Postgraduate Course: Research Project (Economics) (ECNM11097)
Course Outline
| School | School of Economics |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Dissertation |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 50 |
ECTS Credits | 25 |
| Summary | The Research Project is an opportunity to investigate an economic subject in depth, undertaken in groups of up to 5 students, under the guidance of an experienced economist. It provides an opportunity to apply core economic concepts and theories to research a topic, to develop computational modelling skills, qualitative and quantitative analysis and interpretation of data, knowledge of statistical package, programming languages, experimental design, data collection techniques, etc., all of which increase students¿ capacity for performing quantitative research in economics and to develop their transferable skills. |
| Course description |
Like the MSc Dissertation, the Research Project is the most challenging element of the programme - undertaking it requires students to develop a deep level of analysis and understanding of core economic theory and econometrics. However, the project is suitable only for those students who intend to build their career outside of academia and thus would like to concentrate on further development of their transferable skills. Those students who contemplate building an academic career should develop the relevant skills by working on MSc dissertation instead.
The Research Project is an opportunity to investigate an economic subject in depth, undertaken in groups of up to 5 students, under the guidance of an experienced economist. The project is expected to reflect the comparative advantages/competencies of the individual students in particular aspects of mathematical economics, econometrics, numerical methods, programming, data collection methods, literature research, critical analysis, and writing skills
The topic will be agreed in consultation with the supervisor. The project normally involves students developing the methodology best suited to explore the subject, whether it involves standard data sources, big data, advanced numerical modelling, mathematical modelling, analytical methods, computer coding, critical literature survey, design of an economic experiment, collection of original data, and so on.
The students will submit two types of outputs: a group report produced by the group and an individual report produced by each student individually and independently. The group report is expected to be a substantial piece of work. Given the synergy of the individual student competencies, peer support and peer-to-peer learning, the students are expected to achieve the level of accomplishment which surpasses what each individual student is expected to achieve on their own. It is expected that the distinction-level research report will have a substantial element of original contribution and will extend well beyond the supervisory input.
The individual report will involve students producing the extended summary of the research report augmented by student¿s own further insights on the subject, method, and/or the relevant literature, including potential extensions. Students are expected to work on the individual report independently and without any consultation with the other group members. The format of the individual report will be decided by the supervisor for the entire group, and could be in the form of an essay, presentation slides, poster, research proposal, policy report, or other form which will allow students to develop their transferable skills.
Single individuals may be allowed to work on the project at the discretion of the programme director in consultation with the project supervisor.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Block 5 (sem 2) |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
500
(
Lecture Hours 15,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 2,
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 3,
Formative Assessment Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 10,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
467 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework 100 % «br /»
40% group project (up to 8000 words)«br /»
60% individual project (up to 5000 words)«br /»
|
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate competence in working in a particular area of economics and/or econometrics
- demonstrate ability to use advanced economic methods
- produce a substantial piece of economics research in a suitably written form
- communicate economics ideas and results in a succinct and clear fashion
- work as a team
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Ina Taneva
Tel: (0131 6)51 5948
Email: Ina.Taneva@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Grace Oliver
Tel:
Email: grace.oliver@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage