MA in International Relations and Global Communications Dissertation, MMU, UK

1. Introduction

This document is intended as a general guide to assist students in successful completion of their Masters Dissertation. It explains the support available to you in pursuing your studies; gives an overview on choosing a topic and developing a research proposal; offers advice on managing your project; explains submission procedures; and includes a statement of assessment processes and criteria. The Masters Dissertation will probably be the greatest challenge of your MA degree course. Accordingly, the commitment required to complete a Masters Dissertation should not be under-estimated. You will have to sustain a single theme over many pages, develop a clear and coherent argument, and ensure a high quality of presentation. The dissertation will set out the results of your own original, in-depth research, which in the best dissertations will be of publishable quality; it will set out conclusions that you have reached independently, with your supervisor providing advice and support.

2. Learning outcome

Masters Dissertations are widely recognised across many professional and academic disciplines to develop important skills and competencies in students. These include skills that may be useful as the first stage in a research career, but more importantly, they include many skills that can be applied in a variety of different contexts in the workplace. Completing a dissertation is a major learning opportunity, during which you will learn about developing a research question, collecting and analysing data, and systemic and coherent writing.
The formal learning outcomes of the Dissertation Unit suggest that on the successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Competently execute an independent research project with minimal guidance.
2. Critically evaluate research, advanced scholarship and methodologies in their chosen area of interest/research.
3. Apply appropriate theories and concepts in international relations and/or global communications in the context of an advanced research project.
4. Demonstrate in-depth and systematic knowledge of the chosen subject of their research project.

3. Choosing a topic

The dissertation is a 15,000 words independent research project on a topic of your choosing which must combine elements from both international relations and global communications. A dissertation needs to be an original piece of work. It should also be a manageable topic – not one so under-researched that there is no literature available for you to build on. It also needs to be doable: focusing on an issue that can be explored within several months and adequately addressed within the space of 15,000 words.
The choice of a topic may be informed by:
• Your study in other units of the Masters programme. It is legitimate, and sometimes sensible (after all, you already know something about this topic) to develop a topic covered in a unit assignment into a Masters dissertation. Be under no illusions, however, that this will make life any easier; there is a major gulf between a unit assignment and a Masters Dissertation.
• The availability of appropriate primary sources.
• Your interests and background knowledge. What topic is likely to fully engage your interests?
• Suggestions made by tutors for possible research topics.