School Of Health SciencesDissertation (Full Time)Western Sydney University Unit Code: 401079.3
Discipline: HEALTH NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED
Student Contribution Band: 2
Level: 7
Credit Points: 40
Assumed Knowledge
It is assumed that the student would have completed core (or foundational) units associated with their Masters program, ideally in relevant research design and practice related disciplines.
Equivalent Units
The two units below are equivalent to each other:
401079 Dissertation (Full-time)
401282 Dissertation (Part-time)
Corequisite
For students enrolled in the 4702 Master of Public Health course: 401080 Research Protocol Design and Practice and 401077 Introduction to Biostatistics. For students enrolled in the 3749 Master of Science and 4738 Master of Epidemiology courses: 401077 Introduction to Biostatistics. For all students: 401076 Introduction to Epidemiology
Unit Enrolment Restrictions
To enrol in this unit, students must be enrolled in a post-graduate course and have a GPA of 5.5 or greater.
Furthermore, permission is required for enrolment. Students must have an approved Masters Dissertation Proposal before enrolling. Students must submit prior to enrolment a proposal no longer than 3 pages comprising the following:
1. Proposed title
2. Background and rationale
3. Research objectives
4. Research plan (including study design, data sources, and analytic strategy)
5. Expected outcomes and benefits
6. Ethical implications
7. Budget and how research costs are to be met (if required)
8. Timeline
9. Supervisor endorsement.
Approval of the Dissertation Proposal must be provided by the Unit Coordinator to ensure that the project meets the expected scale and scope of a 40 credit point Dissertation.
For students enrolled in the Master of Public Health or Master of Health Science, they are also required to have completed 80cp before they can enrol in this unit.
About this Unit
This unit requires students to complete a substantial piece of independent research. Dissertations will involve the in-depth examination of a particular topic/question, and should demonstrate evidence of ability to undertake sustained critical analysis. The dissertation provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate that they can consolidate knowledge acquired throughout their course of study, understand how existing evidence/information relates to research topics, and how their own work adds to this body of knowledge. Independent thinking is required, including the ability to critique one’s own work and that of others, as well as articulating the implications of their own research and support their findings through their written dissertation.
Students will have the opportunity to participate in workshops where they will gain skills in defining a clear research question, preparing a formal research proposal, conducting a literature review, ethics and research, and formal writing at a professional standard. Findings of student work with be presented at an end of semester research seminar.
This unit can also be taken over two semesters (see 401282 Dissertation (Part-Time)).