Dissertation

Aims

The Dissertation requires students to apply the techniques and knowledge acquired from the taught courses. Students should:

• show that they have a good knowledge of the relevant literature on their chosen topic;
• identify an interesting question associated with that topic and analyse this question either in a new way or with new data;
• demonstrate they have a good grasp of techniques (statistical, numerical or theoretical) relevant for analysing the question;
• present the results of their analysis in a clear and convincing manner, within the word limit (6000 words).

Student must choose a suitable topic. Any subject that relates to material covered in the Programme is admissible, but it is generally sensible to stick to projects which contain some substantial element of statistical or numerical analysis. Theoretical projects are difficult although occasionally students have produced good work of this type. Purely institutional topics are not permitted.

On data, it is important not to be too ambitious. Often students spend inordinate amounts of time collecting large datasets and then find they have no time to perform analysis. Interesting analysis motivated by some genuine, substantive question earns high marks. Whatever is done, it is important that students time their work realistically. Aiming to complete the report in the last fortnight before the deadline is a recipe for trouble. If you are unfamiliar with econometric packages, everything takes longer than you expect. A good source of financial data is Datastream, which can be accessed using a computer in the Library. The principal databases cover equities, bonds, company accounts, economic series, international market indices, interest and exchange rates and financial and commodity futures and traded options

Schedule

Students should email (administrator) a one-page proposal by (date). This proposal should state the basic idea of the project, what data and computing facilities will be required and whether or not these are known to be available. Students are encourage to contact lecturers in advance to discuss and refine their proposal.

The School will then allocate a supervisor to guide your research. The choice of a supervisor depends on availability and interests of faculty members. Students should establish contact with their supervisors at an early stage, whether in person or via email to discuss supervision arrangements. An initial meeting to obtain advice on data, techniques and overall direction is valuable. Students should maintain contact with their supervisor (say by submitting a draft for comments and feedback). Ideally, this process should be completed by June.

July is for completing the research, and for writing up the Dissertation. Note that many supervisors are away in July and August, so communication via email alone may be possible. The dissertation has a limit of 6000 words), and must be submitted by the last Friday in August.

Important Dates:

Dissertation proposal deadline: Friday 29 March 2013

Dissertation submission deadline: Friday 27 September 2013