L5986\L5980\L5944 MSc Dissertation Handbook 2025-26 | University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

L5986\L5980\L5944 MSc Dissertation Handbook

Dissertation Outline

The draft dissertation schedule (subject to minor changes) is set out below. Part-time students should get in touch with Emma to discuss alternative timetabling options:

For those students who start the programme in September, 120 credits must have been accumulated from the programme curriculum and have submitted a satisfactory proposal for a dissertation, to progress to the degree of Master's.  For those students who start the programme in January, 60 credits must have been accumulated from the programme curriculum and have submitted a satisfactory proposal for a dissertation, to progress to the degree of Master's.

All four MSc programmes outlined above place a strong emphasis on the dissertation, which is an extended piece of writing of up to 15,000 words, based on independent study, assessed at SCQF Level 11. The dissertation is your chance to undertake an extended piece of scholarship. It allows you to pursue in-depth a topic that is of interest to you. You are expected to demonstrate your ability to engage critically and analytically with the literature in the field, building upon relevant concepts and theory covered in the taught element of your MSc degree and, where appropriate, apply this to empirical situations.

The subject will be determined based on your own interests, its relevance to your MSc programme policy, and what is feasible in terms of the literature, data and time available. You are expected to develop your own argument and conduct your own analysis on a specific and limited research problem, though it is not required that you collect new data (some students, for example, undertake extended literature reviews for their dissertation projects - many others analyse data that are already available, such as policy documents and secondary data sets).
 
Whilst demonstrating knowledge from other modules is not explicitly part of the marking criteria, the dissertation module is designed to draw on the skills and knowledge you have gained in your MSc studies so far. The result should be a piece of academic research relevant to your programme (e.g. criminology/social policy/international social welfare), demonstrating, to a level appropriate for an MSc qualification, knowledge of: the topic chosen; relevant academic and other literature; and social scientific method.

As you start planning, it is also worth having in mind what a dissertation is not. A dissertation is not a review or discussion of everything you have learned about your chosen topic – it must address a defined aim or set of research questions. The dissertation is also not a collaborative effort between you and your supervisor. This is your own piece of research. Supervisors will not tell you what to read or do, nor will they take responsibility for the dissertation. Staff provide initial guidance, via the three workshops and feedback on the dissertation plan, to get you started, and your supervisor then advises you at certain strategic points to ensure you are on track and to alert you to any problems. Additionally, if you are finding the process challenging or encountering difficulties or uncertainties, you can approach your supervisor for advice. Your supervisor will act as a safety net, providing academic and practical guidance.

Indicative Dissertation Outline

Below is an indicative chapter outline, contents and word length. It is intended as a general guide to the structure of the dissertation. Individual dissertations may have a slightly different structure, contents and employ different chapter lengths, as the topic and approach require. If you would like more specific guidance, please discuss your proposed outline with your assigned supervisor, noting any concerns or uncertainties you have.

Focus of Dissertation & Pathway Specific Learning Objectives

The following aspects may help think through potential topics:

• Draw on your research training: Whilst we do not specifically assess this aspect of dissertations, it is usually helpful for students to draw on the knowledge and skills they have developed during their research modules.
• Ensure your proposed questions are researchable in the time available:  Students will hand in their last piece of taught module work at the end of April or early-mid May, depending on the modules chosen, which means the time available is 3-4 months. Therefore, the project should be executable within that period, allowing for any annual leave plans you may have in the Summer months.
• Be scholarly in nature, aiming to advance the discipline: Whilst it is not expected that the dissertation should constitute an original contribution to knowledge in the manner of a PhD, the project should be designed as a serious piece of scholarship aiming to advance knowledge in some way and being capable, with further development, of making such a contribution. The highest marks require some demonstration of such work.

In addition, the topic must be relevant to your specific dissertation pathway. The following sections provide some pathway-specific guidance on choosing a relevant topic.

L5986: Dissertation in Criminology

Postgraduate taught students in the MSc Criminology and Social Policy must complete a Dissertation in Criminology of 15,000 words to gain the MSc qualification.

This should be a piece of academic research relevant to Criminology, showing, to a level appropriate for an MSc qualification, knowledge of the topic chosen; of relevant academic and other literature, and of social scientific methods.

Whilst demonstrating knowledge from other modules is not explicitly marked against, the dissertation module is designed to draw on the skills and knowledge students have gained in the degree course so far. For instance, students can apply concepts and theories from all the modules taught in Semester 1, utilising the research methods training from the core methods class L2909 Qualitative Methods. 

Each student will be assigned a supervisor. All our Criminology and Social Policy staff have extensive academic research experience, and can advise on more general issues around research design, methods and organisation and, where appropriate, on topic-specific issues. An effort will be made to assign each student to the most appropriate supervisor based on the degree of match between their topic and the academics available to supervise, and students are also invited to make a choice of supervisor, which will be accommodated as far as possible.

The module is offered at SCQF Level 11 and has the following learning objectives:

• Learning Objective 1: To improve students' capacity to identify a research question and develop an appropriate research strategy
• Learning Objective 2: To improve students' capacity to assemble a body of relevant evidence
• Learning Objective 3: To improve students' analytical skills
• Learning Objective 4: To improve students' ability to communicate research findings in a clear and coherent way
• Learning Objective 5: To improve students' knowledge and understanding of a specific topic or subject area 

L5980: Dissertation in Social Policy

This dissertation pathway intends that students should pursue their own interests within Social Policy. The topic covered must have clear relevance to Social Policy as an academic subject, though this is interpreted broadly. The Social Policy Association provides a good overview of Social Policy as an academic discipline: http://www.social-policy.org.uk/what-is-social-policy/ 

To help you think about potential topics, you might want to apply concepts and theories from, or of the type taught in, the L8924 and L8927, L5976: Welfare Concepts and Ideas module; knowledge of welfare models and contemporary policy change covered in the L8925 Comparative Social Welfare module; different philosophies of research from the L5981: Perspectives on Social Research module, research methods from the Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods modules, and a range of ideas from the optional modules studied.

The Dissertation in Social Policy has the following Learning Objectives:

• Learning Objective 1: To improve students' capacity to identify a research question and develop an appropriate research strategy
• Learning Objective 2: To improve students' capacity to assemble a body of relevant evidence
• Learning Objective 3: To improve students' analytical skills
• Learning Objective 4: To improve students' ability to communicate research findings in a clear and coherent way
• Learning Objective 5: To improve students' knowledge and understanding of a specific topic or subject area 

It is usual for dissertations on this pathway to build on the conclusions to develop some policy recommendations (or similar, e.g. recommendations for advocacy work / further research to help achieve policy change).

L5944: Dissertation in Social Work

This dissertation pathway intends that students should pursue their own interests within Social Work. The aims of the Dissertation in Social Work are:

• To encourage students to be ‘research-minded’.
• To promote an increased understanding of the relationship between practice and research in social work.
• To encourage an appreciation of how social research is relevant to and can inform social work practice, policy and knowledge bases.
• To develop students’ conceptual abilities and research skills.

The Dissertation in Social Work has the following Learning Objectives:

• Learning Objective 1:  Demonstrate conceptual and planning skills through the formulation of a valid and manageable research proposal, taking into consideration the limited scale of the project investigation.
• Learning Objective 2: Critically appraise theory and research findings relating to their particular area of inquiry.
• Learning Objective 3: Design, conduct and analyse an investigation into some aspect of social work practice, in a way that incorporates effective strategies to deal with the associated ethical issues, dilemmas and conflicts.
• Learning Objective 4: Produce a dissertation that documents the central features and findings of their research experience.
• Learning Objective 5: Plan and conduct an investigation, process data and evaluate findings beyond the level of individual case practice.

It is usual for dissertations on this pathway to build on the conclusions to develop some practice-focused recommendations (or similar, e.g. recommendations for policy that will impact on social work concerns/practices).

Useful Resources

The first two dissertation workshops and the MyPlace page will both be used to signpost relevant resources. In addition, the following resources may be helpful:

Biggam, J. (2021/2014) Succeeding with your master’s dissertation: a step-by-step handbook. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Open University. (Strathclyde University Library holds copies of both the 2014 and the 2021 versions of this book. 

Chamberlain,. J. M. (2013). Understanding Criminological Research: A Guide to Data Analysis. London: Sage (the library offers online access)

Davies, P., Francis, P. and Jupp, V. (2018, 3rd edition). Doing Criminological Research. London: Sage (Strathclyde University holds copies of this version and previous ones)

Gadd, D., Karstedt, S. and Messner, S. F. (2011) The Sage Handbook of Criminological Methods. London: Sage (the library offers online access)

Hart, C. (2018) (2nd Ed.) Doing a literature review: releasing the social science research imagination. London: SAGE (Strathclyde University Library holds copies of this version and an earlier, 1998, version)
 
Hart, C. (2005). Doing your master's dissertation: realising your potential as a social scientist. London: Sage. (Strathclyde University Library holds multiple copies)
 
Rudestam, Kjell Erik (2015). Surviving your dissertation: a comprehensive guide to content and process. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE. (Strathclyde University Library holds multiple copies)
 
Swetnam, D. (2007). Writing your dissertation: how to plan, prepare and present your work successfully. Oxford: How to Books (available online via University Library). 

Wincup, E. (2017, 2nd edition). Criminological Research: Understanding Qualitative Methods. London: Sage (the library offers online access)

Strathclyde University Library also has access to the SAGE Methods database, which includes loads of resources to support you in developing your methodological and analytic approach, including videos and podcasts as well as books and articles.

Assessment

Assessment is by a 15,000-word dissertation, which counts for 100% of the mark.
This must be uploaded to the relevant link on MyPlace by the deadline of 12 noon on 5th August, unless an extension has been provided.

The final dissertation must be:

• Referenced using a standard social science referencing style which uses the Author-Date format (e.g. Harvard), with a full list of works cited in a Bibliography/Reference List at the end of the dissertation.
• Written to a word limit of 15,000 words. The word limit applies to the main text, including citations, but excludes the title page, abstract, other front matter (e.g. lists of key terms and acknowledgements), footnotes, reference list/bibliography, any appendices, and page numbers. This limit is subject to a +/-5% leeway. 
• There are no requirements around font, text size and margins, but the dissertation must be readable (so 1.5 line spacing and size 12+ font are recommended).

Marking Guide

The following provides an indicative outline of the criteria used to award a particular grade/classification at the PGT level.