The Department welcomes student proposals for project work, particularly if they originate from an industrial contact.

Own project proposals

Follow this procedure if you have an idea that you think would make a good project.

Students wishing to propose their own final-year projects should discuss the idea as soon as possible with a staff member whom they know, or me. They should then write a project proposal of 200-500 words giving the following information:

(i) Objective of the project.

(ii) Any industrial background, including the name of anyone outside the College assisting with or interested in the work. The Department will normally make contact with this person.

(iii) An outline of the proposed method with mention of any special apparatus needed.

(iv) A rough timetable for the project including some intermediate milestones.

(v) An estimate of the cost of the project and, where appropriate, any external source of funding available.

(vi) The name of any member of staff with whom they have discussed the project, and whether they would be willing to supervise. Note that the final allocation of a supervisor is the responsibility of the project coordinator, and may not be the person with whom you have discussed the project.

The proposal should be submitted to me as early as possible. The latest date for the submission of a draft proposal will normally be 1 week after the start of the Autumn Term. It is usually essential to discuss proposals with a staff member who is knowledgeable in the field of work to ensure that a good proposal is prepared.

After a have seen a draft proposal I may suggest changes necessary before the project can be accepted. Several iterations are often necessary, so please allow time for this process when making a project proposal.

Acceptability of proposals is judged by several criteria. Projects must be relevant to the course of study and be of a standard commensurate with third-year or fourth year work. The timetable must be realistic. There must be no unreliable element in the schedule such as an uncertain delivery date. Provision must be made for any special equipment. Most of the work must be carried out on College premises.

Industrial Project Proposals

If you can define the project yourself, with the help of a possible industrial supervisor, then follow the procedure above, making sure that you enclose contact details for the proposed industrial supervisor. It can take some time to determine whether an industrial project is suitable, so make sure that you let us know in good time before the start of the Autumn Term.

If you have an industrial contact who wishes to discuss possible projects with me directly before helping you to define a project, then give him or her a copy of this web page, and my contact details. The same criteria will be used when evaluating the project as for self-proposed projects.

Timescale.

The following table gives a rough guide to the number of full time equivalent days work in a project, and its timing.

Projects start from the beginning of the Autumn Term and continue until the last week of the following Summer Term.