-edge research. If completed successfully, theses can lead to publications in scientific journals.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study?

This unit is the culmination the Palaeobiology MSc programme. It allows students to build on the knowledge and skills developed in earlier units and to apply them to a novel research project.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

Each student will undertake an independent research project, resulting in an MSc thesis that is formatted in the style of a publication for a journal.

How will students be different as a result of the unit?

Students will have gained experience in research, academic writing, project management and independent working and will have completed a significant piece of scientific research.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

• Maintain high professional standards (use adequate sample size, eliminate bias, consider errors in data, limitations to models etc).
• Critically appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the research project, evaluating the findings against those of others
• Adapt and react if the project diverts from the original plan
• Demonstrate practical and analytical skills relevant to the project
• Collect, record and manage information and/or findings, and decide when it is sufficient to meet the aims of the project
• Work diligently and independently and develop your own interpretations of data
• Communicate the outcomes of the project to different audiences in an appropriate manner
• Produce a final project report presented to the standard expected for submission of a manuscript to a leading international journal.

How you will learn

You will learn through your own independent research with advice and feedback from your supervisor.

How you will be assessed

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

Students will receive advice from their supervisor(s) as well as feedback on one plan and one draft of their thesis.

Tasks which contribute towards your unit mark (summative)

The unit will be assessed on the basis of the thesis (10,000 words maximum), which should be formatted as a manuscript in the style of the journal Palaeontology. This forms 100% of the unit mark.

When assessment does not go to plan

The University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes outline the requirements for progression on and completion of degree programmes. Students who miss an exam and self-certify their absence may complete a supplementary assessment for an uncapped mark as if taken for the first time. Resit and supplementary exams are habitually taken during the reassessment period later in the summer. As far as is practicable and appropriate, resit and supplementary assessments will be in the same form as the original assessment but will always test the same intended learning outcomes as the initial missed or failed assessment. In the case of group work, failure by a whole group would result in an appropriate group task being set and reassessed for all group members. If a single student fails a group assessment or is unable to participate for an evidenced reason, an individual reassessment will be set.

There are rigorous and fair procedures in place to support students who are ill or whose studies and assessments are affected by exceptional circumstances.

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. EASCM1016).

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.