PR500 The Directed Research Project (DRP)
PR 500 is worth two credits.
Minimum registration is two terms. Once a student registers in PR500, continuous registration is required until completion.
The DRP option is intended to provide students with an opportunity to work one-on-one with a member of faculty on an in-depth research and writing project. Registration in PR500 will not be considered until a full-time student has completed a minimum of six credits with a B+ average. Part-time and provisional students must have completed a minimum of eight credits with a B+ average. The proposal should be developed jointly by the student and the proposed supervisor. The project proposal and the proposed supervisor must be approved by the President or Associate Chair of the program before acceptance is granted and registration in PR 500 is permitted. The project proposal must include a clear statement of the question or questions to be researched, an outline of the way in which the questions will be addressed, a summary description of the existing information and literature on the topic, a basic outline or table of contents, and a bibliography.
The final product for PR500 is expected to be a research paper somewhere in the range of 12,500-15,000 words, with an emphasis on not exceeding the upper limit. The final product will be marked by the supervisor and by a second marker who will be designated by the President or the Associate Chair of the program. Normally, the second marker will be a faculty member from RMC with expertise related to the topic addressed in the project. In exceptional circumstances, the President or Associate Chair may arrange for a second marker external to the university. The final registered mark will be an average of the two marks. If there is a difference in the two marks of greater than 5 points, the Chair or Associate Chair may choose to have the project assessed by a third marker. Students expecting to graduate in a given term must anticipate an appropriate time period of approximately four weeks for a second marker to read and assess the work.