This module offers students the opportunity to undertake an extended work-based placement at an employer. During this placement the student will work on a project on an area or issue defined by the employer as a priority for their organisation. The project will give the student the opportunity to utilise and develop the knowledge and skills developed earlier in her/his master’s course, applying them in a work-based environment and leading to the production of a substantive project report that will both meet the University’s academic requirements for a master’s level project and support the placement provider in addressing the area/issue they identified at the start of the project.

Aims:

1. To provide students with the opportunity to undertake a significant work-based project, involving in-depth investigation at an advanced level of an area or of issue of relevance to an employer.
2. To provide students with the opportunity to apply and develop advanced level research skills at master’s level.
3. To increase students’ understanding of the practical applications of their academic discipline within a work context.

Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the module, students will:
1. Have a critical appreciation of how advanced research skills can be applied to a specific issue or area identified by an employer.
2. Be able to apply advanced knowledge and research skills in order to analyse issues currently being experienced in specific organisational context, and to make recommendations on the basis of this analysis.
3. Be able to produce a significant and substantial piece of written work demonstrating critical analysis of a defined issue in a specific organisational context.
4. Be able to work effectively within an organisation, managing their time, activities and relationships with colleagues in order to address a defined project to an agreed schedule and deadline.
5. Be able to produce a significant and substantial piece of written work at an advanced level.
6. Be able to present a coherent and reflective view of their findings regarding the practical applications of their academic discipline within a work context.
7. Be able to analyze and evaluate their practical work experience in the light of relevant theories and intellectual traditions.


Syllabus:
The syllabus will be determined on an individual basis for each student on the basis of the specific Work-based Project they are undertaking. Each project will be subject to approval by both the employer providing the placement and the student’s academic supervisor, in order to ensure that nature and content of the project both meets the employers needs and will ensure that the student demonstrates the module learning outcomes set out in the previous section of this form. A learning agreement signed by the student, the employer and the student’s academic department will be completed for all students undertaking this module.