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Graduate Program

Master’s Thesis FAQ

 

Director of Graduate Studies Robert Rebein answers some frequently asked questions about the thesis writing process.

 

What is a Master’s thesis?

A Master’s thesis is a focused, medium-length (40-80 pages including bibliography and notes) research and writing project that makes a clear and original contribution to an ongoing conversation in a particular field.

 

Who should write a thesis?

Students who have one or more of the following traits typically enjoy thesis writing: a strong and abiding interest in a particular subject or topic; an inclination to do focused, independent work requiring months of concentrated effort with little oversight or instruction; a love of the writing and revision process; a need to pose and seek answers to specific questions; a desire to communicate acquired knowledge to an audience of one’s peers.  Students planning to go on to the PhD often choose to write a thesis, as do those who are committed to finishing their degrees in two years.  In contrast to this is the student who loves the variety and social aspect of coursework but tends to feel lost when asked to work alone on a long and complex project.  Students of this type should make sure they have a strong support group in place before committing to the writing of a thesis.

 

What’s the difference between a Master’s thesis and a doctoral dissertation?

A doctoral dissertation is often defined as "a book-length work of publishable quality."  As such, it is usually divided into chapters and covers a fairly broad area, for example, the entire output of a major author, or works by multiple authors.  A Master’s thesis, by contrast, is much shorter and more narrowly focused than this.  Usually an MA thesis is divided into short (10-20 page) sections rather than longer (25-40 page) chapters.  Rather than focusing on all of the works of a particular author, it might focus on one or two.  Because of this, it is sometimes observed that a successful doctoral dissertation contains the work of three or more MA-length theses.

 

What’s the difference between the thesis and the Non-Thesis Option?

The writing of a thesis requires an in-depth study of a particular question in a single field.  This usually entails initial coursework in the area, additional work in methodology or theory, exploratory research (usually in the form of an L695 independent reading project), focused writing (usually in the form of a W609 independent writing project), and, at the end of the process, four credit hours of L699.  Add it up, and you’re talking about anywhere from 12 to 20 of a total of 36 Masters credits devoted to the thesis.  The Non-Thesis option, by contrast, usually is characterized by breadth, not depth.  Students following the Non-Thesis Option typically devote all 40 credits of the degree to coursework in two or more subject areas.

 

What is the role of the thesis committee, and how does one go about choosing one?

You should think of your thesis committee as your chosen group of expert advisors.  They are the people you go to for advice and guidance on a whole range of issues, from topic selection to initial research to the writing of the thesis proposal to drafting and revision of the thesis proper.  The thesis director should be someone who knows you and your work extremely well.  He or she should know the topic area of your thesis and should be able to advise you on potential pitfalls and promising directions in your initial reading and research.  Typically your thesis director will read all of the early drafts of your thesis and help you to choose the remaining two members of your committee.  These members ought to be knowledgeable in the field but need not have in-depth expertise in your topic area.  They should get along well with you and their fellow committee members.  Despite their expertise and interest in you and your work, however, you should remember that your committee is not responsible for driving your research and writing process.  That’s your job.  It’s your thesis, after all.

 

How long does it take to research and write a thesis?

Full-time students should think of the writing of a thesis as a yearlong project beginning in the spring semester of their first year and ending in the spring or early summer of their second year.  Part-time students typically take a little longer but should remember that the thesis must be finished by the end of their fifth year in the program.

 

What are the steps involved in writing a thesis?

The first step is to choose a topic and a thesis director.  Next is the writing of the thesis proposal, which entails a significant narrowing of the topic and the development of a focused research question or, better yet, a clear statement of your precise position on the topic.  The third step is to write and get feedback on your first chapter and all subsequent chapters (or sections) of the thesis.  The fourth step is to get final feedback on a complete draft of your thesis.  The fifth step is to use this feedback to make final revisions to the thesis.  The final step is to submit the revised thesis in a format acceptable to the graduate school.  Each of these steps is important, and none of them can be rushed or skipped over without problems arising as a result.  A good way to manage these steps is to include several of them as part of the work done in L695 and W609.

 

What are some typical pitfalls to avoid in the thesis planning and writing process?

Here are some big ones: (1) choosing a topic you have no real excitement about, (2) choosing a topic that is too broad and/or ambitious, (3) moving from the proposal stage to the writing stage without a highly refined research question or statement of position on the topic, (4) signing up for L699 too early-before you’ve completed and revised the opening section of the thesis, (5) taking coursework while you’re supposed to be writing your thesis, (6) writing a thesis that presents your research and reading but makes no real argument in the process, (7) reading and taking copious notes on books and articles with no real bearing on your argument, (8) taking too long to write each chapter, and then giving your committee too little time to respond to what you’ve written, (9) not leaving enough time for revision on the basis of committee feedback, (10) procrastination, (11) procrastination, (12) procrastination.

 

What is the thesis proposal, and what makes for a good one?

The thesis proposal is far more than a form you have to fill out before you will be allowed to enroll in L699 Thesis Credits.  It’s more than a statement of your topic and a list of books and articles related to it.  Instead, the proposal is the place where you articulate the argument you will make in your thesis, or at the very least, the focused research question that will guide your work.  In addition to this, the proposal usually contains a literature review, statement of originality, and a section on methodology.  There should be no fuzziness or uncertainty about any of this.  If there is, you aren’t ready to begin work on the thesis proper, and your committee will tell you so.  Thesis proposals often include bibliographies of works related to the research topic, but in general, an annotated bibliography is less important than a clearly articulated statement of the thesis argument.  In other words, don’t let the fact that you have completed an annotated bibliography fool you into believing that you have a workable argument for your thesis.  As a rule, plan to do several drafts of the thesis proposal, and don’t be surprised when your committee asks you for significant revisions before they sign.  If your idea is cloudy or has other problems, the proposal is the place to confront and fix these problems.  The last thing you want to do is to begin writing the thesis when you still have no clear idea of what your argument will be.

 

What are some important milestones along the thesis path?

The most important ones are these: 1) completion and acceptance of a full and effective thesis proposal, 2) completion and revision of the opening section or chapter of the thesis, 3) completion and submission to your committee of a full draft of the thesis, 4) completion and submission of the final, revised version of your thesis.  As a rule, you should have already passed milestones 1 and 2 before you enroll in L699 Thesis Credits.

 

What are some secrets to writing a good thesis?

Choose a topic you love or at least feel strongly about.  That will help you get through the inevitable rough patches you will hit in the process.  Ask yourself, "What am I adding to the existing conversation on this topic?  How much of what I am saying about the topic has never been said before?" Make an appointment with a research librarian and ask this person for tips on how to go about researching your topic.  Meet regularly with two or three other students who are writing theses in order to share drafts and offer encouragement.  Use L695 and W609 to write the first half of the thesis.  Use L699 to finish it.  Make daily progress on your thesis.  Work on it with purpose until you have completed the first draft.  Don’t procrastinate.  Remember to tell the people in your life how much you appreciate their support of your goal of writing a good thesis.  Reassure them that the process of writing a thesis is finite and won’t last forever.  Remind them that you support them in the fulfillment of their dreams as well, and be true to this promise. 

 

Where can I see a sample thesis?

The library has past master’s theses available in digital format.