View Specification DocumentMSc English Language & Linguistics Dissertation ENGLANG5084P
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Critical Studies
- Credits: 60
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Summer
- Available to Visiting Students: No
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
A research dissertation of between 8,000 and 10,000 words. The work will be on a specific field, subject or issue within the field of English Language and Linguistics, and will demonstrate a good understanding of the appropriate scholarly literature in the field, and the application of data collection, analysis and interpretation appropriate for the subfield(s) researched. The dissertation will normally be written after the end of semester 2 and will be submitted at the end of the academic year.
Timetable
5 hours supervisory meetings
Requirements of Entry
Standard entry to Masters at College level
A candidate will be permitted to progress to preparation of the dissertation, or other substantial independent work required by the degree, only if they have obtained a grade point average of 12.0 or above in the taught courses with at least 75% of the credits at Grade D3 or above and all credits at Grade F3 or above.
Excluded Courses
ENGLANG5113P
ENGLANG5114P
ENGLANG5093P
Co-requisites
N/A
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ The dissertation should be between 8,000 and 10,000 words in length.
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There are no alternatives to the dissertations, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions).
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.
Course Aims
This course aims to:
■ support the student in developing and sustaining an argument in an area of the student's personal research interest within the broad field of English Language and Linguistics
■ promote engagement with scholarly, critical, and theoretical arguments relevant to that area
■ collect, analyse, and interpret data in order to support the research argument
■ encourage the application of acquired research skills to a supervised project
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
■ scope and plan a research project appropriate for a Master's-level dissertation
■ apply the research methods and skills learnt during the taught course to a programme of research
■ evaluate the results of their research and assess these in relation to a suitable body of literature
■ present the results of their research in a critical, reasoned, and coherent way