I remember my last year at university well. The main focus for us finalists was the undertaking of a final year dissertation which was somewhat daunting as it needed to be around 100 pages long and I’d never done one before.
Obviously I decided not to start it in the summer prior to my final year as I deserved the time off after a lengthy second year of study (partying). Then when I got back to uni in the autumn I clearly needed to allow myself a couple of months to settle back in to university life (more partying) and by then of course it was Christmas (you get the idea). I’m sure I’m not the only one who ‘structured’ their dissertation in this way!
Recently we reviewed ‘Writing a Built Environment Dissertation’ and ‘Dissertation Research and Writing for Construction Students’ which are two excellent books aimed specifically at construction and built environment students. Yet what those books don’t help the student with is what topic to actually pick.
From experience, I spent a lot of time throwing ideas around whereas with hindsight i would say the important thing is to pick something and crack on with it. I wondered what topics I might choose if I was doing a dissertation today? On the train yesterday I came up with the following topics within a few minutes:
- The legacy of PFI: Reviewing the early PFI projects 15-20 years on
- Is it realistic for the UK to target becoming a Global leader in Wind Power Technology?
- BIM and the 5th Dimension (Cost)
- Industry Readiness for the Construction Act Changes of October 1st 2011
- Comparisons and Contrasts Between this recession and the previous one for the Construction Industry
- How real is continuous improvement in Construction. Are lessons really being learned or just repeated project after project?
- Factors Influencing the rising popularity of timber frame construction
- Equality in construction: Looking at changes in age/sex/nationality of staff
- Barriers to High Speed Rail Adoption in the UK
- Impact of consolidation (by companies merging) on the construction industry
They need a little refining but I’m sure out of that list I could easily pick a worthy topic and start writing. The important thing to remember is that its unlikely that your undergraduate dissertation is going to change the world. Really grand industry-changing titles are therefore best avoided.
I suggest it’s a much better idea to pick a straightforward but highly focused title that you can really drill down on in your data collection and analysis phase. I was surprised how much I was able to write about my topic even after my supervisor had really pushed me to narrow it down from my industry-changing original scope.
So good luck to all the guys and girls undertaking their dissertations this year – its a really great feeling to hand the finished document in at the end. As for me, I eventually got started on my dissertation around February time, managed to hand in a 30,000 word document in June, and got a mark of 75%.
Maybe there’s something to be said for my party hard and work hard strategy after all (or for luck at least!)
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Well done on your final grade, ive got no chance of getting around that grade as my lectorers are a pain in the backside and even the smartest of students (not me only get around 55%) on all of their previous assignments.
This has given me an idea for my final year project. I am a quantity surveying student. Is there any other topic you would recommend in my field?
Regards
Diana
thank you so much this has helped a great deal, im in a mind block about what to what to do…….