Undergraduate dissertations and student performance in business studies and marketing, 2004-2009: evidence from an English business school

This report analyses the relationship between final year full-time students’ overall marks and their dissertation marks. A literature review identifies a number of previous studies of factors influencing undergraduate student achievement in higher education. However there is a paucity of studies which have included the role of the dissertation in their analyses. In the light of the extant literature, various factors that might impact on the dissertation marks of undergraduate students are identified. These factors are subject to empirical analysis via a data-set of full-time undergraduate students in Business Studies and Marketing attending the University of Huddersfield Business School between 2004 and 2009. It is found that there is no statistical difference in the performance of the (Business Studies) students for whom the dissertation is compulsory and those (Marketing) students for whom it is optional. The dissertation mark and the work placement are found to be major influences on the final year average mark. Gender is much less important. Second year marks are a good predictor of dissertation marks and final year marks.