Module Overview

In the final year of the ordinary degree programme students are required to undertake a project, which contributes to their final grade and degree award. Students view the project as the culmination of their studies, where they have the opportunity to undertake a body of work of which they can claim ownership. Students will be allocated a project, and/or a number of smaller projects, at the beginning of semester 2 and will work on these for 12 consecutive hours per week for the 12 weeks of the semester. The planning, execution and writing of the project encompasses literature survey, plan of work, time management, weekly reflective logs, experimental work, data interpretation, computer skills and ultimately demands a clear and meaningful presentation of scientific information. These aspects of professional skills are important to the development of the students.

The aim of the project is to provide the student with an opportunity to bring the skills and knowledge that he/she has gained on the programme, to focus on a real scientific problem with a view to progressing the state of knowledge or indeed finding a solution to the problem. The emphasis of the projects will be on instrumentation and techniques as much as academic endeavours. This module also gives students an opportunity to develop their professional skills.