The Dissertation Training and Research Methods course, delivered during semesters 1 and 2, helps to prepare you for writing a dissertation.  Towards the end of the second semester, you will choose a dissertation topic and produce a proposal.  An academic supervisor is then allocated on the basis of your chosen topic.  You will produce your dissertation between June and August and submit it at the beginning of September.

Teaching is based on formal lectures of two hours per week which also allow opportunities for class discussion. More technical subjects are supported by weekly or fortnightly small tutorials, which provide opportunities for you to engage with some issues or questions in a group format. Some courses also involve lab sessions with students using specialised software, for instance in the study of econometrics.

Courses are assessed by a combination of in-course assignments or exams and an end-of-course exam. In-course assessment contributes 25% of the final mark unless otherwise specified in the course documentation.  Progression to the dissertation stage of the MSc is permitted only for those students who reach the required standard in the examinations for the taught courses. Full details of the scheme of assessment are provided to students on arrival.

Academic staff operate a weekly office hour when you can meet with them without appointment. Office hours can be used on a one-to-one basis or by a small number of students together. You are encouraged to use this time to further discuss tutorial and lecture material, or any aspects of your programme. Email offers the opportunity for efficient interaction between groups of students and with staff – this has added benefits in developing students’ skill in framing questions. Outside of stated weekly office hours, you can see staff by appointment.

The University library contains a comprehensive collection of books and journals, particularly in electronic format, including access to electronic datasets. You will also have access to a dedicated library holding much of the material used in lectures. In addition, the University library hosts a Support for Economics section. You will have access to the Common Student Computing Environment which includes your email account and networked storage space for your files.  All around the campus there are computer clusters containing networked PCs as well as a growing number of wireless network access points to allow you to work in any number of locations.

Current students enrol for Moodle, our virtual learning environment, which allow them to sign up for group activities, find course related information and lecture notes, keep up to speed with course updates and socialise with other students in the virtual cafes or discussion forums.