MSc research course
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| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
This research course enables you to gain an MSc by building on the postgraduate diploma (or equivalent) that you already hold. You’ll start by developing a detailed research proposal based on a subject area appropriate to your previous study and the MSc you are studying towards. Once your proposal has been approved, you’ll continue with the research itself, finally writing up and submitting your dissertation. Support is available to you at every stage, via online forums and telephone.
Course content
The course provides an opportunity to pursue research in a topic of your choice based within the broad area of the MSc programme for which you are registered. Undertaking the research will enable you to:
- investigate in depth an issue or problem of professional relevance to yourself and which may also be of relevance to an organisation such as an employer
- develop your knowledge of recent research in your chosen topic and its implications and application in different organisations
- become competent in research methods
- develop the capacity to plan, organise and carry out an extended independent study at masters level
- develop skills in the written communication of research work at masters level.
You will learn how to develop a research proposal; carry out a literature search and write a critical state-of-art review; select suitable research methods and integrate them within a research methodology; carry out research processes; analyse results to form conclusions; and write-up your research in the form of a dissertation. Your research topic will depend very much on your own interests and on the courses you took in your diploma. Whilst you suggest the initial subject area, a tutor will be appointed to help you develop a formal proposal appropriate for MSc-level work and advise you throughout the research phase.
Entry
You must have already obtained (or be in a position to obtain before registration) a postgraduate diploma or equivalent in the relevant programme.
You do need to have a reasonable standard of spoken and written English to study successfully with us. Poor language skills will make study more difficult, and it will take longer. The normal requirements for English language skills are explained on our website.
If you have any doubts about whether your level of English is good enough for you to study this course you may find it helpful to look at our Skills For Study site.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
There are no formal requirements but useful preparation before starting work on your proposal includes reading and discussing widely on the subject, and investigating the practicalities of pursuing a particular line of research.
Qualifications
T802 is a compulsory course in our
- Master of Science Advanced Networking (F56)
- MSc in Environmental Decision Making (F13)
- MSc in Engineering (F46)
- MSc in Information Systems (F37)
- MSc in Technology Management (F36)
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. These qualifications allow most postgraduate courses to count towards them. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a course towards a qualification if you have already taken another course with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this course, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
You need to consider if there are any constraints in obtaining the type of information you need for your research. Otherwise, there are no further constraints beyond those encountered in obtaining your diploma. The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Large print versions of the course materials can be provided on request. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Learning material is provided, partly in print and partly web-based. Online databases for literature searching will be accessible via the OU Library website. You will need to use online forums for the research proposal development stage.
You will need
There are no set books but you may need books relevant to the research methodology you use. In the course of your research you will need to access technical books and reports relevant to your research topic. You may wish to obtain some material which is expensive to buy, so it is recommended that you explore at an early stage if you can borrow, or photocopy, material from a nearby local university or company library. Note that much useful material can be obtained without cost from semi-permanent sources on the World Wide Web.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will be assigned a supervisor with broad knowledge and skills relevant to your research topic to advise you during the initial stage of developing a research proposal and throughout the rest of your research. You will also have access to advice through our online forums and you will be able to iterate versions of the proposal until the deadline for final submission of proposals. Communication with your tutor will be mainly through email and telephone but face-to-face discussions may be possible if circumstances allow. Contact the Postgraduate Technology & Computing (PTC) Office at The OU in the East Midlands (telephone 0115 971 5566, or email us) if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
Your research proposal has to be approved before you can continue to the research phase. It is expected that in your research phase you will submit two interim research reports, at intervals of approximately three months.
We would normally expect you to submit your interim research reports online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper. The final dissertation must be submitted online using our eTMA system. The submission date for the dissertation will be during the final month of the 12-month period of the course.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2011. We expect it to be available once a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
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A postgraduate course in Engineering and Technology.
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