Dissertation (MSc F&I)

Summary

The dissertation is a significant component of the MSc Finance and Investment programme. Students will identify and analyse a research question in corporate finance or asset pricing. This process is an opportunity for students to investigate an original problem, collect and process relevant financial data, conduct a thorough analysis, and form well-founded conclusions. The multi-faceted assessment includes coursework on research methods, a dissertation proposal that outlines the research trajectory, and the final dissertation project.

The unit mainly comprises two distinct components with the second component building on the first: research methods in TB2 and the project in TB3.

The research methods component introduces empirical techniques which will equip students with the skills necessary to critically evaluate the academic literature and produce original research for the dissertation report. Student learning is supported by lectures and computer tutorials.

The dissertation project is an extended independent study that identifies and investigates a particular question and explores it systematically over a sustained period of time (all of TB3 is devoted to developing the dissertation project). It provides students with the opportunity to read extensively and apply research skills to a chosen area of study selected from a range of projects. Projects may be either empirical or theoretical. Student learning is supported by regular individual and/or small group supervision sessions.

Importance to your Programme

This unit will be a culmination of the main concepts and ideas encountered in the course, applied to a specific project which will be chosen by the student. The objective of the dissertation project would be to gain expertise on a specific topic and to get to the frontier of research on this topic.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this unit successfully, students should be able to:

• Frame a clear, central research question within the project topic chosen;
• Identify and critically review literature relevant to the topic and central research question;
• Understand and apply an appropriate research methodology to investigate the chosen topic;
• Analyse data and/or evidence, where appropriate, and draw apposite conclusions that answer the central research question;
• Integrate conclusions into wider academic debates;
• Produce a dissertation in a clear, well-written and grammatically-correct style, that conforms to the conventions of academic presentation;
• Use skills of project management including working independently, managing time, working to deadlines.

Content

The Research methods component starts with a combination of lectures and hands-on computer tutorials during which standard quantitative methods applied in empirical asset pricing are covered. Students will be exposed to leading quantitative research and will replicate selected published empirical results by commanding an appropriate statistical software and utilising a wide range of databases.

Students will then commence the work on their dissertation project with the guidance of an allocated supervisor. Workshops delivered throughout the academic year on wider topics surrounding research, such as academic integrity, ethics of conducting research and writing in academic style supports students in their research.