The main aim of the MSc industrial project module is to allow students to develop and demonstrate autonomy in the management and development of realistic projects in computer science that either research or application oriented. Specifically:

The aims of the project are:

• To give students the opportunity to work in a guided but independent fashion, in order to explore a substantial problem in depth, via making practical use of principles, techniques and methodologies acquired elsewhere.
• To equip students with experience for carrying out a large piece of individual work culminating in a dissertation.
• To give students an opportunity to enhance their verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

An ability to investigate and specify a substantial Computer Science (CS) problem and to place this problem in the context of related work and, where appropriate, CS research.

An ability to make use of the general qualities and transferable skills necessary for the successful conduct of a CS project, such as: (i) the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility, (ii) decision making in complex situations, (iii) risk identification (including, if applicable, commercial and scientific risk), assessment and control, and (iv) independent learning in the context of continuing professional development.

An ability to demonstrate effective time management, self-direction and originality in carrying out a project in the domain of CS.

Knowledge of how to locate and make use of information relevant to an identified CS problem.

An ability to design solutions to identified CS problems.

An ability to implement and test potential solutions to CS problems.

An in-depth understanding of how to evaluate critically, in the context of a given project, current research and advanced scholarship in CS.

An in-depth understanding of how to evaluate critically their own work, and participate effectively in the process of peer review of other projects.

Knowledge of how to conduct and evaluate critically CS projects with respect to the professional, legal, social and ethical framework in which the CS and IT industry operates.

An ability to prepare and deliver formal presentations and software demonstrations.

An in-depth undedrstanding of the processes for generating appropriate documentation in the context of CS projects.

The students will be supervised by both university and industrial supervisors, and will be expected to complete the following tasks:

1. Undertake the agreed project within the time and resources available.
2. Work within the operational context of the placement provider, in order so as to bring the agreed project to a successful conclusion.
3. Communicate as required, in writing and orally, with appropriate individuals from the University of Liverpool and the placement provider throughout the duration of the project.
4. During the course of the project submit an interim report and deliver an oral presentation, and also at the end of the project submit a final dissertation.

Prior to the start of the module, students are expected to:

1. Use the resources available (inside and outside the university) to identify a suitable placement provider with whom to undertake the placement project.
2. Identify, with the help of staff at the University of Liverpool and the placement provider, a realistic MSc project in accordance to the learning outcomes prescribed in the relevant programme specification to which the student is enrolled.

Project - This is an individual project to be completed as part of an industrial placement (of at least 30 weeks duration).

Supervision - Meetings with the supervisors.