Postgraduate Course: Qualitative Data Analyses (CMSE11713)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course aims to develop effective researchers through in-depth qualitative analysis training. The course will include ethical considerations throughout, with the aim of developing strong researchers and a responsible, rigorous, and methodically-sound approach to qualitative research. The course will cover a range of key qualitative data analyses, such as thematic analysis and discourse analysis that are necessary for conducting rigorous and impactful qualitative research. |
| Course description |
Academic Description
This course equips PhD students with fundamental knowledge, training, and practice of advanced qualitative research methods and analysis. It is aimed at developing responsible, effective, and rigorous research practice, as well as at encouraging researcher reflexivity throughout the qualitative research process.
Outline Content
The course covers the main steps of the research process (from practical considerations of robust research design to data collection methods and advanced data analysis approaches), while also engaging with important debates and issues around ethics and responsibility in research and open research.
Student Learning Experience
Students will encounter a variety of learning experiences, from traditional lectures to training sessions and hands-on data collection and analysis practice. The course will also include workshops with the aim of providing further in-depth training on specific data collection and/or analysis tools such as NVivo.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Qualitative Research (CMSE11312)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Non-Business School students should have taken an introductory qualitative research course. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 8,
Other Study Hours 168,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
0 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
168 hours of self-directed study
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
50% Class test (Individual) - 2,000 words - Assesses course Learning Outcomes 1,2,3«br /»
50% Presentation (Group) - includes 30% peer review moderation - Assesses course Learning Outcomes 1,3,4«br /»
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| Feedback |
Formative feedback
Formative feedback will be provided regularly and in person during in class activities.
Summative feedback
Summative feedback will be provided as written assessment feedback. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate critical understanding and application of the alignment between research philosophy and research design principles;
- Demonstrate a critical understanding and practice of a diverse range of qualitative data collection methods;
- Demonstrate a critical understanding and application of a range of qualitative data analysis techniques, as well as data ethics and organisation practices;
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of ethical issues around qualitative data collection and analysis and research practice more broadly.
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Reading List
Core texts:
Saldaña, J. (2025). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. 5th edition, Sage Publishing.
Silverman, D. (2020) Qualitative Research. Fifth edition. London: SAGE Publications.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: a practical guide. SAGE.
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Cambridge, England: Polity
Bartlett, T. (2014). Analysing power in language: a practical guide. Routledge.
Key journals:
Organizational Research Methods
Organization Studies |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
C1: Meaningful Interpersonal Interaction
After completing this course, students should be able to
- understand how to manage and sustain successful individual and group relationships in order to achieve positive and responsible outcomes, in a range of virtual and face-to-face environments.
C2: Effective Emotional Intelligence
After completing this course, students should be able to
- understand oneself and others, through critical reflection, diversity awareness and empathic development, in order to maximise individual and collective resilience, and personal and professional potential.
C3: Authentic Leadership
After completing this course, students should be able to
- act with integrity, honesty and trust in all business stakeholder relationships, and apply ethical reasoning to effective decision making, problem solving and change management.
C4: Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Business Behaviour
After completing this course, students should be able to
- work with a variety of organisations, their stakeholders, and the communities they serve - learning from them, and aiding them to achieve responsible, sustainable and enterprising solutions to complex problems.
C5: Appropriate Communication
After completing this course, students should be able to
- convey meaning and message through a wide range of communication tools, including digital technology and social media; to understand how to use these tools to communicate in ways that sustain positive and responsible relationships.
C6: Understand and Make Effective Use of Data and Information
After completing this course, students should be able to
- critically evaluate and present digital and other sources, research methods, data and information; discern their limitations, accuracy, validity, reliability and suitability; and apply responsibly in a wide variety of organisational contexts.
C7: Creative and Entrepreneurial Practice
After completing this course, students should be able to
- apply creative, innovative, entrepreneurial, sustainable and responsible business solutions to address social, economic and environmental global challenges.
C8: Personal and Professional Competence
After completing this course, students should be able to
- be self-motivated; curious; show initiative; set, achieve and surpass goals; as well as demonstrating adaptability, capable of handling complexity and ambiguity, with a willingness to learn; as well as being able to demonstrate the use digital and other tools to carry out tasks effectively, productively, and with attention to quality.
C9: Academic Excellence
After completing this course, students should be able to
- demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of contemporary organisational disciplines; comprehend the role of business within the contemporary world; and critically evaluate and synthesise primary and secondary research and sources of evidence in order to make, and present, well-informed and transparent organisation-related decisions which have a positive global impact.
C10: Intellectual Curiosity
After completing this course, students should be able to
- identify, define and analyse theoretical and applied business and management problems, and develop approaches, informed by an understanding of appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative techniques, to explore and solve them responsibly.
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| Keywords | Qualitative analysis,advanced,doctoral training |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Lucia Cervi
Tel: (0131 6)50 4307
Email: Lucia.Cervi@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Erin Robbins
Tel:
Email: Erin.Robbins@ed.ac.uk |
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