This is the capstone module for professionals completing an MA or MSc in Professional Development. Completing an Independent Study / Dissertation provides professionals with the opportunity to conduct an independent project on a topic of their choice within their field of study. The project report or dissertation will demonstrate an ability to create an original piece of work that is appropriate to their field of study and/or professional practice, that demonstrates intellectual and methodological competence appropriate to master’s level work. As such it provides professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate autonomy and independence in learning through the planning, implementation and completion of a substantive and original piece of work.
This module is part of the University’s Professional Development MA/MSc course - a flexible course that you help design to take your career to the next level.
Overview
This is the final stage of completing an MA or MSc in Professional Development and work is expected to be at the forefront of professional practice and/or academic theory. As such, the independent project report or dissertation will demonstrate an ability to create an original piece of work that is appropriate to their field of study and/or professional practice, that demonstrates intellectual and methodological competence appropriate to master’s level work.
Work produced for these modules should be of a standard to be shared with advanced professionals in their own field through publication or presentation.
The Independent Project / Dissertation modules (this module at 45 credits or MCPD4011 at 60 credits) provide opportunities to design and complete a substantial piece of research. As with earlier modules, professionals can choose to produce a study based on original research such as a small-scale project report, a research project report, service audit or evaluation, or they might choose to produce a secondary analysis of existing data such as a systematic literature review, historical review or re-analysis of prior studies or data sets.
The work can be presented as a written report or in an agreed format that is appropriate to their independent project / dissertation. This might include magazine, online or journal articles or a recorded formal prosentations. These may or may not need to be supported by a theoretical and methodological paper.
For MCPD4010 (45 credits) the word count should be equivalent to 12,000 words.
All activities conducted for the module must be fully compliant with the University of Worcester Research Ethics Policy.
It is expected that all advertised modules will run, but there may be situations where there are insufficient students to make a particular module viable.
Career benefits
Completing an Independent Project / Dissertation as should have a direct impact on your career as it addresses a specific area that you have identified as an area for development. In addition, your project / dissertation will have an impact on others within the workplace, either through engagement in the project, or through the sharing of your findings.
Completing a publishable report of research that is at the forefront of professional practice and /or academic theory also provides an opportunity to demonstrate your professional understanding and capabilities in annual reviews, in seeking increments and promotions, or in job interviews.
Module delivery
- Taught online sessions
- Individual online Tutorials
- Access to online resources and formative tasks
Online sessions are delivered on Wednesday evenings (20:00-21:00 UK time) and/or Saturday mornings (10:00-11:00 UK time). 6 Sessions are delivered throughout the period of study.
MCPD4010 (45 credits) runs over 2 semesters.
Entry Requirements
Entry to this module requires registration to a postgraduate award in Professional Development. This module is not generally available as a standalone module, however anyone wishing to take this module as a standalone module should contact the admissions team
Students should normally have completed or be in the process of completing at least 120 credits at level 7 before selecting this module.
Contact
If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.
Postgraduate Professional Development Team
PG.ProfessionalDevelopment@worc.ac.ukAdmissions Office
admissions@worc.ac.uk01905 855111