In this video students on the MSc in Management describe their experience on the Research Project.
Research project
The last module of your degree, the Research Project, is the biggest and most intensive piece of work you will undertake on the MSc, and accounts for 20% of the overall marks.
For this module you undertake independent research over a period of eight weeks, using and building on the knowledge gained from the previous modules. Through the project, you will also develop your organisational and analytical abilities. Supervision is provided by academic members of staff from the various Management School departments.
Project formats
The format of the research project will depend on the pathway that you are taking:
Management Pathway
If following this pathway, you choose from a number of academic areas put forward by academic staff within the Management School and develop an in-depth understanding of this area through independent research.
In the course of this project you will be able to develop your research and analytical skills, as well as producing a substantial piece of work with practical managerial relevance.
Marketing Pathway
On this pathway you undertake a company project in which you conduct market research or develop a marketing strategy for a client organisation. Depending on the requirements of the project, you may either be working in a small team (typically with one other student) or on your own.
As well as providing a report for the organisation, you also produce an academic piece of work that reflects on an area of marketing related to the company project. This module will allow you to put marketing theory into practice and give you insights into undertaking consultancy-style work. It will also help you to reflect critically on the importance of marketing in organisations.
Strategic Management Pathway
Students will either undertake a company-based project e.g. exploring a particular strategic issue facing the organisation, developing a strategic plan or a desk based piece of research.
The output from the module will be an academic piece of work that reflects critically on both process and content aspects of strategic management. For those undertaking a company project they will also produce a report for the organisation.
Project Management Pathway
This pathway gives you an opportunity to engage in a business project, the content of which will be drawn from a wide variety of contexts. You will work in a small team for an external client on a temporary endeavour that is evaluated using a range of 'hard' and 'soft' measures. You will consider the development of your future practice through a piece of reflective writing.
Assessment
A 8,000-12,000 word report (depending on the pathway), submitted in mid-August (weighted at 20% of total MSc mark).
Whichever type of project you complete, you will need to demonstrate in your report a clear appreciation of the organisational problem or area of study and draw links between company/management practice and your academic studies. You will also need to show understanding of the synergies between the various modules taken on the MSc programme.
