how to write master thesis in one month

How to Write a Master's Thesis: A Guide to Planning Your Thesis, Pursuing It, and Avoiding Pitfalls

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Part 1: Initial Considerations

Who needs to write a master’s thesis.

Thesis writing is one of the more daunting challenges of higher education. That being said, not all master's students have to write a thesis. For example, fields that place a stronger emphasis on applied knowledge, such as nursing, business, and education, tend to have projects and exams to test students on the skills and abilities associated with those fields. Conversely, in disciplines that require in-depth research or highly polished creative abilities, students are usually expected to prove their understanding and independence with a thesis.

What's Your Goal?

Do you want to write a thesis? The process is a long one, often spanning years. It's best to know exactly what you want before you begin. Many people are motivated by career goals. For example, hiring managers may see a master's degree as proof that the candidate is an expert within their field and can lead, motivate, and demonstrate initiative for themselves and others. Others dream of earning their doctorate, and they see a master's degree as a stepping stone toward their Ph.D .

No matter what your desired goal is, you should have one before you start your thesis. With your goal in mind, your work will have a purpose, which will allow you to measure your progress more easily.

Major Types of Theses

Once you've carefully researched or even enrolled in a master's program—a feat that involves its own planning and resources —you should know if you are expected to produce a quantitative (which occurs in many math and science programs), qualitative (which occurs in many humanities programs), or creative (which occurs in many creative writing, music, or fine arts programs) thesis.

Time and Energy Considerations

Advanced degrees are notoriously time and energy consuming. If you have a job, thesis writing will become your second job. If you have a family, they will need to know that your thesis will take a great deal of your attention, energy, and focus.

Your studies should not consume you, but they also should not take a back seat to everything else. You will be expected to attend classes, conduct research, source relevant literature, and schedule meetings with various people as you pursue your master's, so it's important to let those you care about know what's going on.

As a general note, most master's programs expect students to finish within a two-year period but are willing to grant extra time if requested, especially if that time is needed to deal with unexpected life events (more on those later).

Part 2: Form an Initial Thesis Question, and Find a Supervisor

When to begin forming your initial thesis question.

Some fields, such as history, may require you to have already formed your thesis question and to have used it to create a statement of intent (outlining the nature of your research) prior to applying to a master’s program. Others may require this information only after you've been accepted. Most of the time, you will be expected to come up with your topic yourself. However, in some disciplines, your supervisor may assign a general research topic to you.

Overall, requirements vary immensely from program to program, so it's best to confirm the exact requirements of your specific program.

What to Say to Your Supervisor

You will have a supervisor during your master's studies. Have you identified who that person will be? If yes, have you introduced yourself via email or phone and obtained information on the processes and procedures that are in place for your master's program? Once you've established contact, request an in-person meeting with him or her, and take a page of questions along with you. Your questions might include:

• Is there a research subject you can recommend in my field?
• I would like to pursue [target research subject] for my thesis. Can you help me narrow my focus?
• Can you give me an example of a properly formatted thesis proposal for my program?

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help (to a Degree)

Procedures and expectations vary from program to program, and your supervisor is there to help remove doubt and provide encouragement so you can follow the right path when you embark on writing your thesis. Since your supervisor has almost certainly worked with other graduate students (and was one at some point), take advantage of their experience, and ask questions to put your mind at ease about how to write a master’s thesis.

That being said, do not rely too heavily on your supervisor. As a graduate student, you are also expected to be able to work independently. Proving your independent initiative and capacity is part of what will earn you your master's degree.

Part 3: Revise Your Thesis

Read everything you can get your hands on.

Whether you have a question or need to create one, your next step is simple and applies to all kinds of theses: read.

Seek Out Knowledge or Research Gaps

Read everything you can that relates to the question or the field you are studying. The only way you will be able to determine where you can go is to see where everyone else has been. After you have read some published material, you will start to spot gaps in current research or notice things that could be developed further with an alternative approach. Things that are known but not understood or understood but not explained clearly or consistently are great potential thesis subjects. Addressing something already known from a new perspective or with a different style could also be a potentially valuable project. Whichever way you choose to do it, keep in mind that your project should make a valuable contribution to your field.

Talk with Experts in Your Field (and Don't Be Afraid to Revise Your Thesis)

To help narrow down your thesis topic, talk to your supervisor. Your supervisor will have an idea of what is current in your field and what can be left alone because others are already working on it. Additionally, the school you are attending will have programs and faculty with particular areas of interest within your chosen field.

On a similar note, don't be surprised if your thesis question changes as you study. Other students and researchers are out there, and as they publish, what you are working on can change. You might also discover that your question is too vague, not substantial enough, or even no longer relevant. Do not lose heart! Take what you know and adjust the question to address these concerns as they arise. The freedom to adapt is part of the power you hold as a graduate student.

Part 4: Select a Proposal Committee

What proposal committees are and why they're useful.

When you have a solid question or set of questions, draft a proposal.

You'll need an original stance and a clear justification for asking, and answering, your thesis question. To ensure this, a committee will review your thesis proposal. Thankfully, that committee will consist of people assigned by your supervisor or department head or handpicked by you. These people will be experts who understand your field of study and will do everything in their power to ensure that you are pursuing something worthwhile. And yes, it is okay to put your supervisor on your committee. Some programs even require that your supervisor be on your committee.

Just remember that the committee will expect you to schedule meetings with them, present your proposal, respond to any questions they might have for you, and ultimately present your findings and thesis when all the work is done. Choose those who are willing to support you, give constructive feedback, and help address issues with your proposal. And don't forget to give your proposal a good, thorough edit and proofread before you present it.

How to Prepare for Committee Meetings

Be ready for committee meetings with synopses of your material for committee members, answers for expected questions, and a calm attitude. To prepare for those meetings, sit in on proposal and thesis defenses so you can watch how other graduate students handle them and see what your committee might ask of you. You can even hold rehearsals with friends and fellow students acting as your committee to help you build confidence for your presentation.

Part 5: Write Your Thesis

What to do once your proposal is approved.

After you have written your thesis proposal and received feedback from your committee, the fun part starts: doing the work. This is where you will take your proposal and carry it out. If you drafted a qualitative or quantitative proposal, your experimentation or will begin here. If you wrote a creative proposal, you will now start working on your material. Your proposal should be strong enough to give you direction when you perform your experiments, conduct interviews, or craft your work. Take note that you will have to check in with your supervisor from time to time to give progress updates.

Thesis Writing: It's Important to Pace Yourself and Take Breaks

Do not expect the work to go quickly. You will need to pace yourself and make sure you record your progress meticulously. You can always discard information you don't need, but you cannot go back and grab a crucial fact that you can't quite remember. When in doubt, write it down. When drawing from a source, always create a citation for the information to save your future self time and stress. In the same sense, you may also find journaling to be a helpful process.

Additionally, take breaks and allow yourself to step away from your thesis, even if you're having fun (and especially if you're not). Ideally, your proposal should have milestones in it— points where you can stop and assess what you've already completed and what's left to do. When you reach a milestone, celebrate. Take a day off and relax. Better yet, give yourself a week's vacation! The rest will help you regain your focus and ensure that you function at your best.

How to Become More Comfortable with Presenting Your Work

Once you start reaching your milestones, you should be able to start sharing what you have. Just about everyone in a graduate program has experience giving a presentation at the front of the class, attending a seminar, or watching an interview. If you haven't (or even if you have), look for conferences and clubs that will give you the opportunity to learn about presenting your work and become comfortable with the idea of public speaking. The more you practice talking about what you are studying, the more comfortable you'll be with the information, which will make your committee defenses and other official meetings easier.

Published authors can be called upon to present at conferences, and if your thesis is strong, you may receive an email or a phone call asking if you would share your findings onstage.

Presenting at conferences is also a great way to boost your CV and network within your field. Make presenting part of your education, and it will become something you look forward to instead of fear.

What to Do If Your Relationship with Your Supervisor Sours

A small aside: If it isn't already obvious, you will be communicating extensively with others as you pursue your thesis. That also means that others will need to communicate with you, and if you've been noticing things getting quiet, you will need to be the one to speak up. Your supervisor should speak to you at least once a term and preferably once a week in the more active parts of your research and writing. If you give written work to your supervisor, you should have feedback within three weeks.

If your supervisor does not provide feedback, frequently misses appointments, or is consistently discouraging of your work, contact your graduate program advisor and ask for a new supervisor. The relationship with your supervisor is crucial to your success, especially if she or he is on your committee, and while your supervisor does not have to be friendly, there should at least be professional respect between you.

What to Do If a Crisis Strikes

If something happens in your life that disrupts everything (e.g., emotional strain, the birth of a child, or the death of a family member), ask for help. You are a human being, and personal lives can and do change without warning. Do not wait until you are falling apart before asking for help, either. Learn what resources exist for crises before you have one, so you can head off trauma before it hits. That being said, if you get blindsided, don't refuse help. Seek it out, and take the time you need to recover. Your degree is supposed to help you become a stronger and smarter person, not break you.

Part 6: Polish and Defend Your Master's Thesis

How to write a master’s thesis: the final stages.

After your work is done and everything is written down, you will have to give your thesis a good, thorough polishing. This is where you will have to organize the information, draft it into a paper format with an abstract, and abbreviate things to help meet your word-count limit. This is also where your final editing and proofreading passes will occur, after which you will face your final hurdle: presenting your thesis defense to your committee. If they approve your thesis, then congratulations! You are now a master of your chosen field.

Conclusion and Parting Thoughts

Remember that you do not (and should not) have to learn how to write a master’s thesis on your own. Thesis writing is collaborative, as is practically any kind of research.

While you will be expected to develop your thesis using your own initiative, pursue it with your own ambition, and complete it with your own abilities, you will also be expected to use all available resources to do so. The purpose of a master's thesis is to help you develop your own independent abilities, ensuring that you can drive your own career forward without constantly looking to others to provide direction. Leaders get master's degrees. That's why many business professionals in leadership roles have graduate degree initials after their last names. If you already have the skills necessary to motivate yourself, lead others, and drive change, you may only need your master's as an acknowledgement of your abilities. If you do not, but you apply yourself carefully and thoroughly to the pursuit of your thesis, you should come away from your studies with those skills in place.

A final thought regarding collaboration: all theses have a section for acknowledgements. Be sure to say thank you to those who helped you become a master. One day, someone might be doing the same for you.

Image source: Falkenpost/Pixabay.com 

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How to write a masters dissertation or thesis: top tips.

It is completely normal to find the idea of writing a masters thesis or dissertation slightly daunting, even for students who have written one before at undergraduate level. Though, don’t feel put off by the idea. You’ll have plenty of time to complete it, and plenty of support from your supervisor and peers.

One of the main challenges that students face is putting their ideas and findings into words. Writing is a skill in itself, but with the right advice, you’ll find it much easier to get into the flow of writing your masters thesis or dissertation.

We’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to write a dissertation or thesis for your masters degree, with top tips to consider at each stage in the process.

1. Understand your dissertation (or thesis) topic

There are slight differences between theses and dissertations , although both require a high standard of writing skill and knowledge in your topic. They are also formatted very similarly.

At first, writing a masters thesis can feel like running a 100m race – the course feels very quick and like there is not as much time for thinking! However, you’ll usually have a summer semester dedicated to completing your dissertation – giving plenty of time and space to write a strong academic piece.

By comparison, writing a PhD thesis can feel like running a marathon, working on the same topic for 3-4 years can be laborious. But in many ways, the approach to both of these tasks is quite similar.

Before writing your masters dissertation, get to know your research topic inside out. Not only will understanding your topic help you conduct better research, it will also help you write better dissertation content.

Also consider the main purpose of your dissertation. You are writing to put forward a theory or unique research angle – so make your purpose clear in your writing.

Top writing tip: when researching your topic, look out for specific terms and writing patterns used by other academics. It is likely that there will be a lot of jargon and important themes across research papers in your chosen dissertation topic. 

2. Structure your dissertation or thesis

Writing a thesis is a unique experience and there is no general consensus on what the best way to structure it is. 

As a postgraduate student , you’ll probably decide what kind of structure suits your research project best after consultation with your supervisor. You’ll also have a chance to look at previous masters students’ theses in your university library.

To some extent, all postgraduate dissertations are unique. Though they almost always consist of chapters. The number of chapters you cover will vary depending on the research. 

A masters dissertation or thesis organised into chapters would typically look like this: 

Write down your structure and use these as headings that you’ll write for later on.

Top writing tip : ease each chapter together with a paragraph that links the end of a chapter to the start of a new chapter. For example, you could say something along the lines of “in the next section, these findings are evaluated in more detail”. This makes it easier for the reader to understand each chapter and helps your writing flow better.

3. Write up your literature review

One of the best places to start when writing your masters dissertation is with the literature review. This involves researching and evaluating existing academic literature in order to identify any gaps for your own research.

Many students prefer to write the literature review chapter first, as this is where several of the underpinning theories and concepts exist. This section helps set the stage for the rest of your dissertation, and will help inform the writing of your other dissertation chapters.

What to include in your literature review

The literature review chapter is more than just a summary of existing research, it is an evaluation of how this research has informed your own unique research.

Demonstrate how the different pieces of research fit together. Are there overlapping theories? Are there disagreements between researchers?

Highlight the gap in the research. This is key, as a dissertation is mostly about developing your own unique research. Is there an unexplored avenue of research? Has existing research failed to disprove a particular theory?

Back up your methodology. Demonstrate why your methodology is appropriate by discussing where it has been used successfully in other research.

4. Write up your research

Your research is the heart and soul of your dissertation. Conducting your actual research is a whole other topic in itself, but it’s important to consider that your research design will heavily influence the way you write your final dissertation.

For instance, a more theoretical-based research topic might encompass more writing from a philosophical perspective. Qualitative data might require a lot more evaluation and discussion than quantitative research. 

Methodology chapter

The methodology chapter is all about how you carried out your research and which specific techniques you used to gather data. You should write about broader methodological approaches (e.g. qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods), and then go into more detail about your chosen data collection strategy. 

Data collection strategies include things like interviews, questionnaires, surveys, content analyses, discourse analyses and many more.

Data analysis and findings chapters

The data analysis or findings chapter should cover what you actually discovered during your research project. It should be detailed, specific and objective (don’t worry, you’ll have time for evaluation later on in your dissertation)

Write up your findings in a way that is easy to understand. For example, if you have a lot of numerical data, this could be easier to digest in tables.

This will make it easier for you to dive into some deeper analysis in later chapters. Remember, the reader will refer back to your data analysis section to cross-reference your later evaluations against your actual findings – so presenting your data in a simple manner is beneficial.

Think about how you can segment your data into categories. For instance, it can be useful to segment interview transcripts by interviewee. 

Top writing tip : write up notes on how you might phrase a certain part of the research. This will help bring the best out of your writing. There is nothing worse than when you think of the perfect way to phrase something and then you completely forget it.

5. Discuss and evaluate

Once you’ve presented your findings, it’s time to evaluate and discuss them.

It might feel difficult to differentiate between your findings and discussion sections, because you are essentially talking about the same data. The easiest way to remember the difference is that your findings simply present the data, whereas your discussion tells the story of this data.

Your evaluation breaks the story down, explaining the key findings, what went well and what didn’t go so well.

In your discussion chapter, you’ll have chance to expand on the results from your findings section. For example, explain what certain numbers mean and draw relationships between different pieces of data.

Top writing tip: don’t be afraid to point out the shortcomings of your research. You will receive higher marks for writing objectively. For example, if you didn’t receive as many interview responses as expected, evaluate how this has impacted your research and findings. Don’t let your ego get in the way!

6. Write your introduction

Your introduction sets the scene for the rest of your masters dissertation. You might be wondering why writing an introduction isn't at the start of our step-by-step list, and that’s because many students write this chapter last.

Here’s what your introduction chapter should cover:

Problem statement

Research question

Significance of your research

This tells the reader what you’ll be researching as well as its importance. You’ll have a good idea of what to include here from your original dissertation proposal , though it’s fairly common for research to change once it gets started.

Writing or at least revisiting this section last can be really helpful, since you’ll have a more well-rounded view of what your research actually covers once it has been completed and written up.

Masters dissertation writing tips

When to start writing your thesis or dissertation.

When you should start writing your masters thesis or dissertation depends on the scope of the research project and the duration of your course. In some cases, your research project may be relatively short and you may not be able to write much of your thesis before completing the project. 

But regardless of the nature of your research project and of the scope of your course, you should start writing your thesis or at least some of its sections as early as possible, and there are a number of good reasons for this:

Academic writing is about practice, not talent. The first steps of writing your dissertation will help you get into the swing of your project. Write early to help you prepare in good time.

Write things as you do them. This is a good way to keep your dissertation full of fresh ideas and ensure that you don’t forget valuable information.

The first draft is never perfect. Give yourself time to edit and improve your dissertation. It’s likely that you’ll need to make at least one or two more drafts before your final submission.

Writing early on will help you stay motivated when writing all subsequent drafts.

Thinking and writing are very connected. As you write, new ideas and concepts will come to mind. So writing early on is a great way to generate new ideas.

How to improve your writing skills

The best way of improving your dissertation or thesis writing skills is to:

 Finish the first draft of your masters thesis as early as possible and send it to your supervisor for revision. Your supervisor will correct your draft and point out any writing errors. This process will be repeated a few times which will help you recognise and correct writing mistakes yourself as time progresses.

If you are not a native English speaker, it may be useful to ask your English friends to read a part of your thesis and warn you about any recurring writing mistakes. Read our section on English language support for more advice. 

Most universities have writing centres that offer writing courses and other kinds of support for postgraduate students. Attending these courses may help you improve your writing and meet other postgraduate students with whom you will be able to discuss what constitutes a well-written thesis.

Read academic articles and search for writing resources on the internet. This will help you adopt an academic writing style, which will eventually become effortless with practice.

Keep track of your bibliography 

When studying for your masters dissertation, you will need to develop an efficient way of organising your bibliography – this will prevent you from getting lost in large piles of data that you’ll need to write your dissertation. 

The easiest way to keep the track of all the articles you have read for your research is to create a database where you can summarise each article/chapter into a few most important bullet points to help you remember their content. 

Another useful tool for doing this effectively is to learn how to use specific reference management software (RMS) such as EndNote. RMS is relatively simple to use and saves a lot of time when it comes to organising your bibliography. This may come in very handy, especially if your reference section is suspiciously missing two hours before you need to submit your dissertation! 

Avoid accidental plagiarism

Plagiarism may cost you your postgraduate degree and it is important that you consciously avoid it when writing your thesis or dissertation. 

Occasionally, postgraduate students commit plagiarism unintentionally. This can happen when sections are copy and pasted from journal articles they are citing instead of simply rephrasing them. Whenever you are presenting information from another academic source, make sure you reference the source and avoid writing the statement exactly as it is written in the original paper.

What kind of format should your thesis have?

Read your university’s guidelines before you actually start writing your thesis so you don’t have to waste time changing the format further down the line. However in general, most universities will require you to use 1.5-2 line spacing, font size 12 for text, and to print your thesis on A4 paper. These formatting guidelines may not necessarily result in the most aesthetically appealing thesis, however beauty is not always practical, and a nice looking thesis can be a more tiring reading experience for your postgrad examiner .

When should I submit my thesis?

The length of time it takes to complete your MSc or MA thesis will vary from student to student. This is because people work at different speeds, projects vary in difficulty, and some projects encounter more problems than others. 

Obviously, you should submit your MSc thesis or MA thesis when it is finished! Every university will say in its regulations that it is the student who must decide when it is ready to submit. 

However, your supervisor will advise you whether your work is ready and you should take their advice on this. If your supervisor says that your work is not ready, then it is probably unwise to submit it. Usually your supervisor will read your final thesis or dissertation draft and will let you know what’s required before submitting your final draft.

Set yourself a target for completion. This will help you stay on track and avoid falling behind. You may also only have funding for the year, so it is important to ensure you submit your dissertation before the deadline – and also ensure you don’t miss out on your graduation ceremony ! 

To set your target date, work backwards from the final completion and submission date, and aim to have your final draft completed at least three months before that final date.

Don’t leave your submission until the last minute – submit your work in good time before the final deadline. Consider what else you’ll have going on around that time. Are you moving back home? Do you have a holiday? Do you have other plans?

If you need to have finished by the end of June to be able to go to a graduation ceremony in July, then you should leave a suitable amount of time for this. You can build this into your dissertation project planning at the start of your research.

It is important to remember that handing in your thesis or dissertation is not the end of your masters program . There will be a period of time of one to three months between the time you submit and your final day. Some courses may even require a viva to discuss your research project, though this is more common at PhD level . 

If you have passed, you will need to make arrangements for the thesis to be properly bound and resubmitted, which will take a week or two. You may also have minor corrections to make to the work, which could take up to a month or so. This means that you need to allow a period of at least three months between submitting your thesis and the time when your program will be completely finished. Of course, it is also possible you may be asked after the viva to do more work on your thesis and resubmit it before the examiners will agree to award the degree – so there may be an even longer time period before you have finished.

How do I submit the MA or MSc dissertation?

Most universities will have a clear procedure for submitting a masters dissertation. Some universities require your ‘intention to submit’. This notifies them that you are ready to submit and allows the university to appoint an external examiner.

This normally has to be completed at least three months before the date on which you think you will be ready to submit.

When your MA or MSc dissertation is ready, you will have to print several copies and have them bound. The number of copies varies between universities, but the university usually requires three – one for each of the examiners and one for your supervisor.

However, you will need one more copy – for yourself! These copies must be softbound, not hardbound. The theses you see on the library shelves will be bound in an impressive hardback cover, but you can only get your work bound like this once you have passed. 

You should submit your dissertation or thesis for examination in soft paper or card covers, and your university will give you detailed guidance on how it should be bound. They will also recommend places where you can get the work done.

The next stage is to hand in your work, in the way and to the place that is indicated in your university’s regulations. All you can do then is sit and wait for the examination – but submitting your thesis is often a time of great relief and celebration!

Some universities only require a digital submission, where you upload your dissertation as a file through their online submission system.

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How to Write a Master's Thesis

• Yvonne N. Bui - San Francisco State University, USA
• Description

See what’s new to this edition by selecting the Features tab on this page. Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email [email protected] . Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html .

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“Yvonne Bui’s How to Write a Master’s Thesis should be mandatory for all thesis track master’s students.  It steers students away from the shortcuts students may be tempted to use that would be costly in the long run. The step by step intentional approach is what I like best about this book.”

“This is the best textbook about writing an M.A. thesis available in the market.” 

“This is the type of textbook that students keep and refer to after the class.”

Excellent book. Thorough, yet concise, information for students writing their Master's Thesis who may not have had a strong background in research.

Clear, Concise, easy for students to access and understand. Contains all the elements for a successful thesis.

I loved the ease of this book. It was clear without extra nonsense that would just confuse the students.

Clear, concise, easily accessible. Students find it of great value.

NEW TO THIS EDITION:             

• Concrete instruction and guides for conceptualizing the literature review help students navigate through the most challenging topics.        
• Step-by-step instructions and more screenshots give students the guidance they need to write the foundational chapter, along with the latest online resources and general library information.          
• Additional coverage of single case designs and mixed methods help students gain a more comprehensive understanding of research methods.           
• Expanded explanation of unintentional plagiarism within the ethics chapter shows students the path to successful and professional writing.       
• Detailed information on conference presentation as a way to disseminate research , in addition to getting published, help students understand all of the tools needed to write a master’s thesis.    

KEY FEATURES:  

• An advanced chapter organizer provides an up-front checklist of what to expect in the chapter and serves as a project planner, so that students can immediately prepare and work alongside the chapter as they begin to develop their thesis.
• Full guidance on conducting successful literature reviews includes up-to-date information on electronic databases and Internet tools complete with numerous figures and captured screen shots from relevant web sites, electronic databases, and SPSS software, all integrated with the text.
• Excerpts from research articles and samples from exemplary students' master's theses relate specifically to the content of each chapter and provide the reader with a real-world context.
• Detailed explanations of the various components of the master's thesis and concrete strategies on how to conduct a literature review help students write each chapter of the master's thesis, and apply the American Psychological Association (APA) editorial style.
• A comprehensive Resources section features "Try It!" boxes which lead students through a sample problem or writing exercise based on a piece of the thesis to reinforce prior course learning and the writing objectives at hand. Reflection/discussion questions in the same section are designed to help students work through the thesis process.

Sample Materials & Chapters

1: Overview of the Master's Degree and Thesis

3: Using the Literature to Research Your Problem

For instructors

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What Is a Master’s Thesis & How to Write It: Best Tips

It’s longer than your Bachelor’s thesis. It’s more stressful. It’s more important. And you have no clue how to write it. We understand that a lot comes with the responsibility of creating a Master’s thesis from scratch. But no need to stress out; you can get all the help you need here!

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Here is a complete guide on one of the most important pieces of paper in your life (or not…). It includes detailed instructions about every step of the writing process so that you don’t miss anything! Just think about it, you only need to spend ten minutes reading this article by Custom-Writing.org experts, and it can save you hundreds of precious brain nerves.

• 🔤 General Information
• 🤯 Starting Your Work
• 📑 Outlining a Thesis
• 🤓 Organizing the Process
• ✍️ Writing Your Thesis
• 🏁 Final Advice
• 🔗 References

🔤 Master’s Thesis: General Information

What is a master’s thesis.

A Master’s thesis is the last paper you need to submit before you get your degree. In order to pass, it needs to demonstrate your skills in a specific field.

You should include all the results of your original research in your Master’s thesis. The main focus of the thesis goes to the thesis question and the answer.

How Long Is a Master’s Thesis?

The requirements usually vary from university to university. Moreover, it depends on the topic and methodology you chose. However, on average, a Master’s thesis should be around 50-90 pages. If you have any doubts, check the requirements you received or ask your supervisor to help. In any case, it’s a massive task, so don’t wait until the deadline!

Do All Master’s Programs Require a Thesis?

Some practical Master’s programs, such as those that require more application, don’t necessarily need a thesis. However, you might still receive a chance to choose whether to write it or not. Instead of the thesis, you can be asked to participate in an internship or do some project. Usually, at least one kind of work is mandatory.

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🤯 Starting Your Master’s Thesis

Here are four useful tips on thesis writing that will prepare you for the process.

Master’s Thesis Title: Bad & Better Examples

Bad examples, better example, master’s thesis topics.

• Explore the connection between the globalization of markets and financial stability.  
• Describe and analyze the most widespread Ponzi schemes and the ways to prevent them.  
• Study the problem of climate change in environmentally vulnerable countries and how to mitigate it.  
• Write a master’s thesis on the use of grid technology for the development of an electronic supply chain.  
• Analyze the different situational theories of leadership and their application in healthcare settings. 
• Explore the impact of personal income tax increase on personal savings and work effort.  
• Examine the impact of a diversified investment portfolio on profitability. 
• Write a master’s thesis on investment in the oil and gas sector. 
• Study the effectiveness of policies that address childhood obesity .  
• Compare the effect of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy in treating patients with mild depression.  
• Master’s thesis on the nature of international credit and its role in modern economies.  
• Write a comparative study of the Eurozone and Switzerland banking systems structure and differences. 
• Analyze the efficacy of contemporary international organizations’ cooperation in resolving global environmental crises .  
• Compare the benefits and threats of deforestation to the global ecosystem.  
• Examine the traffic situation and safety concerns in Saudi Arabia . 
• Examine whether a global economy is a basis for business expansion or a possible global crisis.  
• Write a master’s thesis on the impact of organizational policies on decision-making. 
• Explore the influence of corporate mergers and acquisitions on the effectiveness of employees’ performance.   
• Analyze the driving force for changes in special education . 
• Discuss the efficacy of Mobile-Assisted Learning for studying English as a second language.  
• Study how climate change affects the blue crab population and what can be done to mitigate the harm.  
• Master’s thesis on the specifics and problems of disaster management in nonprofit organizations .  
• Examine how the level of emotional intelligence influences the leadership style.  
• Write a master’s thesis on the connection between asthma and smoking among immigrants .  
• Describe the impact of learners’ isolation in distance education on students’ performance. 
• Explore how teachers and principals can deal with bullying at school effectively.  
• Analyze the use of further virtual technology development for the medical field.  
• Master’s thesis on the socialization of people with disabilities in the workplace .  
• Study the effect of technology use in nursing practice on patients’ care quality.  
• Examine whether reading interventions are necessary for children’s cognitive development.  
• Evaluate the benefits and problems of wind energy projects.  
• Write a master’s thesis on the positive and negative impact of mass media-raised issues on society.  
• Explore how different forms of art describe the theme of religion in society.  
• Study the effects of bilingualism on cognitive development .  
• Examine the issues of real estate fund management. 
• Analyze the changes in the labor market due to digital technology development.  
• Study the concept of empowerment according to interpersonal theory and its role in healthcare practices.  
• Research the benefits and threats of furniture business investment in the United States.  
• Examine how the use of artificial intelligence changed modern economics.  
• Describe the role of environmental and cultural circumstances on the linguistic development of children.  
• Research and compare the EU and the US tax treaty networks.  
• Explore the housing policies in California and their impact on the homelessness problem.  
• Analyze the role of computers in primary school education. 
• Evaluate the factors that influence actual and potential economic growth and its threats to the environment.  
• Examine the role of digital Earth services and tools in studying the global warming issue.  
• Write a master’s thesis on the connection between the choice of rhetorical tools in American literature and American social issues.  
• Study how the pragmatic theory of truth is represented in different religions.  
• Analyze the role of cultural diversity issues in therapists’ practice.  
• Study the tax effects on stock price behavior around dividend dates. 
• Examine the scope of unequal opportunity of urban youth issue and its impact on the American unemployment crisis.  

📑 Outlining a Master’s Thesis

Let’s go through the process of creating an outline for your Master’s thesis step by step.

🤓 Organizing the Writing Process

• Schedule your writing process . Do that on a week-to-week basis. Breaking this huge assignment into small manageable tasks is a tremendous help because you won’t feel so overwhelmed.
• Write at least something every day . Don’t put it off until you have less than one month till the deadline because it’s almost unrealistic to finish a Master’s thesis in such a short term.
• Give yourself little breaks . Sometimes students think that the more you do per day, the better. However, it’s the opposite. If you deprive yourself of rest, your productivity falls, so schedule 10-15 minutes of break every hour!
• Figure out what time works best for you . Try to find your most productive time, which can be morning as well as the evening.
• Start writing an introduction . Remember that it’s okay to go back and change it throughout the writing process!
• How can your research contribute to the field of study ? Think of this question. Then write a few sentences on what you are adding to it with your paper. Never be afraid to change anything, even if you’ve already written a lot. If it means that the text will get improved—go for it. Tools like assignment rewriter may greatly help during the process.
• Write the main body of your thesis . The content varies depending on your department and methodology.
• Finish with a powerful conclusion . Include some comments about further research on the topic.
• Add all the necessary information in the appendices. They should consist of charts, graphs, and pictures.

✍️ Writing Your Master’s Thesis

Your work will consist of two fundamental parts: theory and practice, or possible practical use. This section contains writing tips for both parts of your Master’s thesis. We’ll start from the literature review and then continue with the practical section.

Master’s Thesis: Theoretical Part

Gathering information.

In a literature review, you discuss your topic based on what other authors and experts have already covered. The first thing you’ll need to do is to study the sources . How and where should you start looking for information for the theoretical part?

If you have some questions about the resources for your project, you can turn to a library for advice or help, or watch some issue-related lessons. Nowadays, using various academic search engines and websites makes your paper writing much easier than ever before.

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Here are some suggestions on online resources you can use:

You can also use Google by entering the direct form of the keyword you’re looking for. For example, search for “m-learning” along with “PDF.” With PDF placed next to your word, there will mostly pop-up articles.

You can change the keywords you’re looking for to get more results: m-learning, mobile learning, mobile devices in education, etc. Every result, reference, or page you discover can take you to loads of other sources via the included links or their own reference lists.

You should avoid adding to your reference list the authors of Master’s theses and term papers whatever University they are representing: they are usually not experts.

Going to offline libraries is another option for any student.

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Writing Your Review

After you’ve studied the sources and made some notes, it’s time to connect them into a coherent narrative. The development between subsections should be logical, i.e., it should consist of the evolution from general to specific, defining principal concepts that could appear.

In the example about learning with mobile devices’ help, you could present the following subsections in a hypothetical framework:

• The concept of mobile learning
• History of mobile learning
• Features of mobile learning
• Advantages and disadvantages of m-learning
• Mobile learning in the USA/Spain
• Mobile learning during the … stage
• M-learning in the class of …

Master’s Thesis: Practical Part

The theoretical part is followed by a practical part of the work or a possible application suggestion. Though this section is to be an original, one the starting point of it is your literature review. Your suggestion or practical part doesn’t appear out of the blue. You have to base it on that previous study of the literature that you have done.

Let’s imagine you are studying the use of mobile devices in the classroom . Then, while preparing your literature review, you’ll find studies and experts discussing these issues:

• How to introduce mobile devices in the classroom?
• How to avoid problems that could potentially arise?
• What kind of use of mobile devices could be interesting for students?

When you come to the practical part, you can specify your suggestion about the way to use

mobile devices in a classroom or about a specific application that can be utilized, basing your proposition on a theory included in this part of your project.

🏁 Final Recommendations

To summarize, we have simply provided you with general tips. However, you should follow the advice and guidelines that your instructor/tutor/professor provides you.

In any case, make sure to:

• Communicate with your tutor/instructor throughout the entire writing process
• React to their messages
• Trust your tutor/instructor
• Ask anything that’s unclear to you
• Get acquainted with all the proposed information
• Assist all the scheduled classes
• Correct your mistakes across all your paper
• Stay consistent in formatting
• Organize your time
• Stay constant
• Watch your writing
• Avoid plagiarism
• Avoid other studies affecting your research: your experience should be personal, different, and unique

It’s clear that most of you work, have family, other classes that need your attention, and many other commitments. But you have to be proud that you’ve come to where you are now. Writing a Master’s thesis is your last effort.

So keep up your spirits!

• Types of Theses > Master’s Thesis (NYU)
• Master’s Thesis Guidelines | Graduate School – Brown University
• Find a Program | UW Graduate School
• Master of Arts Program in the Humanities – University of Chicago
• Master’s Degree Dissertation Research Papers – Academia.edu
• Thesis & Dissertation : Graduate School (Cornell)
• MIT Theses – MIT Libraries
• Thesis Writing and Filing | Berkeley Graduate Division
• The Thesis Process | Harvard Extension School
• Thesis & Dissertation | The Graduate College at the University of Illinois
• Thesis/Dissertation Submission – Graduate School Website, USC
• Finding theses, University of Sydney Library
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While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

• Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
• Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
• Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
• Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
• Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
• picture_as_pdf Thesis

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My Master’s Thesis Journey: How to Finish a Research Paper in Four Months (1 Term)

By vivomigsgee in Event Features June 11, 2021

The moment I got the thesis hardbound in my hands, I thought “Oh boy, I am so done with my master’s thesis!” Yes, the seemingly daunting and never-ending research journey is finally over. That means no more sleepless nights… Independence Day is just around the corner, what better way to celebrate it than concluding that it’s a great day to BOOK my way to FREEdom (Abas, 2021).

Looking back 2 years ago, I initially wanted to enroll in a non-thesis program but it’s no longer offered. I was left with no choice. Fast forward today, I personally think I made the right decision. In just four grueling months, I managed to endure both proposal hearing and oral defense – all in one research-packed semester – making me the first and only MSA-IA candidate in USC to defy the odds. So, if you are planning to take a master’s study or currently undertaking a master’s thesis this semester, then this article is for you.

Thesis writing involves two major stages – proposal hearing and oral defense. These stages are normally taken in two separate semesters or terms with the exception of my chosen graduate program’s curriculum (I’m one of the few students under the pioneering batch and holds the title of the sole graduate of said program in USC who successfully completed a thesis in a super tight timeline ~ 1 term). 

PROPOSAL HEARING

Despite being busy at work and blog activities, I managed to come up with a thesis proposal at a short time as I have a “research-o-clock” in place. It means you really need to allocate time working on your thesis as it is really a demanding task ~ especially researching related articles online and visiting libraries and reading books. If you’re working from 9 to 5, then you may set your body clock to start writing from 8pm onwards on a daily basis. You have to sacrifice your weekend and prioritize your thesis.

Another thing, don’t hesitate to ask help from your thesis adviser. I wouldn’t have done my reasearch proposal if it weren’t for my thesis adviser’s guidance from Chapter 1 to 3. You really need to meet periodically with your thesis adviser, whether physical or virtual, to prepare you for the proposal hearing. In fact, there is a thesis advising monitoring sheet wherein your adviser will review, sign and submit to the Graduate Program Office (GPO).

By the third week of March, I applied for a proposal hearing (with endorsement from my thesis adviser) and was accepted by the research committee. And so, the day has come and my first ever thesis hearing proposal, albeit done virtually, was a success. I can really say it was all worth it. I’ve never imagined ending a very hectic month with a bang! Tired but glad to know that I’m moving forward on to the next chapter!

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Tags: How to Finish Thesis in a Short Time , Master's Thesis , Oral Defense , Proposal Hearing , Research Forum , Research Paper , Research Study , Thesis Guideline , Tips for Finishing Thesis

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