Fundamentals of Research Design

The course totals approximately 150 hours of study and assessment time. That’s around 10-15 hours per week.

This is a rough guide, as you can largely set your own study hours each week to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study when it suits you.

There will be some activities that you have to attend at a fixed time, such as online meetings with your tutor. But otherwise, you can access and work through the course at your convenience.

Any scheduled activities you can’t attend for good reason will be recorded for you to view at a more convenient time, where possible.

This course is 100% online, so you don't have to sit any on-campus or in-person exams.

You’ll keep a check on your progress through:

• regular reflective journals
• online quizzes at the end of each unit.

You can retake these quizzes as often as you like to make sure you’re understanding each unit as you go.

For your formal assessment, you’ll work throughout your course on your own research proposal, relevant to your work and interests, and designed for submission to a research funding body.

Submit your proposal a week before the submission deadline and your tutors will provide you with detailed feedback on how to improve this prior to submission.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your tutors, which could be by email, Skype, FaceTime or phone. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.

We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:

• Careers service
• Disability support
• IT support
• Library support
• Student Support Service – help with finances, stress, wellbeing and non-academic issues
• Student Learning Service – study support, with advice sessions available via phone or Skype
• Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) – run by students for students
• Toolkit – clever apps and free training that can make your study life easier

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

We welcome students from all over the world. This course has no formal entry requirements, so you don’t need to provide proof of your qualifications.

However, we advise checking our International Entry Requirements to see equivalent qualifications from your country that match our entry guidance above.

English language skills

You don’t have to provide proof of your English language skills to join this course. But we want to make sure that you can use English well enough to study this course successfully. At this level of teaching, you would usually have:

IELTS – 6.5 overall

• 5.5 for listening, reading and speaking
• 6.0 for writing

TOEFL iBT – 90 overall

• 17 for listening
• 18 for reading
• 20 for speaking
• 21 for writing

PTE Academic – 62 overall

• 51 for listening, reading and speaking
• 54 for writing

Cambridge English Advanced and Proficiency – 176 overall

• 162 for listening, reading and speaking
• 169 for writing

Trinity ISE

• Integrated Skills in English III (ISEIII)
• A pass in all components with distinction

See our English Language Requirements page for more information about English language qualifications.

You will need access to:

A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on:

• Windows 7 or later
• Mac OS 10.10 (Yosemite) or later, preferably Mac OS 10.12 (Sierra)

All our teaching materials are mobile-, smartphone- and tablet-friendly. However, you’re likely to need a proper keyboard for completing assignments.

Reliable internet access

With reasonable download speed: we broadly estimate at least 2Mbps so that you can take part fully in live sessions.

Speakers or headphones

• A headset with built-in microphone and earphones is useful if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
• A webcam may be desirable for some interactive sessions.

Software

We will give you access to Office365 applications. This means that you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.

If your course requires any specialist software, then we’ll provide you with copies of this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.

See our detailed IT requirements for more information.

When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure that means you are never alone in your studies.

But learning online does mean that you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.

Your most important commitment to your course will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.

Before you start a course that involves a high degree of self-study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your course each week:

• Be realistic
• Create a weekly schedule as a guide

Your course fee needs to be paid in full before you start your course.

We accept payment via all major credit and debit cards except American Express.

Ways to save

There are several ways that you may be able to get help funding your studies:

• 10% NHS discount – NHS Grampian and NHS Highland staff receive 10% off online postgraduate short courses and degrees offered by our School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
• 20% alumni discount – University of Aberdeen alumni receive 20% off postgraduate taught short courses and degrees
• Employer sponsorship – we happily accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors
• Student loans
• Scholarships
• Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)

Find out more about possible funding options.

Student discounts

All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card, giving you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.