Research Project

The research project forms a major component of the MPhil in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and must address a topic within the broad domain of scientific, technological, engineering, medical, social, or business innovation, under the overarching theme of electrical and electronic engineering.

Projects are solicited from prospective supervisors and formally assigned by Week 5 of the Michaelmas Term. Research work is undertaken part-time during the Michaelmas and Lent Terms, and full-time during the Easter Term, continuing until late July.

Students are expected to produce a dissertation of between 12,000 and 15,000 words, inclusive of tables, figure captions, boxed information, and in-text citations, but excluding the bibliography and appendices. At the examiners’ discretion, dissertations that fall outside this word range may be subject to penalty.

The dissertation should demonstrate a clear focus on the innovative aspects of the project, supported by a strong grasp of the underlying principles and technologies relevant to the topic. Students are required to incorporate primary data (quantitative or qualitative) within their research. Where appropriate, particularly for students whose background is not in engineering, elements such as systematic reviews or secondary data analyses may also be included as part of the investigation.

The research project is assessed through two components:

• Dissertation: a written submission of no more than 15,000 words.
• Presentation: assessed through the delivery of an oral presentation as part of an event modelled as a research conference.