Course Catalogue

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Project for the M.Sc. in Food Security

Fulltime project

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The assessment is a) supervisor assessment (20% of marks); b) written report (35% of marks); c) oral presentation (20% of marks), and d) oral examination (25% of marks).

The overall aim of this course is to enable students to undertake an investigative project on an aspect of food security of their choice. The project will be supervised by an appropriate member of academic staff. The project can be partly or entirely laboratory based, but does not have to involve laboratory work. If the latter, the project will involve addressing a question or testing a hypothesis that requires problem solving skills and the synthesis and critical evaluation of information from different sources.

Specifically, this course aims to:

■ enable students to investigate in depth a topic in food security;

■ enable students to benefit from leading-edge research-led supervision;

■ enhance students' conceptual, analytical and generic skills and to apply them to a topic in food security.

Knowledge and Understanding

On completion of the course, students will be able to demonstrate:

■ critically evaluate and debate the scientific basis and global agricultural context of a specific aspect of food security, obtained from a critical appraisal of the scientific literature;

■ critically evaluate and explain state-of-the-art knowledge and understanding of the underpinning technologies used within a specific area of food security;

■ identify and debate the ethical, professional, and social issues raised by a specific aspect of food security.

Skills and Other Attributes

On completion of the programme, students will be able to:

Intellectual skills

■ critically evaluate a subject in depth in the form of a substantial written report

■ critically appraise scientific data and present research findings in the form of a substantial report

■ address research questions, solve problems and integrate information from different sources

■ summarise and review seminal papers in food security

Transferable/key skills

■ give clear, well-constructed oral presentation on an advanced topic in food security research

■ use computers to search relevant databases, analyse data and present research findings in a written format

■ plan and manage time effectively by prioritising tasks and meeting deadlines

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.