MDUM8010 Chap.1 Choosing Between Dissertation and Capstone
Choosing Between Dissertation and Capstone
One research option, two very different jobs
The Master of Digital Urban Management at HKU closes with a single fifteen credit research option. Students pick either an individual dissertation or a group capstone project.
Both begin with the same introductory briefing and the same four preparatory research training lectures, and from then on they have nothing in common: the deliverables differ, the marking differs and the kind of thinking rewarded differs.
This chapter sets the two side by side so the choice is made on purpose.
What the dissertation route involves
The dissertation is individually focused research on a topic you choose, carried out under a supervisor allocated to you after the coordinator has read your preliminary proposal. It is expected to be original and innovative, and the finished document is limited to 15,000 words.
Work progress and the proposal account for twenty per cent of the grade, and the final dissertation for eighty, assessed by two readers working independently.
What the capstone route involves
The capstone is practice oriented and solution driven.
Teams of four or five identify an urban problem, study users and stakeholders, review literature and practice, analyse data and design a feasible digital solution such as a prototype or dashboard.
Its graded parts are a group inception report, a group seminar with a report of roughly 12,000 to 20,000 words and a poster, and an individual research paper of 3,000 to 6,000 words tied to the group topic, with peer assessment adjusting the group marks.
The specialism condition
Two elective specialisms exist, one in urban policy and management and one in urban technology and analytics, and taking one is optional.
Where a student has a specialism, the dissertation has to be related to it. That condition applies to the topic before anything else is decided, which is why the chapter treats it as a first check rather than a detail.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Why the programme offers a choice of research route
- 02
The shared briefing and training lectures
- 03
Individual dissertation compared with group capstone
- 04
How the grade is split on each route
- 05
The individual paper inside the capstone
- 06
The specialism condition on dissertation topics
- 07
Deciding by the end point of the project
- 08
Sorting real ideas into the right route
Worked example · free
Pick the route for a mobility idea
- 2Identify what the project ends in.
- 2Match that end point to a route and check the specialism.
- 2Name the first submission on that route.
Key terms
- Research Option
- The single fifteen credit component that ends the programme, taken either as an individual dissertation or as a group capstone project.
- Capstone Project
- A group project in which teams of four or five design a feasible digital solution to a defined urban problem, assessed through an inception report, a seminar with report and poster, and an individual paper.
- Specialism
- An optional elective pathway, either urban policy and management or urban technology and analytics, which restricts dissertation topics for students who hold one.
- Individual Research Paper
- The capstone's individual written component of 3,000 to 6,000 words, which develops its own question about the group topic.
Choosing Between Dissertation and Capstone FAQ
When do I have to decide between the dissertation and the capstone?
Early. Each route has its own first submission: a tentative dissertation topic with a preliminary proposal in October for the dissertation, and a one to two page problem statement in November for the capstone. From those points the two routes follow separate sequences of forms and supervision, so settle the choice before either document is written and raise any doubt with the coordinator.
Is the capstone easier because the work is shared?
It is different rather than lighter. The capstone spreads the grade across a group inception report, a group seminar with report and poster, and an individual paper of up to 6,000 words, and peer assessment adjusts the group marks. The dissertation puts eighty per cent on a single individually written document read by two markers, which suits students who want their grade to depend on their own analysis.
Does my dissertation have to be about my specialism?
Only if you have one. The programme offers an urban policy and management specialism and an urban technology and analytics specialism, and taking one is optional. For students with a specialism, the course outline requires the dissertation to be related to it, so check that link before drafting a topic.
Assessment move
Before the briefing, write one paragraph for each route describing a project you could actually do, and end each paragraph with its final sentence. Read both to someone outside the programme and ask which one they would want answered. Then check the dissertation version against your specialism, if you have one.
Choosing with two concrete drafts in front of you takes an evening and prevents the most expensive mistake of the year.
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