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OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions . OATD currently indexes 7,221,548 theses and dissertations.
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How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis
8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.
By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020
Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.
In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.
How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps
- Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
- Find a unique and valuable research topic
- Craft a convincing research proposal
- Write up a strong introduction chapter
- Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
- Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
- Present the findings of your research
- Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications
Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is
This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.
So, what is a dissertation?
At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:
- Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
- See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
- If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
- Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings
In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:
- Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
- Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
- Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
- Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis
If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.
The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.
If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!
Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic
As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…
A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:
Let’s take a closer look at these:
Attribute #1: Clear
Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.
Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:
An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.
As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).
Need a helping hand?
Attribute #2: Unique
Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).
For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.
One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.
Attribute #3: Important
Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.
For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.
So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊
Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal
Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.
So, what’s in a research proposal?
The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:
- You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
- You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
- You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)
At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).
Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .
So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .
Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter
Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.
Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.
What’s the introduction chapter all about?
The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.
What goes into the introduction chapter?
This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:
- A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
- A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
- Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
- The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world
As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.
How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .
Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review
As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.
What’s the literature review all about?
There are two main stages in the literature review process:
Literature Review Step 1: Reading up
The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.
Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .
Literature Review Step 2: Writing up
Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:
- You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
- You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
- You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .
As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .
But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .
Step 6: Carry out your own research
Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.
There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:
1 – Design your research strategy
The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.
In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:
- Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
- Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
- Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
- Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)
If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.
2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data
Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.
Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:
- If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
- If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).
Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.
The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:
- If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
- If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
- If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach
Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.
Step 7: Present your findings
Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .
What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?
While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.
For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:
- Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
- Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.
Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.
Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).
For example, if we look at the sample research topic:
In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .
For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .
Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications
Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.
What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.
Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:
Key findings
This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:
While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:
Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…
Implications
The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:
The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….
The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…
As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.
Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis
You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.
To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:
- Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
- Find a unique (original) and important research topic
- Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
- Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
- Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
- Undertake your own research
- Present and interpret your findings
Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.
Psst... there’s more!
This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...
20 Comments
thankfull >>>this is very useful
Thank you, it was really helpful
unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.
Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.
This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.
Very rich presentation. Thank you
Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!
Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation
It is an amazing comprehensive explanation
This was straightforward. Thank you!
I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.
Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂
Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*
Very educating.
Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.
Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.
thank you so much, that was so useful
Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?
could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification
my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.
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2024 Best Doctorate Degrees Online [No Dissertation Required]
In the past, the majority of doctoral programs always required students to write a dissertation. Now, instead of spending years working on a dissertation, a growing number of universities offer doctoral students an alternative to the dissertation process: a capstone project.
Editorial Listing ShortCode:
List of Doctorate Degrees without Dissertation Requirements
Here is a list of doctoral programs that don’t require a dissertation. Instead, you complete a capstone project or a doctoral study project.
Click on your desired field of study to jump to that section:
- Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA)
- Doctor of Information Technology (DIT)
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
- Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
- Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
- Doctor of Public Health (DPH)
- Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
Like dissertations, capstone projects are a culmination of your education. They usually involve some original research or some type of applied practical knowledge in your field. It all depends on the school and program.
Be sure to check out the specializations available, as well as the particular requirements for each of these non dissertation PhD programs to be sure you select the one that will best suit you and help you achieve your goals.
1. Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
If you’re an experienced business professional looking to advance your career, a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) might be the perfect fit. Many online DBA programs offer a dissertation-free option, replacing it with a capstone project. This allows you to tackle real-world business challenges, applying your learning directly to your work.
In a DBA program, you’ll delve into advanced topics like strategic management and data-driven decision-making. The flexible online format lets you balance your studies with your career. By choosing a DBA, you’re positioning yourself for executive roles or high-level consulting opportunities, all without the need for a traditional dissertation.
2. Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
If you’re an education professional seeking to advance your career and make a larger impact, an online Doctor of Education (EdD) could be your next step. Many EdD programs now offer a no dissertation path, typically replacing it with a capstone project.
In an EdD program, you’ll explore advanced educational leadership, policy, and curriculum development. Your capstone project will likely focus on solving real-world educational challenges, allowing you to directly apply your learning to your professional context. The online format provides flexibility, enabling you to balance your studies with your current teaching or administrative role. By earning an EdD, you’re preparing yourself for top positions in educational leadership, policy-making, or curriculum design, all while avoiding the lengthy, research-intensive dissertation process.
3. Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA)
If you’re a healthcare professional aiming to take on top leadership roles in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, a Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA) could be your ideal path. Many online DHA programs offer a path without the lengthy dissertation process, often replacing it with a capstone project.
In a DHA program, you’ll dive into crucial areas like healthcare policy, organizational leadership, and decision-making in healthcare settings. Your capstone project will typically involve addressing real-world healthcare management challenges, allowing you to apply your learning directly to your field. By earning a DHA, you’re positioning yourself for executive roles in hospitals, healthcare systems, or health policy organizations, all without a dissertation requirement.
4. Doctor of Information Technology (DIT)
Are you ready to elevate your IT career to new heights? A Doctor of Information Technology (DIT) could be your key to unlocking advanced opportunities in the tech world. Many online DIT programs now offer a path without a dissertation requirement, replacing it with a comprehensive project that showcases your expertise.
In this program, you’ll immerse yourself in crucial areas like cybersecurity strategy, AI implementation, and enterprise architecture. Your final project will likely involve solving complex technological challenges, allowing you to apply cutting-edge concepts to real-world scenarios. The flexible online format lets you balance your studies with your current role, positioning you for high-level positions such as Chief Information Officer or IT strategist. With a DIT, you’ll gain the skills to drive digital transformation and shape the future of technology in various industries.
5. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Are you passionate about advancing patient care and shaping the future of nursing? A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) could be your pathway to becoming a leader in healthcare innovation. Many online DNP programs now offer alternatives to the traditional dissertation, focusing instead on practice-based projects that directly impact patient outcomes.
In this program, you’ll explore advanced clinical practice, healthcare policy, and evidence-based care strategies. Your final project will typically involve implementing and evaluating a real-world healthcare intervention, allowing you to translate research into practice. The online format accommodates your demanding nursing schedule while elevating your expertise. This degree prepares you for roles such as advanced practice nurse, clinical leader, or healthcare policy advocate, empowering you to drive meaningful change in healthcare delivery and patient care quality.
6. Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Are you ready to take your physical therapy career to the next level? A Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) can open doors to advanced practice and leadership in rehabilitation care. Many online DPT programs now offer capstone projects instead of dissertations, allowing you to apply your learning directly to clinical practice.
During your studies, you’ll delve into advanced topics like movement science, clinical decision-making, and evidence-based interventions. Your capstone project will likely involve developing and implementing innovative treatment approaches or conducting clinically relevant research. The online program format enables you to continue your clinical work while advancing your education. A DPT prepares you for roles as a specialized clinician, researcher, or leader in physical therapy, equipping you with the skills to enhance patient outcomes and contribute to the evolution of rehabilitation science.
7. Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
Are you passionate about advancing mental health care and making a profound difference in people’s lives? A Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) can elevate your clinical skills and prepare you for leadership in psychological practice. Many online PsyD programs now offer practicum-based projects as an alternative to the traditional dissertation, allowing you to apply advanced concepts directly to clinical scenarios.
Throughout your doctoral journey, you’ll explore cutting-edge therapeutic techniques, psychological assessment methods, and evidence-based interventions. Your culminating project will likely involve developing and implementing innovative treatment approaches or conducting clinically relevant research in real-world settings.
The online format of a PsyD program enables you to continue your current clinical work while advancing your expertise. This degree prepares you for roles as a licensed psychologist, clinical director, or consultant, equipping you with the skills to provide high-level psychological services and contribute to the evolution of mental health care.
8. Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
Looking to revolutionize public service and governance? A Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) could be your springboard to top-tier leadership in the public sector. Many online DPA programs have shifted from traditional dissertations to capstone projects, giving you the chance to address real administrative challenges head-on.
This program will immerse you in crucial areas like policy analysis, organizational dynamics, and strategic public management. For your final project, you might develop innovative solutions for complex governmental issues or conduct research aimed at enhancing public sector efficiency. The online DPA allows you to elevate your expertise while maintaining your current role. This doctorate can help position you for influential positions such as executive director, policy strategist, or government reform consultant. You’ll gain the insights needed to spearhead significant improvements in public institutions and non-profit organizations.
9. Doctor of Public Health (DPH)
A Doctor of Public Health (DPH) can enhance your ability to address complex health challenges on a population level. Many online DPH programs now offer project-based alternatives to traditional dissertations, allowing you to apply your learning to real-world public health issues.
In this program, you’ll study advanced epidemiology, health policy, and evidence-based interventions. Your final project might involve developing a community health initiative or analyzing the impact of a public health policy. The online format lets you continue your current work while expanding your expertise. A DPH prepares you for roles such as health department director, global health consultant, or public health researcher. This degree equips you with the skills to influence health outcomes across communities and contribute to the advancement of public health practices.
10. Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
Are you driven to make a lasting impact in social services and community welfare? A Doctor of Social Work (DSW) can empower you to become a transformative leader in the field. Many online DSW programs now offer alternatives to the traditional dissertation, focusing on applied projects that directly address real-world social challenges.
In this program, you’ll explore advanced topics like social policy analysis, evidence-based practice models, and organizational leadership in social services. Your final project will typically involve developing and implementing innovative interventions or policies that address pressing social issues.
The online format of a DSW allows you to balance your studies with your current social work practice, enhancing your expertise while you continue to serve your community. This degree prepares you for roles such as clinical supervisor, policy advocate, or social services director, equipping you with the knowledge to drive systemic change and improve social outcomes on a broader scale.
What is a Doctoral Dissertation?
A doctoral dissertation, the culmination of most doctoral degree programs, is a substantial written document in which the student uses the teachings and skills gleaned from the entire program to develop and discuss an original concept, theory or practice that will help advance the field.
Writing a dissertation is no easy feat! They are typically hundreds of pages long, and students work on them for over a year, reviewing research, conducting experiments and analyzing data.
Because this project is daunting, demanding, and often requires years of research, many universities have come up with alternatives that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and provide worthwhile contributions to their field without completing a traditional dissertation.
What Are All But Dissertation Completion Programs?
“All But Dissertation” (ABD) completion programs, also known as PhD completion programs, are designed to help students who have completed all the requirements of a doctoral degree program except the dissertation.
Quite often, students work diligently through the coursework of their doctoral program, but fall short when it comes to completing the required dissertation. According to the Council of Graduate Schools , only about 56% of those who start a doctoral degree program earn their doctorate or PhD within 10 years. Completing a dissertation is an enormous project that entails extensive research — and life, family, careers and other obligations sometimes get in the way.
For example, the Dissertation Completion Pathway (DCP) offered by National University is one example of a structured program that transfers credit for prior academic coursework and provides guidance and mentorship as you work to finish your dissertation. This type of program typically takes 2-3 years.
Is a Dissertation Required for a PhD?
Not always. In the past a dissertation was required for a PhD, but a growing number of institutions have started to offer online doctoral programs no dissertation.
Instead, students may complete a capstone project to demonstrate their knowledge and provide new contributions to the field. This may be a combination of a research paper and fieldwork, or perhaps you might do some consulting work at a functioning business. However, it most cases, it will require considerably less independent research than what is required for a dissertation.
Capstone projects vary from school to school, and program to program.
One of the benefits of non-dissertation doctorate degrees is that you can finish in less time. Check out our guide on accelerated online doctoral programs for a deeper look.
Is Financial Aid Available for Online PhD Programs?
Looking to manage the costs of an online PhD program? You’ve got options.
First up, the FAFSA – it’s not just for undergrads and can open doors to federal grants and loans. Don’t overlook state financial aid either; many states offer loan programs that might be more budget-friendly than private loans, helping to reduce the cost of repayment.
Also, keep an eye out for scholarships and grants tailored for online doctoral students. These can take into account your academic achievements and work experience.
Many universities now offer affordable online programs, designed to provide quality education without the hefty price tag of traditional on-campus degrees. For more specific details and info about reducing these costs, the financial aid office at your university is a great resource. They can guide you through the maze of options and help you find the best fit for your financial situation.
Can You Get a No Dissertation Doctorate Online?
Yes! A growing number of reputable, accredited colleges and universities offer non-dissertation doctorate programs. We’ve compiled a list of universities offering online doctorate degrees without dissertation requirements in the next section.
Are There Any PhD Programs Without Dissertation Requirements?
Yes, there are quite a few doctoral programs without dissertation requirements, but PhD programs without dissertation requirements are few and far between. In these cases, instead of the dissertation most commonly used in a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program, a capstone project is required to help you put your new-found skills to good use.
In the past, dissertations were required so that you could demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in your field. But universities have started to realize that there are quite a few ways you can do that.
As you can see with the online DBA programs, a few colleges are no longer requiring dissertations. They allow you to complete a doctoral capstone project instead. No, it’s not technically a dissertation. But you do prove that you have acquired a high level of expertise in your field of study.
Higher education is continuing to change at a rapid pace. As another example, a number of PhD programs without GRE requirements are appearing.
How Many Credits Do PhD Programs Require?
Most PhD programs require between 54 and 90 credit hours. That’s between 18 and 30 courses. This is true for both campus-based PhD programs and online PhD programs.
Let’s look at one of National University’s online programs as an example. The online DBA in Accounting is 54 credit hours and consists of 18 courses (most courses are 3 credit hours).
In contrast, if you attend a state university campus program like the University of Illinois, the PhD in Business requires 64 credit hours (around 21 courses), provided you already have your master’s degree.
Do All Doctoral Programs Require a Dissertation?
No. A wide-range of doctoral programs do not have a dissertation. Instead, graduate schools allow you to complete a capstone project which focuses on solving a real-world problem.
You can also earn your doctorate through an accredited online program if you don’t want to attend on campus.
Is a PhD Program Without a Dissertation Respected?
A dissertation allows students the opportunity to demonstrate expertise in their field of study through extensive research and an associated dissertation research paper.
In certain fields, a dissertation will be the measure of quality. This is true for academia should you ever want to be a tenured professor at Harvard. But if that’s not your goal, doctoral programs in higher education, leadership, or business administration are reputable – provided you earn your doctorate from a graduate school with regional accreditation.
Can I Get an Online Doctorate Degree Without a Dissertation?
Yes. There are dozens of online doctorate degrees with no dissertation being offered from accredited universities. The most common doctoral degree programs are the Doctor of Education, Doctor of Business Administration, Doctor of Psychology, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Are There Any 18 Month Doctorate with No Dissertation Programs?
Yes. Some online PhD no dissertation programs can be completed in as little as 18 to 24 months.
To finish in a short time like this, you will need to be enrolled full time and progressing through your doctorate program courses successfully. You will also need your capstone project to be approved in a timely manner. Again, in order to complete your doctorate in less than 18 months, you’ll need to enroll in a PhD without thesis or dissertation requirement.
Are There Any PhD Without Dissertation Programs Online?
Yes, a number of universities offer online doctoral degree programs without dissertation to help working professionals juggle full time jobs with their studies. We’ve compiled a list of them above. As more universities offer no dissertation doctorates, we will update the list.
It’s worth noting that while these programs do not require traditional dissertations, there will usually be a research project (usually known as a Capstone) through which you demonstrate what you have learned. Each program should detail the capstone experience requirements and the opportunities you will have while enrolled.
A growing number of universities allow you to complete your program as a full time, working professional from the comfort of your own home!
Home > ETDS > ETD
All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)
All doctoral dissertations authored by Washington University doctoral degree candidates are directly submitted to the UMI Dissertation Services , a division of the ProQuest Company. (For more information on submitting your dissertation through ProQuest, please see the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences' web pages on the Submission of the Dissertation .)
Beginning in 2009 (for degrees awarded in August, 2009) all theses and dissertations completed at Washington University were required to be submitted in electronic form. Print submissions are no longer accepted. Dissertations are submitted directly in electronic form to UMI / Proquest Dissertation Services. Master’s theses are locally submitted in electronic form directly into the Washington University Open Scholarship Repository. Please contact your academic department document for information on the preparation and formatting requirements of the thesis itself. D.Sc. and Masters Thesis Format Guidelines . See the Theses & Dissertations (ETDs) for more information on submission and access options and links to details for PhD Candidates and Master’s Candidates.
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Numerical Simulations of Supersonic/ Hypersonic Flows in Compression Corners and a Hypersonic Flow Study of Atmospheric Entry of Mars Science Laboratory Capsule , Dexter Allen
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Student Self-Efficacy and Attitude in Organic Chemistry: A Comparison of Two Pedagogical Approaches , Matthew Autry
Language Enrollment in Higher Education: Exploring Social Psychological Factors in Spanish Language Programs with Advanced Learners , David Antonio Balmaceda Marenco
Assessing gender equality in political rights: a comparative study of CEDAW Article 7 implementation in Saudi Arabia and Tunisia , Nusaybah Bamuhair
Interleukin-1α and Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Promote Cancer-Induced Extramedullary Hematopoiesis , Derek Arthur George Barisas
Das Gift , Zain Baweja
No Leg to Stand on: Menenius Agrippa's Fable in Book 2 of Livy's Ab urbe condita , Joshua Bayona
Inducible CRISPR-Targeted ‘Knockdown’ of Human Gut Bacteroides in Mice Reveals Glycan Utilization Strategies , Zachary Beller
Development and Structure of Spinal Interneuron Connectivity in Larval Zebrafish , Saul Bello Rojas
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Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates
Published on June 7, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on November 21, 2023.
A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process . It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding the specifics of your dissertation topic and showcasing its relevance to your field.
Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:
- Your anticipated title
- Your abstract
- Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review, research methods, avenues for future research, etc.)
In the final product, you can also provide a chapter outline for your readers. This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organizational structure of your thesis or dissertation. This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or summary outline.
Table of contents
How to outline your thesis or dissertation, dissertation and thesis outline templates, chapter outline example, sample sentences for your chapter outline, sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis and dissertation outlines.
While there are some inter-institutional differences, many outlines proceed in a fairly similar fashion.
- Working Title
- “Elevator pitch” of your work (often written last).
- Introduce your area of study, sharing details about your research question, problem statement , and hypotheses . Situate your research within an existing paradigm or conceptual or theoretical framework .
- Subdivide as you see fit into main topics and sub-topics.
- Describe your research methods (e.g., your scope , population , and data collection ).
- Present your research findings and share about your data analysis methods.
- Answer the research question in a concise way.
- Interpret your findings, discuss potential limitations of your own research and speculate about future implications or related opportunities.
For a more detailed overview of chapters and other elements, be sure to check out our article on the structure of a dissertation or download our template .
To help you get started, we’ve created a full thesis or dissertation template in Word or Google Docs format. It’s easy adapt it to your own requirements.
Download Word template Download Google Docs template
It can be easy to fall into a pattern of overusing the same words or sentence constructions, which can make your work monotonous and repetitive for your readers. Consider utilizing some of the alternative constructions presented below.
Example 1: Passive construction
The passive voice is a common choice for outlines and overviews because the context makes it clear who is carrying out the action (e.g., you are conducting the research ). However, overuse of the passive voice can make your text vague and imprecise.
Example 2: IS-AV construction
You can also present your information using the “IS-AV” (inanimate subject with an active verb ) construction.
A chapter is an inanimate object, so it is not capable of taking an action itself (e.g., presenting or discussing). However, the meaning of the sentence is still easily understandable, so the IS-AV construction can be a good way to add variety to your text.
Example 3: The “I” construction
Another option is to use the “I” construction, which is often recommended by style manuals (e.g., APA Style and Chicago style ). However, depending on your field of study, this construction is not always considered professional or academic. Ask your supervisor if you’re not sure.
Example 4: Mix-and-match
To truly make the most of these options, consider mixing and matching the passive voice , IS-AV construction , and “I” construction .This can help the flow of your argument and improve the readability of your text.
As you draft the chapter outline, you may also find yourself frequently repeating the same words, such as “discuss,” “present,” “prove,” or “show.” Consider branching out to add richness and nuance to your writing. Here are some examples of synonyms you can use.
Address | Describe | Imply | Refute |
Argue | Determine | Indicate | Report |
Claim | Emphasize | Mention | Reveal |
Clarify | Examine | Point out | Speculate |
Compare | Explain | Posit | Summarize |
Concern | Formulate | Present | Target |
Counter | Focus on | Propose | Treat |
Define | Give | Provide insight into | Underpin |
Demonstrate | Highlight | Recommend | Use |
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When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .
The title page of your thesis or dissertation goes first, before all other content or lists that you may choose to include.
A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.
- Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)
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Voraussetzung Promotion Mit oder ohne Master: Wer darf promovieren?
Eine Altersbeschränkung für Promotionen besteht nicht © taikrixel / istockphoto.com
In einigen Berufsfeldern ist eine Promotion hilfreich, in anderen sogar Voraussetzung für die weitere Karriere. Doch wer darf promovieren? Und ist ein Master für die Zulassung immer notwendig? Diese Qualifikationen müssen angehende Doktoranden vorweisen, um eine Dissertation zu schreiben.
Veröffentlicht: 06.01.2021
Von: Maike Schade
Artikelinhalt
Notenschnitt und Master? Das sind die Voraussetzungen für eine Promotion
Grundsätzlich darf jeder promovieren, der einen Masterabschluss, ein Diplom, ein Staatsexamen oder einen Magister in der Tasche hat – unter der Voraussetzung, dass eine Promotion im jeweiligen Studienfach überhaupt möglich ist und die Hochschule das Promotionsrecht besitzt. In der Regel schreiben Fakultäten für angehende Doktoranden einen erforderlichen Notenschnitt vor; wie hoch der ist, legt die jeweilige Promotionsordnung fest. Häufig ist mindestens einen Schnitt von 2,5 Voraussetzung, je nach Fach oder Fakultät kann diese Hürde aber auch deutlich höher liegen.
Weitere notwendige Qualifikationen oder Leistungsnachweise schreiben die Universitäten ebenfalls individuell in den Promotionsordnungen vor. Insgesamt gibt es in Deutschland rund 700 Promotionsordnungen. Da diese insbesondere je nach Fachbereich deutliche Unterschiede aufweisen können – beispielsweise, was den Notendurchschnitt, das Bewerbungsverfahren, Sprachnachweise oder auch Eignungsprüfungen angeht –, lassen sich die Voraussetzungen nicht allgemeingültig auflisten. Grundsätzlich benötigen angehende Doktoranden aber:
- ein geeignetes Dissertationsthema , das thematisch an ihr Studium anschließt
- einen Doktorvater oder eine Doktormutter
- die Fähigkeit und den Willen zu tiefgehendem wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten sowie eine gute Praxis darin
Welche speziellen Anforderungen in ihrem Fachbereich vorgeschrieben sind, lesen Interessierte am besten direkt in der Promotionsordnung ihrer Fakultät nach. Ob eine Promotion für Sie generell der richtige Weg ist, finden Sie mithilfe des academics Promotions-Tests heraus.
In Ausnahmefällen ist es auch möglich, fachfremd zu promovieren. Ein Dissertationsvorhaben in einem Fachbereich, der nicht an das zuvor absolvierte Studium anschließt, muss aber vorab vom Promotionsausschuss genehmigt werden. Dieser kann auch zusätzliche Auflagen für die Zulassung beschließen.
Promotion: Aktuelle Jobs und Stellenangebote für Doktoranden
MPI for Solid State Research IMPRS-CMS
TUBS GmbH TU Berlin ScienceMarketing
Universität Bremen / ZeMKI, Zentrum für Medien-, Kommunikations- und Informationsforschung
Doktortitel: Voraussetzungen für FH- oder HAW-Absolventen
Zwar sind Fachhochschulen (FH) und Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) in Deutschland den Universitäten gleichgestellt, ein Promotionsrecht besitzen sie aber nicht. FH- oder HAW-Studenten können mit ihrem Abschluss allerdings an einer Universität zum Promotionsverfahren zugelassen werden. Dafür müssen sie in der Regel spezielle Eignungstests bestehen. Die exakten Voraussetzungen sind auch hier in der jeweiligen Promotionsordnung festgelegt.
Eine weitere Möglichkeit, als Masterabsolvent einer FH oder HAW den Doktortitel zu erlangen, besteht in der kooperativen Promotion. Auch hier benötigt der angehende Doktorand einen Doktorvater oder eine Doktormutter, die an einer Universität mit Promotionsrecht lehren. Der aus dem Studium womöglich schon vertraute Professor der Fachhochschule betreut den Wissenschaftsnachwuchs aber ebenfalls im Verlauf der Promotion und wirkt als Gutachter und Prüfer am Verfahren mit. Mehr Informationen finden Sie im academics-Ratgeber zur Promotion von FH-Absolventen.
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Fast-Track: Promotion ohne Master
In Ausnahmefällen reicht ein Bachelor-Abschluss für den Beginn einer Promotion aus. Möglich macht das ein Beschluss der Kultusministerkonferenz aus dem Jahr 2000, der den Zugang zur Promotion regelt. Dieser besagt, dass besonders qualifizierte Studenten über den „Fast Track“ direkt nach dem Bachelor mit der Promotion beginnen können. Je nach Promotionsordnung wird dabei der Master übersprungen oder parallel zur Promotion abgelegt. Letzteres ist empfehlenswert, damit Studierende im Falle einer abgebrochenen Promotion nicht ohne weiterführenden Studienabschluss dastehen. Ob ein Student für einen solchen Track geeignet ist, wird mit Tests und Vorbereitungskursen überprüft.
Promotion mit ausländischem Abschluss
Es ist auch möglich, mit einem im Ausland erworbenen Universitätsabschluss an einer deutschen Hochschule den Doktor zu machen. Ob Ihr Abschluss anerkannt wird, entscheidet die promotionsführende Hochschule. Eine Datenbank zu diesem Thema finden Sie auf der Webseite der Kultusministerkonferenz: www.anabin.de . Hier können Sie mit wenigen Klicks herausfinden, wie Ihr ausländischer Abschluss in Deutschland gewertet wird.
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Obwohl viele Akademiker mit einer Beeinträchtigung leben, ist die Promotion mit Behinderung noch immer keine Selbstverständlichkeit. Vielfältige Unterstützungsangebote wollen hier Abhilfe schaffen.
Promotion Pädagogik: Doktortitel für die Wissenschaft
Eine wissenschaftliche Laufbahn im pädagogischen Bereich, eigenständige Forschung oder eine Tätigkeit auf Führungsebene – mit einem Doktortitel eröffnen sich Pädagogen zusätzliche Perspektiven. Dennoch sollte eine Promotion gut durchdacht werden.
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Dissertations and theses in the University Digital Conservancy comprise the official, approved version of these works. The dissertations and theses in the Digital Conservancy are submitted through the Graduate School in accordance with University standards . Works contributed to the Conservancy serve as a permanent University of Minnesota record of graduate student scholarship. Electronic submission of dissertations to the Digital Conservancy date from 2007. Master's Plan A theses date from 2009.
Online availability of earlier dissertations and theses include a majority of works completed prior to 1923 as well as works made available by individual alumni. Earlier dissertations and theses may be accessed onsite in paper form, or through interlibrary loan, or through the online Digital Dissertations database. Check the University Libraries catalog for holdings information or contact the University of Minnesota Archives for these earlier works. For more information, please see the FAQ on Master's Theses and Dissertations .
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Dissertations and Theses
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Congratulations on being close to the finish line with your dissertation or thesis.
After you’ve applied to graduate and enrolled, dissertations and theses may be submitted online through the Dissertation & Thesis Center in Axess.
Once you finish submitting your dissertation or thesis in Axess, and it has been approved by the university, the submission is considered final and no further changes are permitted.
The electronic submission process is free of charge and allows you the ability to check your pre-submission requirements and when ready, upload a digital copy of your dissertation or thesis.
You can learn more about the center on the How to Use the Dissertation & Thesis Center webpage.
- FAQs: Dissertation & Theses
- How to Submit Your Signature Page
- How to Use the Dissertation & Thesis Center
- How to Request to Use Copyrighted Material
Note: The online submission process is not available for master's theses or undergraduate honors theses. Please consult with your department directly regarding submission procedures.
Follow these guides to ensure you meet all the requirements for submitting your dissertation or thesis.
- Prepare Your Work for Submission
- Submit Your Dissertation or Thesis
- Steps After Submission
Submission Deadlines for Conferral
You must apply to graduate and enroll before you can access the Dissertation & Thesis Center in Axess.
The Dissertation & Thesis Center opens to submissions on the first day of instruction each quarter for which the student has applied to graduate.
The quarterly deadlines are set as late in the quarter as possible, providing the time necessary for review of the dissertation or thesis, including review of final degree requirements by the Registrar's Office and the departments.
You are strongly encouraged to submit your work at least two weeks prior to the deadline to ensure that all requirements can be met in time for the conferral of your degree.
Once you finish submitting your dissertation or thesis in Axess, and it has been approved by the university, the submission is considered final and no further changes are permitted.
After the final reader approves the dissertation, it typically takes about seven (7) business days for the university to process the submission.
Deadlines by Quarter
Deadline | Autumn 2023-24 | Winter 2023-24 | Spring 2023-24 | Summer 2023-24 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dissertation / Thesis Submission Deadline | Friday, December 8, noon | Friday, March 15, noon | Friday, June 7, noon | Friday, August 30, noon |
Application to Graduate Deadline | Friday, November 17, 5 p.m. | Friday, March 1, 5 p.m. | Friday, April 12, 5 p.m. | Friday, August 2, 5 p.m. |
Degree Conferral Date | Thursday, January 11 | Thursday, April 4 | Sunday, June 16 | Thursday, September 12 |
Dissertation deadlines are strictly enforced. No exceptions are made. By noon on the final submission deadline date, all of the following steps must be completed:
- The student enrolls and applies to graduate;
- The student confirms the names of reading committee members in Axess, and designates a Final Reader;
- The student submits reading committee signatures;
- The student completes the necessary University Milestones;
- The student’s candidacy is valid through degree conferral;
- The student submits the final dissertation or thesis in Axess;
- The designated Final Reader certifies the final draft of the dissertation or thesis submitted in Axess.
For help, contact the Student Services Center .
For faculty and staff information on Dissertations, visit Inside Student Services.
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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > Philosophy > Theses and Dissertations
Philosophy Theses and Dissertations
Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.
On the Possibility of Secular Morality , Zachary R. Alonso
An Ecofeminist Ontological Turn: Preparing the Field for a New Ecofeminist Project , M. Laurel-Leigh Meierdiercks
Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023
Karl Marx on Human Flourishing and Proletarian Ethics , Sam Badger
The Ontological Grounds of Reason: Psychologism, Logicism, and Hermeneutic Phenomenology , Stanford L. Howdyshell
Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022
Interdisciplinary Communication by Plausible Analogies: the Case of Buddhism and Artificial Intelligence , Michael Cooper
Heidegger and the Origin of Authenticity , John J. Preston
Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021
Hegel and Schelling: The Emptiness of Emptiness and the Love of the Divine , Sean B. Gleason
Nietzsche on Criminality , Laura N. McAllister
Learning to be Human: Ren 仁, Modernity, and the Philosophers of China's Hundred Days' Reform , Lucien Mathot Monson
Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence: Methods, Archives, History, and Genesis , William A. B. Parkhurst
Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020
Orders of Normativity: Nietzsche, Science and Agency , Shane C. Callahan
Humanistic Climate Philosophy: Erich Fromm Revisited , Nicholas Dovellos
This, or Something like It: Socrates and the Problem of Authority , Simon Dutton
Climate Change and Liberation in Latin America , Ernesto O. Hernández
Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa as Expressions of Shame in a Post-Feminist , Emily Kearns
Nostalgia and (In)authentic Community: A Bataillean Answer to the Heidegger Controversy , Patrick Miller
Cultivating Virtue: A Thomistic Perspective on the Relationship Between Moral Motivation and Skill , Ashley Potts
Identity, Breakdown, and the Production of Knowledge: Intersectionality, Phenomenology, and the Project of Post-Marxist Standpoint Theory , Zachary James Purdue
Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019
The Efficacy of Comedy , Mark Anthony Castricone
William of Ockham's Divine Command Theory , Matthew Dee
Heidegger's Will to Power and the Problem of Nietzsche's Nihilism , Megan Flocken
Abelard's Affective Intentionalism , Lillian M. King
Anton Wilhelm Amo's Philosophy and Reception: from the Origins through the Encyclopédie , Dwight Kenneth Lewis Jr.
"The Thought that we Hate": Regulating Race-Related Speech on College Campuses , Michael McGowan
A Historical Approach to Understanding Explanatory Proofs Based on Mathematical Practices , Erika Oshiro
From Meaningful Work to Good Work: Reexamining the Moral Foundation of the Calling Orientation , Garrett W. Potts
Reasoning of the Highest Leibniz and the Moral Quality of Reason , Ryan Quandt
Fear, Death, and Being-a-problem: Understanding and Critiquing Racial Discourse with Heidegger’s Being and Time , Jesús H. Ramírez
The Role of Skepticism in Early Modern Philosophy: A Critique of Popkin's "Sceptical Crisis" and a Study of Descartes and Hume , Raman Sachdev
How the Heart Became Muscle: From René Descartes to Nicholas Steno , Alex Benjamin Shillito
Autonomy, Suffering, and the Practice of Medicine: A Relational Approach , Michael A. Stanfield
The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics , Zachary T. Vereb
Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018
Augustine's Confessiones : The Battle between Two Conversions , Robert Hunter Craig
The Strategic Naturalism of Sandra Harding's Feminist Standpoint Epistemology: A Path Toward Epistemic Progress , Dahlia Guzman
Hume on the Doctrine of Infinite Divisibility: A Matter of Clarity and Absurdity , Wilson H. Underkuffler
Climate Change: Aristotelian Virtue Theory, the Aidōs Response and Proper Primility , John W. Voelpel
The Fate of Kantian Freedom: the Kant-Reinhold Controversy , John Walsh
Time, Tense, and Ontology: Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Tense, the Phenomenology of Temporality, and the Ontology of Time , Justin Brandt Wisniewski
Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017
A Phenomenological Approach to Clinical Empathy: Rethinking Empathy Within its Intersubjective and Affective Contexts , Carter Hardy
From Object to Other: Models of Sociality after Idealism in Gadamer, Levinas, Rosenzweig, and Bonhoeffer , Christopher J. King
Humanitarian Military Intervention: A Failed Paradigm , Faruk Rahmanovic
Active Suffering: An Examination of Spinoza's Approach to Tristita , Kathleen Ketring Schenk
Cartesian Method and Experiment , Aaron Spink
An Examination of John Burton’s Method of Conflict Resolution and Its Applicability to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , John Kenneth Steinmeyer
Speaking of the Self: Theorizing the Dialogical Dimensions of Ethical Agency , Bradley S. Warfield
Changing Changelessness: On the Genesis and Development of the Doctrine of Divine Immutability in the Ancient and Hellenic Period , Milton Wilcox
Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016
The Statue that Houses the Temple: A Phenomenological Investigation of Western Embodiment Towards the Making of Heidegger's Missing Connection with the Greeks , Michael Arvanitopoulos
An Exploratory Analysis of Media Reporting of Police Involved Shootings in Florida , John L. Brown
Divine Temporality: Bonhoeffer's Theological Appropriation of Heidegger's Existential Analytic of Dasein , Nicholas Byle
Stoicism in Descartes, Pascal, and Spinoza: Examining Neostoicism’s Influence in the Seventeenth Century , Daniel Collette
Phenomenology and the Crisis of Contemporary Psychiatry: Contingency, Naturalism, and Classification , Anthony Vincent Fernandez
A Critique of Charitable Consciousness , Chioke Ianson
writing/trauma , Natasha Noel Liebig
Leibniz's More Fundamental Ontology: from Overshadowed Individuals to Metaphysical Atoms , Marin Lucio Mare
Violence and Disagreement: From the Commonsense View to Political Kinds of Violence and Violent Nonviolence , Gregory Richard Mccreery
Kant's Just War Theory , Steven Charles Starke
A Feminist Contestation of Ableist Assumptions: Implications for Biomedical Ethics, Disability Theory, and Phenomenology , Christine Marie Wieseler
Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015
Heidegger and the Problem of Modern Moral Philosophy , Megan Emily Altman
The Encultured Mind: From Cognitive Science to Social Epistemology , David Alexander Eck
Weakness of Will: An Inquiry on Value , Michael Funke
Cogs in a Cosmic Machine: A Defense of Free Will Skepticism and its Ethical Implications , Sacha Greer
Thinking Nature, "Pierre Maupertuis and the Charge of Error Against Fermat and Leibniz" , Richard Samuel Lamborn
John Duns Scotus’s Metaphysics of Goodness: Adventures in 13th-Century Metaethics , Jeffrey W. Steele
A Gadamerian Analysis of Roman Catholic Hermeneutics: A Diachronic Analysis of Interpretations of Romans 1:17-2:17 , Steven Floyd Surrency
A Natural Case for Realism: Processes, Structures, and Laws , Andrew Michael Winters
Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014
Leibniz's Theodicies , Joseph Michael Anderson
Aeschynē in Aristotle's Conception of Human Nature , Melissa Marie Coakley
Ressentiment, Violence, and Colonialism , Jose A. Haro
It's About Time: Dynamics of Inflationary Cosmology as the Source of the Asymmetry of Time , Emre Keskin
Time Wounds All Heels: Human Nature and the Rationality of Just Behavior , Timothy Glenn Slattery
Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013
Nietzsche and Heidegger on the Cartesian Atomism of Thought , Steven Burgess
Embodying Social Practice: Dynamically Co-Constituting Social Agency , Brian W. Dunst
Subject of Conscience: On the Relation between Freedom and Discrimination in the Thought of Heidegger, Foucault, and Butler , Aret Karademir
Climate, Neo-Spinozism, and the Ecological Worldview , Nancy M. Kettle
Eschatology in a Secular Age: An Examination of the Use of Eschatology in the Philosophies of Heidegger, Berdyaev and Blumenberg , John R. Lup, Jr.
Navigation and Immersion of the American Identity in a Foreign Culture to Emergence as a Culturally Relative Ambassador , Lee H. Rosen
Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012
A Philosophical Analysis of Intellectual Property: In Defense of Instrumentalism , Michael A. Kanning
A Commentary On Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's Discourse on Metaphysics #19 , Richard Lamborn Samuel Lamborn
Sellars in Context: An Analysis of Wilfrid Sellars's Early Works , Peter Jackson Olen
The New Materialism: Althusser, Badiou, and Zizek , Geoffrey Dennis Pfeifer
Structure and Agency: An Analysis of the Impact of Structure on Group Agents , Elizabeth Kaye Victor
Moral Friction, Moral Phenomenology, and the Improviser , Benjamin Scott Young
Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011
The Virtuoso Human: A Virtue Ethics Model Based on Care , Frederick Joseph Bennett
The Existential Compromise in the History of the Philosophy of Death , Adam Buben
Philosophical Precursors to the Radical Enlightenment: Vignettes on the Struggle Between Philosophy and Theology From the Greeks to Leibniz With Special Emphasis on Spinoza , Anthony John Desantis
The Problem of Evil in Augustine's Confessions , Edward Matusek
The Persistence of Casuistry: a Neo-premodernist Approach to Moral Reasoning , Richard Arthur Mercadante
Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010
Dewey's Pragmatism and the Great Community , Philip Schuyler Bishop
Unamuno's Concept of the Tragic , Ernesto O. Hernandez
Rethinking Ethical Naturalism: The Implications of Developmental Systems Theory , Jared J.. Kinggard
From Husserl and the Neo-Kantians to Art: Heidegger's Realist Historicist Answer to the Problem of the Origin of Meaning , William H. Koch
Queering Cognition: Extended Minds and Sociotechnologically Hybridized Gender , Michele Merritt
Hydric Life: A Nietzschean Reading of Postcolonial Communication , Elena F. Ruiz-Aho
Descartes' Bête Machine, the Leibnizian Correction and Religious Influence , John Voelpel
Aretē and Physics: The Lesson of Plato's Timaeus , John R. Wolfe
Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009
Praxis and Theōria : Heidegger’s “Violent” Interpretation , Megan E. Altman
On the Concept of Evil: An Analysis of Genocide and State Sovereignty , Jason J. Campbell
The Role of Trust in Judgment , Christophe Sage Hudspeth
Truth And Judgment , Jeremy J. Kelly
The concept of action and responsibility in Heidegger's early thought , Christian Hans Pedersen
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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:
Section | Description |
Title page | The opening page includes all relevant information about the project. |
Abstract | A brief project summary including background, methodology and findings. |
Contents | A list of chapters and figures from your project. |
Chapter 1 – Background | A description of the rationale behind your project. |
Chapter 2 – Literature Review | A summary and evaluation of the literature supporting your project. |
Chapter 3 – Methodology | A description of the specific methodology used in your project. |
Chapter 4-6 – Data analysis and Findings | An overview of the key findings and data from your research. |
Chapter 7 - Discussion and Evaluation | A description of what the data means and what you can draw from the findings. |
Chapter 8 - Conclusion | Main summary of your overall project and key findings. |
Bibliography | A list of the references cited in your dissertation or thesis. |
Appendices | Additional materials used in your research. |
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
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
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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PhD Without Dissertation or Thesis
Featured Expert: Dr. Gurmeet Lall, PhD
Final doctoral projects can be intimidating or time-consuming, which is why many students look for a PhD without dissertation. What they soon discover while learning how to find a PhD topic is that the Doctor of Philosophy degree itself is heavily tied to research capabilities and publishing scholarship. As a result, it is very difficult to find PhD programs specifically that have no dissertation requirement. However, other doctoral degrees in various fields do exist and can be granted from programs without a traditional dissertation or thesis defense process.
This article lists the kinds of doctorate-level programs that do not have traditional dissertation requirements necessary for completion. We also cover what are the reasons a doctorate program without dissertation may or may not be beneficial for students, and how grad school application help can be used to make the decision.
Disclaimer: Please note: although we have made every effort to provide the most accurate information, admissions information changes frequently. Therefore, we encourage you to verify these details with the official university admissions office. You are responsible for your own results. BeMo does not endorse nor affiliate with any official universities, colleges, or test administrators and vice versa.
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Article Contents 9 min read
Examples of doctorate programs without dissertation.
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. These examples are simply meant to highlight the various types of doctorate programs that are available and how they address the lack of a traditional dissertation to complete their program.
1. Education & Leadership in Healthcare Online Doctorate at Nebraska Methodist College
This virtual option from Nebraska Methodist College does not require any formal dissertation nor the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Instead, students in this full-time 24-month (or 36-month, part-time) program must complete a Doctoral Capstone Project. The final submission is a translational research project that explores a question within a field relevant to the program that is meant to align with your career goals.
2. EdD Program in Educational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University
This on-campus program in Fort Lauderdale, Florida offers two Capstone options for completing your education. One is an applied dissertation and the other is a Strategic Research Project (SRP). Both options are meant to prepare graduates for educational leadership. Career paths after this degree include school superintendent, professor of education, and education consulting, among others.
3. Online Doctor of Business Administration at Liberty University
In this 100% online program, students can choose from various specialized paths to further their education of management in the corporate world. Through mentorship from respected business professionals, you will learn the skills to advance your career. No dissertation is required for completion of this DBA program.
4. Transitional Doctorate in Physical Therapy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine
At one of the top medical schools in North Carolina , this transitional DPT program with web-based instruction is for licensed physical therapists who wish to continue practicing while pursuing this degree. It is only offered on a part-time schedule over 2 years and requires the completion of 27 credits of approved coursework. There is no final or dissertation project.
As you see from the list above, it is very uncommon for a PhD program to not have a dissertation or thesis at the end of it. Programs labelled with the Doctor of Philosophy moniker tend to be based in research, which lend themselves to the student completing a final cumulative research project such as a dissertation. When you answer, “Why do you want to a PhD?” , your answer will typically involve specific research interests you wish to pursue. If you want to pursue a PhD but do not want to complete a dissertation, you may want to explore other viable education options. PhDs and research are inherently linked, so it is difficult to find PhD programs specifically that do not require any form of dissertation.
Instead, what you will likely find is that there are various other degrees, such as a Doctor of Education, that do not require a formal dissertation. In these cases, a traditional thesis is replaced by another form of cumulative project or work experience. In some cases, there could be no final project at all. These are still not common but are more likely to appear in your search results. Deciding what path you would like to pursue will come once you figure out your plans for how to find a job after grad school . The eventual career you are aiming for may impact your ultimate decision to enroll in a doctorate program without a dissertation to complete. Here are some of the pros and cons of these rare kinds of programs:
- No Thesis Responsibility. One of the main pros of a doctorate degree without dissertation is that you will not have to learn how to prepare for a thesis defense . While some other capstone project or culminating experience may be required, you may not necessarily need to defend your research in front of professors or other faculty. Preparing for a thesis defense can be one of the most nerve-wracking parts of your PhD. After having done all the research over the last year or so and written a document that could be hundreds of pages long, justifying your work puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders. Having no dissertation at all will waive this requirement and prevent you from having to review any thesis defense questions .
- No Limitations. Doctoral programs without a dissertation can also be more flexible in nature. They could be delivered online, for instance, so you do not need to be living in the same city as your university to successfully complete your degree. That is a huge advantage for those who are employed or cannot afford the travel expenses. It allows higher education degrees to become more accessible overall. Depending on the requirements of the program and the department offering it, these types of programs can become some of the easiest PhD programs to get into due to their open access.
- No Wasted Time. These types of degrees may also take less time to complete since there is no long dissertation to complete beforehand. You will need to spend less time finding thesis writing services , working on the project with your supervisor, and can focus on coursework or other commitments instead. It is no secret that graduate students have a lot on their plate. Working on a dissertation can make a PhD a very singular and lonely experience, so having the option to opt out of it may be very beneficial for the education and well-being of many students.
- No Unnecessary Research. If you are planning to figure out how to transition from academia to industry , a doctorate degree without dissertation may be worth it for you. The research required for lends itself to academic jobs, meaning that jobs in industry are less likely to see as much value in a complex research project. When a career in industry is of interest to you, you may to consider alternative doctoral programs that better suit your interests. Whatever field you are interested in, getting professional experience at the end of a PhD may be more beneficial to you than a dissertation will.
- Career Preparation. Those that wish to learn how to find a job in academia know that it can be competitive and difficult, even if you have a doctorate degree. It is never guaranteed that you will find a stable position at a college or university after graduation. Getting a role with tenure or finding the right amount of teaching experience is not the simplest of tasks, which can lead to a lot of uncertainty and doubt in PhD students. Resolving those worries starts with getting as much research possible. Being aware of how to publish as a graduate student is key, but your dissertation is also a great way to indicate that you have what it takes to succeed in a career in academia from a research perspective. If you need to find a postdoc position or hope to continue working as a professor, completing a dissertation during your PhD will be a step in the right direction.
- Skill Recognition. A program without a dissertation may not be the best representation of your skills or abilities. They are often very specific or only benefit a particular subset of students/professionals already working in the field. In contrast, PhD programs with a dissertation can lend themselves more to what you are good at if you are a talented writer and researcher or do not meet the criteria for a more specified program. If this is the case, traditional research programs might be more appealing to you. An internship or another type of project may not be the most ideal reflection of how you can contribute to a future career. Therefore, a doctorate degree without a dissertation may be too much of a jump away from your goals.
- Negative Reputation. Due to a doctorate degree with no dissertation being a more modern concept, it may also be seen as of lower value than a traditional research PhDs in a variety of industries as well as academic settings. As these programs are more likely to be fully online, this may give them a bad rap as well. Changes to the traditional format of academic study may require additional explanation to employers and could result in lower job prospects. As always, this will certainly depend on what field you are entering, but not completing a dissertation can potentially sour your CV in the eyes of those who are hiring.
- Restrictive Matriculation. As much as graduate programs without a dissertation may be flexible, they are also restrictive in other ways. While online programs can be extremely convenient for some students, others simply do not learn the best in that environment. Virtual delivery of courses can be one of the best graduate school recruitment strategies , but can also alienate other types of students and deter them from applying. The majority of these doctorate programs are completely online or require you to already be a working professional, which might not be the case for some of those.
Conclusion
The higher education landscape is ever-changing. What is necessary to access the highest level of learning possible constantly shifts as the years go by. With online programs, you have more options than ever before when considering the ways to achieve a valuable education that will lead to a fulfilling career. When evaluating should you pursue a master’s or a PhD , really get down to the reason why you are completing a graduate degree. Search different universities and programs to see what is out there for you. An informed decision is always the smartest one, so it is important to become very familiar with the choices available early on.
Speaking with PhD consultants can also be helpful for your applications or for determining what is the right program that will serve you best based on your individual goals. Depending on your discipline and interests, a dissertation (or a graduate program, in general) may not always be necessary to achieve your dream. Ideally, you will want your eventual program to match with your grad school career goals statement and get you the best shot at securing your future plans. It is up to you with regards to how you get there.
PhD programs in particular are meant to prove your suitability for the field you are pursuing. With the degree, you are expected to be a working academic with the expectation of contributing to current scholarship in some way. This means that you have to be able to present forward-thinking research and fill gaps in contemporary publications. The dissertation or thesis is a culmination of your graduate school research displayed in one final project that you must defend.
While you may have another form of final project, not having to write a long dissertation or prepare for a thesis defense will be a plus for a lot of applicants. They can also be fully delivered online and be more accessible to students living in another place. These types of programs seem to suit more industry jobs rather than other careers in academia, which may be appealing to applicants who wish to transition to industry.
The programs that do not require a dissertation may be seen as less valuable than ones that do, depending on the discipline. The online format most of the programs entail may be a benefit for others, but a detriment to others. A doctorate degree can also be not as useful for students who wish to continue working in academic settings, where research experience is crucial.
Some of the most common doctoral degrees you will find that do not require a PhD are Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and other doctorates related to public health domains.
Many programs will still have a final submission or capstone project as part of their curriculum that does not need the same amount of research effort as a formal dissertation. They may also need to complete for some of field experience that illustrates their capabilities for working within the discipline chosen. For instance,
Most of the time, you do not need a master’s or PhD to apply to medical school . If you meet the other academic requirements such as high MCAT and GPA scores, a graduate degree will not necessarily boost your chances. If you were to complete a master’s or doctorate-level degree, you will likely need to have research experience regardless, so choosing a program with a thesis or dissertation will probably be more beneficial to you in the long run.
Academic positions are more focused on teaching and research in a higher education setting. They could be listed as on the tenure-track, which leads to permanent employment, or the non-tenure-track, which does not guarantee permanent employment. Industry jobs tend to work outside of universities and are based within enterprises and other for-profit companies. Many PhDs and other doctoral-level graduates can work in either the academic or industry setting, depending on their interests or job prospects in the field.
Seeking professional help from a grad school admissions consultant can improve all aspects of your application. They are typically trained experts who are very knowledgeable about competitive academic programs at the graduate level. They can assist with writing or editing graduate school statement of purpose , conduct interview simulations, situational judgment test preparation, and more. If you are struggling with deciding between a dissertation and non-dissertation doctoral programs, consultants can point you in the right direction that aligns with your goals.
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- Locating and Borrowing Dissertations and Theses Written at Catholic University
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Locating Dissertations and Theses written at Catholic University
- Locations and call numbers for dissertations and masters theses can be found in SearchBox .
- Dissertations & Theses @ Catholic University of America Cites all Catholic University dissertations included in ProQuest Dissertations + Theses Global . Full text availability begins in 1961 although dissertations from the early years may not be covered. For information about these dissertations please contact the Information Desk at the Catholic University of America (202-319-5070).
- Many dissertations dated after 2009 may also be found in our institutional repository in Digital Collections .
Borrowing Dissertations and Theses Written at Catholic University
Borrowing / Purchasing a Digital Copy
- Dissertations and theses circulate to Catholic University borrowers with valid, updated library privileges, including students from other Washington Research Libraries Consortium (WRLC) schools.
- Dissertations and theses dated before 1962 may be requested through interlibrary loan by persons not affiliated with Catholic University or WRLC. Contact your local public, academic, or business library to submit an interlibrary loan request.
If a copy is unavailable for loan from the general collections and the customer would like to purchase a copy of the thesis or dissertation, the following reproduction fees apply
- Electronic copy (pdf of printed thesis or dissertation)
$10.00 per item: 1-50 scans $15.00 per item: 51-150 scans $20.00 per item: 151-250 scans $25.00 per item: 251-350 scans $30.00 per item: 351 or more scans
- Unbound print or electronic copy (pdf) from microfilm: $75.00
IFLA vouchers are accepted for international requests and will be quoted upon request.
- We do not copy or lend Catholic University dissertations dated after 1962, because these dissertations are available for purchase through ProQuest Dissertation Express .
How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation
Cite a dissertation or thesis published in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global database:
Last name, F. N. (Year). Title (Doctoral dissertation or Master's Thesis).
Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global database. (UMI No. xxxxxx)
Author Last Name, First Name. Title. MA Thesis or Diss. School, Year.
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Web. day Month year of access.
Author Last Name, First Name. "Title." MA thesis or diss., School, Year.
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. (UMI No. xxxxxx)
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- Last Updated: Jun 27, 2024 11:25 AM
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Dissertations and Theses
The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. By researching and writing a dissertation, the student is expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar.
A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation, and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.
Document Preparation
PhD and master’s students are responsible for meeting all requirements for preparing theses and dissertations. They are expected to confer with their advisors about disciplinary and program expectations and to follow Graduate School procedure requirements.
The Graduate School’s format review is in place to help the document submission process go smoothly for the student. Format reviews for PhD dissertations and master’s theses can be done remotely or in-person. The format review is required at or before the two-week notice of the final defense.
Access and Distribution
Ohio State has agreements with two organizations— OhioLINK and ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing —that store and provide access to Ohio State theses and dissertations.
Examinations
Graduate degree examinations are a major milestone in all graduate students’ pursuit of their graduate degree. Much hinges on the successful completion of these examinations, including the ability to continue in a graduate program.
The rules and processes set by the Graduate School ensure the integrity of these examinations for graduate students, the graduate faculty, and for Ohio State.
Final Semester
During your final semester as a graduate student there are many activities that lead up to commencement and receiving your degree. Complete the final semester checklist and learn more about commencement activities.
Graduation Calendar
Select your expected graduation term below to see specific dates concerning when to apply for graduation, complete your examinations and reports, submit approved thesis and dissertation, commencement, and the end-of semester deadline.
Applications to Graduate Due 1 : September 6, 2024
Examinations and Reports completed by 2 : November 22, 2024
Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3 : November 27, 2024
Commencement 4 : December 15, 2024
End of Semester Deadline 5 : January 3, 2025
Applications to Graduate Due 1 : January 24, 2025
Examinations and Reports completed by 2 : April 11, 2025
Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3 : April 18, 2025
Commencement 4 : May 4, 2025
End of Semester Deadline 5 : May 5, 2025
Applications to Graduate Due 1 : May 23, 2025
Examinations and Reports completed by 2 : July 11, 2025
Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3 : July 18, 2025
Commencement 4 : August 3, 2025
End of Semester Deadline 5 : August 25, 2025
Applications to Graduate Due 1 : September 12, 2025
Examinations and Reports completed by 2 : November 26, 2025
Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3 : December 5, 2025
Commencement 4 : December 21, 2024
End of Semester Deadline 5 : January 9, 2025
1 Applications to graduate include current semester or End-of-Semester deadline. Applications must be received by close of business.
2 Format reviews may occur electronically or in person at the Graduate School during announced business hours. Both options require submitting a digital version of the dissertation or DMA document draft in a PDF format to [email protected] .
3 Approved documents must be submitted via OhioLINK and accepted by the Graduate School by the close of business before the Report on Final Document will be processed.
4 Students not attending commencement must complete the commencement section on the Application to Graduate to indicate how their diploma should be disbursed.
5 A degree applicant who does not meet published graduation deadlines but who does complete all degree requirements by the last business day prior to the first day of classes for the following semester or summer term will graduate the following semester or summer term without registering or paying fees
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- Researching and Writing a Masters Dissertation
Written by Mark Bennett
All Masters programmes include some form of extended individual project. Research-focussed programmes, such as an MRes , may include multiple independent research components. Taught courses usually culminate with a substantial research task, referred to as the Masters dissertation or thesis.
This article talks about how long a Masters dissertation is and the structure it follows.Before you get started on your dissertation, you'll usually need to write a proposal. Read our full guide to Masters dissertation proposals for more information on what this should include!
Length | 15,000 - 20,000 words |
Structure | Abstract (300 words) Introduction (1,000 words) Literature review (1,000 words) Research methodology (1,500 words) Results Discussion (12,000 words) Conclusion (1,500 words) References/Bibliography Appendices |
Supervision | Yes, you’ll be paired with an academic from your own university |
Assessment | External examiner along with additional members of faculty. There is not usually a viva at Masters level. |
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What’s the difference between a masters dissertation and an undergraduate dissertation.
The Masters thesis is a bridge between undergraduate study and higher level postgraduate degrees such as the PhD .
A postgraduate dissertation may not look that different to its undergraduate equivalent. You’ll likely have to produce a longer piece of work but the foundations remain the same.
After all, one of the purposes of an undergraduate dissertation or final year project is to prepare you for more in-depth research work as a postgraduate. That said, there are some important differences between the two levels.
So, how long is a Masters dissertation? A Masters dissertation will be longer than the undergraduate equivalent – usually it’ll be somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 words, but this can vary widely between courses, institutions and countries.
To answer your overall research question comprehensively, you’ll be expected to identify and examine specific areas of your topic. This can be like producing a series of shorter pieces of work, similar to those required by individual modules. However, there’s the additional requirement that they collectively support a broader set of conclusions.
This more involved Masters dissertation structure will:
- Give you the scope to investigate your subject in greater detail than is possible at undergraduate level
- Challenge you to be effective at organising your work so that its individual components function as stages in a coherent and persuasive overall argument
- Allow you to develop and hone a suitable research methodology (for example, choosing between qualitative and quantitative methods)
If the individual topics within your overall project require you to access separate sources or datasets, this may also have an impact on your research process.
As a postgraduate, you’ll be expected to establish and assert your own critical voice as a member of the academic community associated with your field .
During your Masters thesis you’ll need to show that you are not just capable of analysing and critiquing original data or primary source material. You should also demonstrate awareness of the existing body of scholarship relating to your topic .
So, if you’ll excuse the pun, a ‘Masters’ degree really is about achieving ‘mastery’ of your particular specialism and the dissertation is where you’ll demonstrate this: showing off the scholarly expertise and research skills that you’ve developed across your programme.
What’s the difference between a dissertation and a thesis?
A dissertation is a long piece of (usually) written work on the same topic. A thesis is a little more specific: it usually means something that presents an original argument based on the interpretation of data, statistics or content.
So, a thesis is almost always presented as a dissertation, but not all dissertations present a thesis.
Masters dissertation structure
As you can probably imagine, no two dissertations follow the exact same structure, especially given the differences found between Masters programmes from university to university and country to country .
That said, there are several key components that make up the structure of a typical Masters dissertation
How long is a Masters dissertation?
Most dissertations will typically be between 15,000 and 20,000 words long, although this can vary significantly depending on the nature of the programme.
You should also check with your university exactly which sections of the dissertation count towards the final word count (the abstract, bibliography and appendices won’t usually be included in the total).
Usually around 300 words long, the abstract is meant to be a concise summary of your dissertation. It should briefly cover the question(s) you aim to answer, your primary argument and your conclusion.
Introduction
The purpose of the introduction is to provide context for the rest of the dissertation, setting out your aims and the scope of what you want to achieve with your research. The introduction should give a clear overview of the dissertation’s chapters and will usually be around 1,000 words long.
Literature review
This part of the dissertation should examine the scholarship that has already been published in your field, presenting various arguments and counter-arguments while situating your own research within this wider body of work.
You should analyse and evaluate other publications and explain how your dissertation will contribute to the existing literature in your subject area. The literature review sometimes forms part of the introduction or follows immediately on from it. Most literature reviews are up to 1,000 words long.
Research methodology
Not all dissertations will require a section covering research methodology (Arts and Humanities dissertations won’t normally undertake the kind of research that involves a set methodology). However, if you are using a particular method to collect information for your dissertation, you should make sure to explain the rationale behind your choice of methodology. The word count for this part of the dissertation is usually around the 1,500 mark.
Those in the Arts and Humanities will usually outline their theoretical perspectives and approaches as part of the introduction, rather than requiring a detailed explanation of the methodology for their data collection and analysis.
Results / findings
If your research involves some form of survey or experiment, this is where you’ll present the results of your work. Depending on the nature of the study, this might be in the form of graphs, tables or charts – or even just a written description of what the research entailed and what the findings were.
This section forms the bulk of your dissertation and should be carefully structured using a series of related chapters (and sub-chapters). There should be a logical progression from one chapter to the next, with each part building on the arguments of its predecessor.
It can be helpful to think of your Masters dissertation as a series of closely interlinked essays, rather than one overwhelming paper. The size of this section will depend on the overall word count for your dissertation. However, to give you a rough idea for a 15,000-word dissertation, the discussion part will generally be about 12,000 words long.
Here you should draw together the threads of the previous discussion chapters and make your final concluding statements, drawing on evidence and arguments that you’ve already explored over the course of the dissertation. Explain the significance of your findings and point towards directions that future research could follow. This section of the Masters thesis will be around 1,500 words long.
References / bibliography
While planning and writing your dissertation, you should keep an extensive, organised record of any papers, sources or books you’ve quoted (or referred to). This will be a lot easier than leaving all of it until the end and struggling to work out where a particular quotation is from!
Appendices won’t be necessary in many dissertations, but you may need to include supplementary material to support your argument. This could be interview transcripts or questionnaires. If including such content within the body of the dissertation won’t be feasible – i.e. there wouldn’t be enough space or it would break the flow of your writing – you should consult with your supervisor and consider attaching it in an appendix.
It’s worth bearing in mind that these sections won’t always be discretely labelled in every dissertation. For example, everything up to ‘discussion’ might be covered in introductory chapter (rather than as distinct sections). If you’re unsure about the structure of your Masters dissertation, your supervisor will be able to help you map it out.
How does supervision work for a Masters dissertation?
As a Masters student at the dissertation stage you’ll usually be matched with an academic within your institution who will be tasked with guiding your work. This might be someone who has already taught you, or it may be another scholar whose research interests and expertise align well with what you want to do. You may be able to request a particular supervisor, but taught postgraduates are more likely to be assigned them by their department.
Specific arrangements with your supervisor will vary depending on your institution and subject area. They will usually meet with you at the beginning of the dissertation period to discuss your project and agree a suitable schedule for its undertaking. This timetable will probably set dates for:
- Subsequent discussions and progress checks
- The submission of draft chapters or sections
- Feedback appointments
Though your supervisor is there to help and advise you, it is important to remember that your dissertation is a personal research project with associated expectations of you as an independent scholar.
As a rule of thumb, you can expect your supervisor to read each part of your dissertation once at the draft stage and to offer feedback. Most will not have time to look at lots of subsequent revisions, but may respond favourably to polite requests for exceptions (provided their own workload permits it).
Inundating your supervisor with emails or multiple iterations of draft material is best avoided; they will have their own research to manage (as well as other supervision assignments) and will be able to offer better quality feedback if you stick to an agreed schedule.
How is a Masters dissertation assessed and examined?
On most courses your dissertation will be assessed by an external examiner (as well as additional members of faculty within your university who haven’t been responsible for supervising you), but these will read and critique the work you submit without personally questioning and testing you on it.
Though this examination process is not as challenging as the oral defence or ‘ viva voce ’ required for a PhD thesis, the grading of your Masters dissertation is still a fundamental component of your degree.
On some programmes the result awarded to a student’s dissertation may determine the upper grade-band that can be awarded to their degree.
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Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning Degree Information
The doctoral curriculum integrates analytical methods, research design, a rigorous understanding of urbanization dynamics, and an examination of broader social theories, processes and policies.
Students address complex systems that typically encompass an array of spatial, environmental, social, political, technical, and economic factors. The emphasis is on theory, analysis, and action.
Each student is also expected to demonstrate an understanding of the literature, theory, and research in a specialization area within the larger discipline of urban and regional planning.
Required Courses
Four courses are required of all Ph.D. students: two doctoral-level planning theory courses and a two-course research seminar sequence.
- Advanced Urban Theory (URP 700)
- Epistemology and Reasoning for Planning Research (URP 701)
- Research Design (URP 801)
- Ph.D. Research Seminar (URP 802)
Recent students have engaged in subjects as diverse as:
- The political economy of public transit, inner-city revitalization
- Global city urbanization
- Information technology and cyberspace
- The crisis of modernist urbanism
- Suburbanization in developing countries
- Regional planning institutions
- The effects of environmental contamination on patterns of urban and regional development
- The culture of suburban commuting
- The impact of tourism on historical Mediterranean cities
- The application of complex systems analysis to sustainable development
Pre-Candidacy Requirements
Doctoral students specialize in a wide range of possible topics.
- Planning theory
- Analytic methods
- Research design
- Primary area of specialization
Students meet these requirements through coursework and exams over a two-year period. During this time, a student’s cumulative grade point average may not fall below a B without academic discipline or probation.
Analytic Methods Courses
Students are expected to be skilled in statistics, in at least two analytic research techniques, and reasonably knowledgeable about several others. Students qualify in analytic techniques by completing the following:
Satisfactory performance (B or higher) in two cumulative graduate-level statistics courses.
Students entering with previous statistics experience may wish to enter directly into a second semester statistics course. In the past, students have typically selected one of the following sequences:
- Statistics 402 (Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis), Statistics 403 (Statistics & Data Analysis II)
- Sociology 510 (Statistics); Sociology 610 (Statistical Methods)
- Natural Resources 438 (Natural Resources Biometrics), Natural Resources 538 (Natural Resources Data Analysis)
- Biostatistics 503 (Introductory Biostatistics), Biostatistics 523 (Biostatistical Analysis for Health-Related Fields)
- The sequence in political science
NOTE: Students wishing to study statistics during the spring or summer terms may want to investigate the Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research sponsored by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and/or the Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques conducted by the research staff of the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research. Choice of courses to meet requirements should be discussed with your advisor.
Competence in at least two analytic/research methods satisfied through six credit hours of total coursework.
These are methods used in planning research and should prepare the student for their likely area of dissertation work. The requirement is met through completion of nine credits of course work in two analytic/research methods (in addition to statistics), to be defined by the student in conjunction with his or her advisor. (The two methods may be interrelated.) Depending on the research method and the student’s background, more courses may be needed. Courses in these two areas must be completed with a grade of B or higher in order to fulfill this requirement. Graduate level courses that are audited can count for this requirement, as long as the student completes all the work of the course and the instructor provides a letter indicating the grade the student would have received had he or she been enrolled. All plans for satisfying this requirement are the joint responsibility of the student and his or her advisor.
The methods a student selects should relate to their dissertation area. Below are several analytic/research methods in which students have been examined in recent years. Numerous analytic/research methods are appropriate, and students need not be restricted to choices on the list:
- Anthropological methods
- Case study methods
- Complex systems analysis
- Cost benefit & cost effectiveness analysis
- Decision theory & general risk analysis
- Demographic analysis
- Discrete choice analysis
- Differential equations
- Diffusion models
- Economic & other forecasting models
- Evaluation research
- Graph theory
- Historical analysis
- Institutional analysis
- Interview techniques
- Linear programming and general analysis using linear models
- Network & flow methods
- Population growth models
- Probability, both theoretical & heuristic
- Simulation/gaming & game theory
- Spatial analysis
- Survey research
- Time series
Annual Review of Progress
At the end of each year of study, students are required to complete an Annual Review. The advisor and the Director of Doctoral Studies may make recommendations for any modifications deemed necessary prior to the start of the following academic year. Note: financial support for the subsequent year, if applicable, depends on timely completion of a satisfactory annual review.
Annual Review Steps
By April 15, the student submits:
- A draft annual review form to their advisor, including a concise narrative of and goals for the upcoming summer and academic year.
- An up-to-date CV
The student and advisor meet; the advisor provides comments to the student and, where necessary, recommends changes in the academic plan in the annual review form.
Once the advisor has approved the plan of study for the coming year, they send the Director of Doctoral Studies a short narrative of student progress.
The URP Ph.D. Advisory Committee reviews the materials, and sends a letter to the student, either confirming their good standing in the program or specifying additional requirements to be in good standing.
Comprehensive Exam
The comprehensive exam tests a student’s knowledge of both their primary and secondary areas of specialization. The exam consists of a take-home, written examination followed by an oral exam. The examination normally occurs at the end of the student’s second year, after completion of all relevant coursework.
The Committee
The student convenes an examination committee of three faculty members, choosing faculty who have expertise in the areas of specialization. At least one member of the committee should be a member of the urban and regional planning faculty. The chair or co-chair of the committee must be a regular member of the planning faculty and cannot be an affiliate faculty member. At least one committee member should represent the student’s secondary area of specialization. (If the student has identified a secondary area of specialization that is traditionally housed in another department on campus, then the student is encouraged to select a faculty member from that outside department as their third committee member.) On occasion, examiners from outside the university have served on students’ examining committees. While this practice is generally not encouraged, written requests for an outside examiner by students are treated on an individual basis by the director of doctoral studies.
The Field Statement
The student meets with the committee chair to plan for the exam and agree on expectations prior to the construction of the exam. In consultation with the chair and committee members, the student identifies appropriate readings and prepares a detailed “field statement” that defines the primary and secondary fields, contains a detailed bibliography of readings, organizes the readings into subfields, and outlines a set of major questions for the fields. The field statement is normally designed principally with the chair and is sometimes analogous to a detailed syllabus that one would prepare for a year-long graduate-level course on the selected specializations. The student often writes possible exam questions that he/she feels are appropriate for the area the exam will cover. The questions are not the questions the committee asks the student; their major function is to help the committee and the student to agree on the scope of the exam.
Scheduling the Exam
The exam must be completed by the end of May, at the end of a student’s second year in the program, and is scheduled on the student’s initiative. Prior to the exam, the student should have completed all coursework (including all incompletes). A student may delay the exam for exceptional circumstances with approval of the faculty adviser and the Director of Doctoral Studies. Students must notify the Director of Doctoral Studies of their intent to take the exam, with a date and time, location, and names of committee members at least one month prior to the exam.
The written part of the exam is in the form of a take-home essay. The committee chair typically solicits exam questions from the committee, selects questions to be used, and composes the final examination. The allotted time period to write the exam is determined by the chair, and typically is over three days. The student must submit the exam in the form as directed by the chair (usually as a Word document submitted by email), plus one copy to the program administrator to be placed in the student’s records. The written exam is followed by a two-hour oral exam, generally scheduled to take place within about one week after the written exam. The exam is evaluated on a “Pass/Fail” or “Conditional Pass” basis. If the student does not achieve a passing evaluation, he/she may take the exam one additional time to achieve a “Pass” or “Conditional Pass” status. A “Conditional Pass” indicates that additional requirements must be met, but the exam need not be retaken. Upon completion of the oral portion of the exam, please refer to the Applying for Candidacy section for next steps.
Applying for Candidacy
A student advances to candidacy when all program requirements except the dissertation proposal and dissertation have been satisfied. The normal and expected time to achieve candidacy is two years from the date of first enrollment in the doctoral program. In addition to urban and regional planning program requirements, a student must also meet Rackham Candidacy Requirements . Any incomplete courses that are critical to satisfying requirements must be completed before applying for candidacy.
Once all required coursework and the comprehensive exam are successfully completed, a student applies for Candidacy by sending a request by email to the URP Director of Doctoral Studies, along with a signed Comprehensive Exam Certification Form.
The Director of Doctoral Studies will recommend a doctoral student for candidacy by submitting a recommendation to the Rackham Graduate School. When candidacy is approved, a student is ready to begin work on the dissertation and is eligible for URP 995 candidacy registration.
Sample Schedule
Sample First Year
Fall | |
---|---|
URP 700 or 701 | Advanced Urban Theory (700) or Epistemology and Reasoning for Planning Research (701) (offered fall term in odd number years) |
URP 500 | URP 500 Planning Theory, if did not take during Master’s |
[Statistics I] | |
Elective (methods/specialization) |
Winter | |
---|---|
URP 612 | Directed Study (Literature Review) or Elective |
[Statistics II] | |
2 Electives | |
URP 801 | Research Design |
Sample Second Year
Fall | |
---|---|
URP 700 or 701 | Theory |
URP 612 | Directed Study (Literature Review) or Elective |
Elective |
Winter | |
---|---|
URP 802 | Ph.D. Research Practicum |
3 Electives |
COMMENTS
Was ist eine Fast-Track-Promotion? Im Jahr 2000 beschloss die Kultusministerkonferenz, dass für besonders qualifizierte Bachelor-Absolvent:innen die Promotion auch ohne Master möglich sein sollte. Für den verkürzten Weg zum Doktortitel etablierte sich der Begriff Fast-Track-Promotion, also Promotion im Schnelldurchlauf.
OATD.org provides open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 6,654,285 theses and dissertations.
OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 7,221,548 theses and dissertations. About OATD (our FAQ). Visual OATD.org
Over the last 80 years, ProQuest has built the world's most comprehensive and renowned dissertations program. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT Global), continues to grow its repository of 5 million graduate works each year, thanks to the continued contribution from the world's universities, creating an ever-growing resource of emerging research to fuel innovation and new insights.
Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal. Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter. Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review. Undertake your own research. Present and interpret your findings. Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications.
Yes. There are dozens of online doctorate degrees with no dissertation being offered from accredited universities. The most common doctoral degree programs are the Doctor of Education, Doctor of Business Administration, Doctor of Psychology, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on July 18, 2023. It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation.One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer's block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.
Beginning in 2009 (for degrees awarded in August, 2009) all theses and dissertations completed at Washington University were required to be submitted in electronic form. Print submissions are no longer accepted. Dissertations are submitted directly in electronic form to UMI / Proquest Dissertation Services.
Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Published on June 7, 2022 by Tegan George. Revised on November 21, 2023. A thesis or dissertation outline ... Tegan is an American based in Amsterdam, with master's degrees in political science and education administration. While she is definitely a political scientist at heart, her ...
The cost of an online doctorate depends on the school, program length, and degree. On average, you can expect to spend around $41,000 per year for a Ph.D. program, according to BestColleges research. However, professional doctorates can cost around $58,650 per year. Choosing an online format can help you save money.
Notenschnitt und Master? Das sind die Voraussetzungen für eine Promotion. Grundsätzlich darf jeder promovieren, der einen Masterabschluss, ein Diplom, ein Staatsexamen oder einen Magister in der Tasche hat - unter der Voraussetzung, dass eine Promotion im jeweiligen Studienfach überhaupt möglich ist und die Hochschule das Promotionsrecht ...
Master's Plan A theses date from 2009. Online availability of earlier dissertations and theses include a majority of works completed prior to 1923 as well as works made available by individual alumni. Earlier dissertations and theses may be accessed onsite in paper form, or through interlibrary loan, or through the online Digital Dissertations ...
Dissertations and Theses. Index to doctoral dissertations from 1637 to the present, with abstracts since 1980. A number of master's theses are also indexed, with abstracts since 1988. Many are available for download in pdf format. UCLA has access to all full text dissertations in the database.
Dissertation OverviewThe traditional dissertation is organized into 5 chapters and includes the following elements and pages:Title page (aka cover page) Signature ...
Note: The online submission process is not available for master's theses or undergraduate honors theses. Please consult with your department directly regarding submission procedures. Follow these guides to ensure you meet all the requirements for submitting your dissertation or thesis. Prepare Your Work for Submission; Submit Your Dissertation ...
Theses/Dissertations from 2021. PDF. Hegel and Schelling: The Emptiness of Emptiness and the Love of the Divine, Sean B. Gleason. PDF. Nietzsche on Criminality, Laura N. McAllister. PDF. Learning to be Human: Ren 仁, Modernity, and the Philosophers of China's Hundred Days' Reform, Lucien Mathot Monson. PDF.
By Issue Date Authors Titles Subjects. Search within this community and its collections: Research performed to achieve a formal degree from NDSU. Includes theses, dissertations, master's papers, and videos. The Libraries are currently undertaking a scanning project to include all bound student theses, dissertations, and masters papers.
Writing a masters dissertation or thesis is a sizable task. It takes a considerable amount of research, studying and writing. Usually, students need to write around 10,000 to 15,000 words. 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 ...
In this 100% online program, students can choose from various specialized paths to further their education of management in the corporate world. Through mentorship from respected business professionals, you will learn the skills to advance your career. No dissertation is required for completion of this DBA program. 4.
Cite a dissertation or thesis published in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global database: APA. Last name, F. N. (Year). Title (Doctoral dissertation or Master's Thesis). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global database. (UMI No. xxxxxx) MLA. Author Last Name, First Name. Title. MA Thesis or Diss. School, Year.
The Graduate School's format review is in place to help the document submission process go smoothly for the student. Format reviews for PhD dissertations and master's theses can be done remotely or in-person. The format review is required at or before the two-week notice of the final defense. Dissertation and Thesis Submission.
A Masters dissertation will be longer than the undergraduate equivalent - usually it'll be somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 words, but this can vary widely between courses, institutions and countries. To answer your overall research question comprehensively, you'll be expected to identify and examine specific areas of your topic.
The dissertation is prepared in accordance with the Rackham Graduate School's Doctoral Dissertation Requirements, and as outlined in the URP Ph.D. Program Overview Schedule and Policies document. The student is responsible for several steps: (a) scheduling and reserving rooms for the URP pre-defense hearing (which ordinarily should occur at ...
Source: Georgi Plekhanov, Selected Philosophical Works, Volume 3, Progress Publishers (Moscow, 1976), pp. 188-283; Transcribed: for the Marxist Internet Archive by Paul Flewers.. Soviet Editor's Note: The three letters Materialismus Militans were written between 1908 and 1910. They were prompted by an 'Open Letter to Plekhanov' printed by Aleksandr Bogdanov in the monthly Vestnik Zhizni ...