Having completed the core and elective courses of the program, MBA candidates demonstrate acquired skills, knowledge and experience, by writing a dissertation, an independent piece of academic work that researches in detail a particular business and/or administration subject.

The dissertation consists of two stages: each stage culminates in the production of an assessed document. The stages and the documents relevant to the dissertation are outlined below:

Stage 1: The Research Proposal (including Ethics Approval)

The proposal outlines the research design for your planned study and explains the relationship to the existing literature. In addition you will be required to reflect on the ethical issues pertinent to your proposed piece of research.

Stage 2: The Dissertation

A written document of 15,000 words which provides an account of the original research into the agreed management issue. The dissertation will be developed through appropriate research questions, it will employ relevant academic literature for a study undertaken with methodological rigor.

Progression from stage one to stage two is dependent upon University approval of the research proposal. Approval is granted to students by the Dissertation Committee on successful completion of prior coursework and acceptance of the research topic and research questions.