Independent research component forms a significant aspect of the Masters programme. Below is a brief overview of the enrollment time frame for the research component of your Masters programme.

The Masters Dissertation can be studied over 26 or 52 weeks, and typically (but not always) starts on the first day of semester.

The 591 Dissertation has a 13,000 maximum word limit, whereas the 592 has a maximum word limit of 26,000.

Before you can enroll in your Masters Dissertation, you must develop a short proposal using the Proposal Guidelines.

This proposal needs to be submitted to MSC and the Masters Thesis and Dissertation coordinator, along with your application to enroll in your Dissertation.

The purpose of the proposal is to help you develop your research topic and to help the graduate convenor identify and assign a supervisor to you.

Your research topic needs to reflect your Major and must be supported by your previous Masters papers.

As a Masters student, you are responsible for your Dissertation research. Therefore, it is your responsibility to:

1. Make and attend appointments with your supervisor
   These appointments are designed to provide feedback on your work and to offer guidance on the next step in your research. Therefore, to prepare for these appointments, you must submit drafts of your work to your supervisor well in advance of the meeting to allow sufficient preparation time. These appointments can be conducted in person, via zoom, or through e-mail.
2. Address feedback offered by your supervisor
3. Sourcing appropriate literature to frame your research
   While your supervisor might guide you in the right direction, you are responsible for sourcing appropriate literature to frame your research.
4. Designing the Method
   A significant aspect of your research will be the method used to frame your project. Your supervisor will guide you, however, it is your responsibility to source appropriate literature to support your chosen method. Completion of the Research Methods paper before enrolling will help you with this aspect of your Dissertation or Thesis.
5. Applying for Ethics Approval
   If your research involves human subjects you will need Ethics Approval before you start gathering data (see the section on Ethics in Moodle). It is the students responsibility to gain ethical approval, with the assistance of the supervisor.
6. Seeking appropriate help
   The University has a number of support services available to help you with your Dissertation or Thesis research. Some of these are detailed in Moodle.