Chapter 14

The Thesis (Chapter 14)

A thesis is a lengthy research paper that is often required to receive your master’s degree. The length of a thesis can have a broad range, but the purpose of it is to test your subject area knowledge and your ability to research and write. As a master’s degree candidate, you need to prove that you have a full understanding of your field and that you can conduct research, synthesize information, formulate arguments, and write persuasively. Producing a successful thesis is a long process involving several key steps.

Choosing a Topic:

Researching and writing a thesis is a time-consuming activity, so the sooner you choose a topic, the better. Ideally, your thesis topic should be one that interests you, that is narrow in scope, and that hasn’t been done before. It may sound counterintuitive, but having a narrow and specific topic actually makes the research and writing of a thesis much easier. Keep a journal or notebook of topics or articles that interest you, and write down questions you have about them. This can help launch your thesis topic. If you plan to continue your education and enter academia, your thesis topic should be in an area of future interest; in other words, don’t write on a topic that’s been addressed by other scholars. This can help your marketability to future employers by showing them that you’re aware of current scholarship and understand your role in contributing to and expanding that scholarship.

Research:

Depending on your field of study, your method of research may involve anything from analyzing primary sources to conducting interviews to designing and carrying out experiments. Once you have a thesis topic, or at least a general idea for your topic, go to your library or to the library’s website and look for subject guides. These will list the research and articles databases most likely to list publications in your field. They will not be your only resources, but are a good place to start. If your master’s degree program in purely online, use the public library and university/college libraries near you. When you find relevant readings, note the other works and research that the author cites. This can lead you to more useful resources. Your professors and fellow students can act as resources, as well, so don’t forget to speak to them. It’s difficult to find an end point to your research (there’s always more information out there), but at some point you have to start writing.

Writing:

Writing your dissertation is a commitment and can be a challenging undertaking, but one of the advantages to writing such a long paper is that you can break it up into smaller “mini-papers.” Before you jump into the actual writing of your thesis, make a detailed outline of what you want to say and where you want to include your research and resources. Detailed outlines help you to view, and more importantly, write your thesis in smaller sections. Ten four-page sections are less daunting than one 40-page section.

Revise each section, and the thesis as a whole, many times. Make use of your classmates and have them read your work (and vice versa). The more time you spend revising and editing, the better your thesis will be.

Working with Your Thesis Advisor:

Your thesis advisor can be a great resource for you; he or she can provide suggestions on your research, guidance on narrowing your thesis topic, and feedback on how your thesis is progressing. In most cases, your advisor will be teaching and working on his or her own research interests, so remember to prepare for your meetings ahead of time. Have a prepared list of questions you’d like to ask or issues you’d like to go over. Take notes on or record the meeting. Your advisor will appreciate your professionalism, and you’ll be much more likely to have a productive meeting. If you communicate with your advisor primarily through email, outline your questions so that your advisor knows exactly what you’re asking and why.

Balancing your Thesis and Your Family/Job:

It’s hard to balance writing your thesis with what can seem like your more immediate responsibilities of family and work. But as a graduate student, writing your thesis is your job. Actually, it can help to think of writing your thesis as a job, one where you work for a specific amount of time every day. This may include working away from your home or scheduling blocks of your day and week just for your thesis. Remember that when you schedule time for your thesis, you’re also freeing up time for your family or your other responsibilities. Although life happens, try to put off any major life changes if you can help it. Not only will they disrupt your work, but they also can cause added stress to your life in general. You cannot prevent all major life events from occurring, but you can prepare yourself for the possibility of them happening. Most importantly, be realistic: about your goals, about your abilities, about your responsibilities, and about your expectations. Being realistic about these things will make it much easier to plan accordingly and to balance your thesis with your other responsibilities.

Thesis Committee:

A thesis committee is a group of faculty members who will read, review, and question you about your thesis. Some schools and universities ask that you select you own committee. If they do, you should go about creating your committee carefully. Ask your advisor who they can recommend and who they’d like to work with. If there are committee members who do not get along, it could make for a difficult process for you.

Defending your Thesis:

Depending on your school and department, the defense of your thesis may take place when you have completed your thesis or towards the end of its completion. In either case, you almost always will be asked to present and defend your thesis in front of your advisor, your thesis committee, and members of an audience (who are often classmates). Before your actual defense, make sure you fill out and submit any required paperwork. Strategize with your advisor about your defense. If you have time, sit in on someone else’s defense, just so you can get a feel for the process and what to expect. Practice speaking about your thesis and prepare yourself for questions about it, especially the “So, what?” question every master’s candidate will receive. Why is your thesis relevant? Why is it important to contemporary scholarship? Before answering questions, think about your response. It’s much better to have a thoughtful answer than a quick one. After your presentation and defense, your thesis committee will tell you that your thesis has passed, that it needs minor revision, that you need to resubmit it, or that it has not been approved.

If your online master’s degree program requires you to defend your thesis in person, make sure to give yourself enough time to travel to campus. If your defense is to take place via video conferencing, give the software a trial run so that you don’t have to fuss with it on the day of your defense.