Postgraduate Course: Research Skills in Particle & Nuclear Physics (PGPH11103)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is compulsory for all students on the MSc programme in Particle & Nuclear Physics. Students will develop their research skills through a set of exercises which include oral and written analyses of recent research papers, and a group review of a topical research area. Following the choice of the MSc dissertation topic, there is also an element of project preparation and planning in this course. |
| Course description |
This course is split over semesters 1 and 2, building core skills for working in experimental particle- and nuclear-physics research groups. Students will participate in activities alone and in groups to practice these skills. Some of these will include reading relevant research papers and presenting their results in different formats. Students will also work in groups to produce material to engage the public with a recent topic in particle or nuclear physics, and demonstrate this to members of the Institute.
In the first semester, students will select a supervisor and topic for their dissertation. In the second semester, they will explore further into their proposed areas of dissertation research, producing a poster, literature review, project plan, and oral presentation.
There will also be opportunities for students to get support with technical skills, and information about applying for PhD positions.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 6,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 10,
Fieldwork Hours 4,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Formative Assessment Hours 4,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
146 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Oral Presentation 20%
Dissertation proposal 30%
Scientific article 10%
Group activity 30%
Poster 10% |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand in detail and critically review a paper in the research literature
- Choose a topic for your dissertation
- Understand the physical principles relating to your proposed dissertation topic, the significance of the work you will perform, and the experimental setup and/or analysis techniques to be used
- Complete an initial plan for your project
- Communicate your scientific understanding to audiences with a variety of different backgrounds, both in writing and through visual and oral presentation techniques
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Research Skills Particle Nuclear Physics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Cheryl Patrick
Tel:
Email: cpatrick@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Catherine MacMillan
Tel:
Email: cmacmill@ed.ac.uk |
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