MSc Project Proposal and Associated Skills module (BS52008)
Develop skills to plan and communicate an original MSc research project. Learn skills like literature review, research proposal, ethical analysis and more
Planning research requires much more than scientific knowledge.
In this module, you will draw on your first semester learning to develop a comprehensive research proposal for your MSc project.
This will involve:
- reviewing the primary literature
- designing an experimental or biobusiness approach
- situating your work in the context of ethics, intellectual property and funding possibilities
You will attend and present at regular journal clubs. These will allow you to develop your ability to critically summarise and communicate scientific papers to your peers.
The module culminates in a written research proposal. This will form the foundation of the early sections of your MSc thesis.
What you will learn
In this module, you will:
- develop an in-depth understanding of the research topic you will investigate during your MSc project
- design a hypothesis-driven research or biobusiness project using appropriate experimental methodological approaches
- engage with questions of ethics, intellectual property, funding and commercialisation. These will be relevant to your project area
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- show an in-depth understanding of your project topic and its scientific context
- extract and summarise scientific concepts from papers and seminars, both orally and in writing
- Critically read and analyse scientific literature at the forefront of a relevant research area
- Produce written justifications for a research or biobusiness project. These will be for both expert and lay audiences
Assignments / assessment
- Journal club presentation (30%)
- Research proposal (70%)
- This will consist of a number of components. These include:
- expert and lay summaries
- aims and objectives
- background research
- timeline
- ethical considerations
- funding strategy
- intellectual property analysis
- This will consist of a number of components. These include:
This module does not have a final exam.
Teaching methods / timetable
- Regular supervisor meetings
- Workshops (These will support key elements of the literature review and grant proposal)
- Journal clubs (weekly, with student presentations)
Teaching is delivered on City Campus
The research plan developed here is expected to form the backbone of the initial sections of your MSc thesis.
Courses
This module is available on the following courses: