Supervisors' perceptions of the value of the undergraduate dissertation

Dissertations are a common feature of final year undergraduate study. Although there is some research on students' perceptions of the dissertation, it appears there is less research concerning supervisors' perceptions of the value of the undergraduate dissertation. Data for the study was collected via a questionnaire administered to staff within two departments at the University of Huddersfield Business School in the UK; with follow-up interviews. Considerations of the study included whether lecturers perceived that students have the capacity to undertake a dissertation, the value and impact the dissertation may have upon student results, and the demands dissertation supervision places upon supervisors. Key findings are that the dissertation still has currency and offers transferable skills that may have value to employers. One emergent finding was to consider a ‘cut off’ point, in terms of previous academic performance, such that the dissertation route would be open only to the more able students.