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DIP/MSc IN Economics
DIP/MSc IN ECONOMICS AND
ECONOMETRICS
DIP/MSc IN DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
AND ECONOMIC POLICY ANALYSIS
DIP/MSc FINANCE AND ECONOMICS
2003/2004
Section 8 The MSc dissertation
(Revised version March 2004)
Introduction
Writing a dissertation provides a valuable opportunity to undertake an
extended piece of research on a topic relevant to your Masters programme.
The dissertation aims to enable you to gain experience in successfully
managing a research project. In addition the dissertation provides an
opportunity to make use of subject specific skills acquired in your courses.
A successful dissertation will involve one or more of the following:
analysing and demonstrating an understanding of a particular issue
within an economy, industry or financial market, using appropriate
ideas and methods, formulating relevant hypotheses based on theory
and evaluating them;
empirical work involving quantitative analysis of economic or financial
data, making use of appropriate econometric software for estimation
and testing, and assessing the results obtained;
theoretical development of a technique or an issue, based on existing
(economic, financial, or econometric) theory appropriate to the
dissertation topic.
Deciding on a Topic
The dissertation phase of the MSc programme begins immediately after you
have successfully completed your Diploma examinations. It is essential that
by this time you have a clear idea of the topic you wish to work on. For this
reason, the process of deciding on a topic for your dissertation begins
relatively early in Semester 2.
You will be provided with a list of possible broadly defined research topics in
week 7 of Semester 2 from which you are asked to select your preferred
areas of research. Having identified your broad area of research, you will be
assigned a supervisor and provided with some introductory material relating to
the topic. By the end of semester 2, you are required to submit a one page
outline setting out a well-defined research question for investigation to your
supervisor for approval.
Among the attributes that students are expected to develop at the Master’s
level are:代写留学生论文
the ability to plan, execute and report a piece of research with at least
some element of originality;
the ability to interpret, conceptualise and critically evaluate the
literature and relate it to practise as appropriate;
the ability to synthesise ideas and research findings;
the ability to test ideas using a appropriate choice of research designs,
methodologies, and techniques of analysis;
the ability to present ideas and research findings in a well-structured
and convincing way.
Research Training Workshops
The aim of these workshops is to introduce you to a range of skills necessary
to help you in the research and preparation of your dissertation. The
workshops cover the following topics: Designing a research project;
structuring and preparing a dissertation; use of econometric software; data
collection and sources; research methodology; library skills.
These workshops are an essential part of your dissertation preparation. Most
of these will be held immediately after the release of Diploma examination
results, and you are ex