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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!

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

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

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

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

1. Understand your dissertation or thesis topic

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Structure your dissertation or thesis

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Write up your literature review

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

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

What to include in your literature review

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

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

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

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

4. Write up your research

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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• Preparation of a thesis
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Evaluation of a Written Thesis

Examiners are asked to evaluate the thesis in myThesis, according to the criteria in the respective thesis examiner report for a Master's or Doctoral thesis. For an example of the criteria, please see the forms: see: Master's Examiner report form ; Doctoral Examiner report form (note these forms are now integrated in myThesis).

Examiners provide an overall judgment of 'passed' or ‘not passed’, in addition to a written report. For Master's students, this evaluation determines whether or not the thesis is ready for final submission, even if minor changes are recommended. For Doctoral candidates, this evaluation determines whether or not the candidate is ready to proceed to the oral defence.

If the thesis meets the general criteria for the degree sought, as well as those listed on the examiner's report form it should be evaluated as 'Passed', even if some changes are recommended.

If the overall judgement is 'Passed', examiners are asked to provide:

• A report that includes any recommendations for minor revisions to the thesis (i.e., stylistic or editorial changes that can be completed in three weeks or less).
• For doctoral theses, External Examiners who will not be at the oral defence must also provide a list of questions to be asked of the candidate at the oral defence.

An evaluation of 'Not Passed' should be given if:

• the need for a new study, experimentation, or significant additional research or reformulation.
• the need to address major problems with the presentation of the work. Stylistic or editorial changes are not normally considered to be major revisions, but if the quality of the presentation is so poor that extensive rewriting is required, the thesis should not be passed.
• At least one of the Criteria for the Evaluation of the Thesis (see Master's Examiner report form ; Doctoral Examiner report form ) is judged as unsatisfactory.

Examiners are asked to identify required changes clearly in their reports. The supervisor or another designated person will ensure that the student corrects the thesis and that it appropriately reflects the examiners' suggestions for revisions prior to re-submission of the thesis.

The candidate will normally revise and re-submit the thesis for re-assessment, usually by the same examiner. If/when review of the revised thesis is required, the Thesis Unit will contact the initial examiner to determine their availability. In rare cases, a revised thesis may be sent to a new examiner if the first examiner is not available to re-examine the thesis. For more, please see Thesis examination failures.

If the revised thesis is again ‘not passed’, the student will be withdrawn from the University unless the decision is reversed through an appeal to the Hearing Committee (Bias, Error, or Misrepresentation ).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License . Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, McGill University .

Department and University Information

Graduate and postdoctoral studies.

Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings . In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

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 ...

36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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Thesis & dissertation.

  Understanding Deadlines and Requirements

The final requirement in earning a graduate degree is the completion and defense of the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Understanding the steps and associated deadlines in the thesis/dissertation submission and degree conferral process is necessary to establish a successful plan and realistic timeframe.

2024 Thesis/Dissertation Submission to the Graduate School Deadlines:

• For May 26, 2024 conferral, deadline is May 1.
• For August 31, 2024 conferral, deadline is August 1.
• December 31, 2024 conferral, deadline is December 1.

See our  Planning Timeline  for more detailed information.

  Writing Your Thesis/Dissertation

The Graduate School offers several writing resources to help you get started, meet your goals, and complete your thesis/dissertation on time. 

Before You Begin:

• Guide to Writing Your Thesis/Dissertation
• Fields Permitting the Use of Papers Option
• Required Sections, Guidelines, and Suggestions
• Formatting Requirements
• Fair Use, Copyright, Patent, and Publishing Options

Resources for Writing:

• Thesis & Dissertation Templates
• Writing from A to B

  Scheduling and Taking Your Final Exam

Once you have submitted your draft thesis/dissertation to your committee you are ready to defend. This involves scheduling and taking your final exam (“B” exam), an oral exam/dissertation defense for Ph.D. candidates, or (“M” exam), an oral exam/thesis defense for Master’s candidates.

• About Exams
• Defending Your Thesis or Dissertation
• Taking Exams

 Submitting Your Thesis/Dissertation

Policy requires the thesis/dissertation be submitted within 60 days of the final exam. The Graduate School uses a service called ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process. Once you have made any necessary revisions and the thesis/dissertation is final, you are ready to begin the approval and submission process.

Before initiating the submission process, students are required to complete an ORCID iD and complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates.

• Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID iD)
• Survey of Earned Doctorates 
• Thesis & Dissertation Submission Process
• Submission Fees
• Graduation Requirements 

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• Dissertation

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.

This article collects a list of undergraduate, master’s, and PhD theses and dissertations that have won prizes for their high-quality research.

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Table of contents

Award-winning undergraduate theses, award-winning master’s theses, award-winning ph.d. dissertations, other interesting articles.

University : University of Pennsylvania Faculty : History Author : Suchait Kahlon Award : 2021 Hilary Conroy Prize for Best Honors Thesis in World History Title : “Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the “Noble Savage” on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807”

University : Columbia University Faculty : History Author : Julien Saint Reiman Award : 2018 Charles A. Beard Senior Thesis Prize Title : “A Starving Man Helping Another Starving Man”: UNRRA, India, and the Genesis of Global Relief, 1943-1947

University: University College London Faculty: Geography Author: Anna Knowles-Smith Award:  2017 Royal Geographical Society Undergraduate Dissertation Prize Title:  Refugees and theatre: an exploration of the basis of self-representation

University: University of Washington Faculty:  Computer Science & Engineering Author: Nick J. Martindell Award: 2014 Best Senior Thesis Award Title:  DCDN: Distributed content delivery for the modern web

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University:  University of Edinburgh Faculty:  Informatics Author:  Christopher Sipola Award:  2018 Social Responsibility & Sustainability Dissertation Prize Title:  Summarizing electricity usage with a neural network

University:  University of Ottawa Faculty:  Education Author:  Matthew Brillinger Award:  2017 Commission on Graduate Studies in the Humanities Prize Title:  Educational Park Planning in Berkeley, California, 1965-1968

University:  University of Ottawa Faculty: Social Sciences Author:  Heather Martin Award:  2015 Joseph De Koninck Prize Title:  An Analysis of Sexual Assault Support Services for Women who have a Developmental Disability

University : University of Ottawa Faculty : Physics Author : Guillaume Thekkadath Award : 2017 Commission on Graduate Studies in the Sciences Prize Title : Joint measurements of complementary properties of quantum systems

University:  London School of Economics Faculty: International Development Author: Lajos Kossuth Award:  2016 Winner of the Prize for Best Overall Performance Title:  Shiny Happy People: A study of the effects income relative to a reference group exerts on life satisfaction

University : Stanford University Faculty : English Author : Nathan Wainstein Award : 2021 Alden Prize Title : “Unformed Art: Bad Writing in the Modernist Novel”

University : University of Massachusetts at Amherst Faculty : Molecular and Cellular Biology Author : Nils Pilotte Award : 2021 Byron Prize for Best Ph.D. Dissertation Title : “Improved Molecular Diagnostics for Soil-Transmitted Molecular Diagnostics for Soil-Transmitted Helminths”

University:  Utrecht University Faculty:  Linguistics Author:  Hans Rutger Bosker Award: 2014 AVT/Anéla Dissertation Prize Title:  The processing and evaluation of fluency in native and non-native speech

University: California Institute of Technology Faculty: Physics Author: Michael P. Mendenhall Award: 2015 Dissertation Award in Nuclear Physics Title: Measurement of the neutron beta decay asymmetry using ultracold neutrons

University:  Stanford University Faculty: Management Science and Engineering Author:  Shayan O. Gharan Award:  Doctoral Dissertation Award 2013 Title:   New Rounding Techniques for the Design and Analysis of Approximation Algorithms

University: University of Minnesota Faculty: Chemical Engineering Author: Eric A. Vandre Award:  2014 Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics Title: Onset of Dynamics Wetting Failure: The Mechanics of High-speed Fluid Displacement

University: Erasmus University Rotterdam Faculty: Marketing Author: Ezgi Akpinar Award: McKinsey Marketing Dissertation Award 2014 Title: Consumer Information Sharing: Understanding Psychological Drivers of Social Transmission

University: University of Washington Faculty: Computer Science & Engineering Author: Keith N. Snavely Award:  2009 Doctoral Dissertation Award Title: Scene Reconstruction and Visualization from Internet Photo Collections

University:  University of Ottawa Faculty:  Social Work Author:  Susannah Taylor Award: 2018 Joseph De Koninck Prize Title:  Effacing and Obscuring Autonomy: the Effects of Structural Violence on the Transition to Adulthood of Street Involved Youth

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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

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Descriptions of grades for master's theses

Descriptions of grades for master's theses.

From the spring semester in 2015 NHH adopted more detailed descriptions of grades for master's theses.

The descriptions were recommended by the UHR-Economics and Administration (UHR-ØA).

The grade will be criteria based as before, and there is no pre-defined distribution of grades that has to be achieved. However, the new descriptions will most likely result in a broader (less top-heavy) distribution of grades.

Descriptions of grades 

A - excellent.

Generally: An excellent performance that clearly stands out at a national level

• Displays excellent insight into the academic theories and methods in the field and knowledge at an exceptionally high level. The goals of the thesis are clearly defined and easy to understand.
• Can choose between and use relevant methods of research and academic development, and masters the methods used in a convincing manner.
• The work is innovative and has required very extensive work.
• Has an excellent ability to analyse and critically relate to different sources of information and to use these to structure and articulate academic arguments.
• Has in an outstanding manner conducted an independent, delimited research or development project under supervision and in line with applicable norms of research ethics.
• Displays excellent capacity for critical reflection, and can clearly distinguish between own contribution and the contributions made by others.
• Shows that they have undertaken extensive independent work and has excellent mastery of the expressive forms of the field. The thesis has an advanced form, structure and language.

B - Very Good

Generally: A very good performance that clearly stands out.

• Displays very good insights into the academic theories and methods of the field and knowledge at a very high level. The goals of the thesis are clearly defined and easy to understand.
• Can chose between and use relevant methods of research and academic development, and masters the methods used in a very good manner.
• The work is innovative and has required extensive work.
• Has a very good ability to analyse and critically relate to different sources of information and to use these to structure and articulate academic arguments.
• Has in a very good manner conducted an independent, delimited research or development project under supervision and in line with applicable norms of research ethics.
• Displays very good capacity for critical reflection, and can clearly distinguish between their own contribution and the contributions made by others.
• Shows that they have undertaken extensive independent work and has very good mastery of the expressive forms of the field. The thesis has an advanced form, structure and language.

Generally: A generally good performance.

• Displays good insight into the academic theories and methods of the field and knowledge at a high level. The goals of the thesis are generally defined well.
• Has chosen relevant and correct methods for research and academic development and masters the methods used well.
• The work is good and the thesis represents a normal scope of work.
• Has a good ability to analyse different sources of information and can use these in an independent and competent manner to structure and articulate academic arguments.
• Has conducted an independent, delimited research or development project under supervision and in line with applicable norms of research ethics.
• Displays capacity for critical reflection, and can distinguish well between their own contribution and the contributions made by others.
• Masters the forms of expression in the field well. The thesis has good form, structure and language.

D - Satisfactory

Generally: A clearly satisfactory performance.

• Displays satisfactory insight into the academic theories and methods of the field, and shows that they have a satisfactory level of knowledge. The goals of the thesis are not defined clearly.
• Has chosen relevant and correct methods for research and academic development and masters the methods used to a satisfactory degree.
• The work appears to have required a modest amount of work
• Has some ability to analyse different sources of information independently but depends on relatively close supervision in order to structure and articulate academic arguments.
• Has conducted an independent, delimited research or development project under supervision, but the thesis has clear potential for improvement. The work is in line with applicable norms of research ethics.
• Displays capacity for critical reflection, but has difficulty in distinguishing well between their own contribution and the contributions made by others.
• Masters the forms of expression in the field to a satisfactory degree. The thesis has a satisfactory form, structure and language.

E - Sufficient

Generally: A performance that is sufficient in that it satisfies the minimum requirements

• Has sufficient insight into the academic theories and methods of the field. The goals of the thesis are described but appear unclear.
• Has chosen relevant and correct methods for research and academic development, and masters the methods used in a manner that satisfies the minimum requirements.
• The work appears to have required a very modest amount of work and seems fragmented
• Shows some independent ability to analyse different sources of information, but depends on relatively close supervision in order to formulate academic arguments.
• Is clearly dependent on supervision in order to complete a delimited research or development project. The work is in line with applicable norms of research ethics.
• Shows sufficient capacity for critical reflection, but has not utilised the competency of the research community in a good way.
• Can generally use the expressive forms of the field, but the form, structure and language of the thesis have notable deficiencies.

Generally: A performance that does not satisfy minimum requirements.

• Has insufficient insight into the academic theories and methods of the field. The goals of the thesis are not clearly described, or are not described at all.
• Lacks competency in the methods of the field, and lacks technical skills in the methods that were utilised.
• The work required modest work and is fragmented.
• Does not use existing sources of information, and has not understood or wanted to use advice and guidance.
• Does not show sufficient capacity for critical reflection, and has not utilised the competency of the research community in a good way.
• The presentation shows significant deficiencies in its form, structure and language.
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Grading, graduate studies.

To define the grading scales appropriate to the several types of graduate coursework.

Graduate Students on the Lawrence/Edwards Campus

General Guidelines

Grading scales are assigned on a course-by-course basis. The grading scale selected for a course must be appropriate to the course type and to the students and programs that the course serves. It is expected that designated thesis, dissertation, and their approved equivalent courses will be graded using either the A, B, C, D, F, P scale or the SP, LP, NP scale. (Use of the P grade is restricted in some divisions: please see the Exclusions and Special Circumstances section below for more information.) Other research and non-research courses for degree- and certificate-seeking students will be graded using the A, B, C, D, F scale, with or without the use of the I grade at the department's discretion.

Once a grading scale for a particular course has been recommended by the department and approved by the Graduate Division, it must be applied to the entire student enrollment in the course or section. This applies to all graduate-level courses.

The individual schools and the College have the option of using or not using the +/-, according to the policy adopted by the particular school.

In courses that adopt the letter-grade scales, C- is not considered a passing grade. C-, D, and F work does not count toward fulfilling degree requirements. Overall, students must earn at least a B average (i.e., 3.0 GPA) on coursework counted toward any master's, specialist, or doctoral degree at KU, and only courses graded A, B, or C (excluding C-) may be so counted. The student's graduate GPA calculation will include any degree- or certificate-seeking graduate coursework completed at KU. Courses graded P, SP, LP, NP, S, U, CR, NC, or I are excluded from the computation of the GPA.

The I Grade: Incomplete Work

The I grade indicates course work that has been of passing quality but which is partially unfinished for good reason. Use of the I grade is optional in some grading scales but is not permitted by others (see below). Generally, the I grade is an appropriate option for enrollments other than thesis, dissertation, research, or the first semester of a two-semester sequence course.

As stated in the University Senate Rules and Regulations, Article II, Section 2.2.3.2 : "A student who has an I posted for a course must make up the work by the date determined by the instructor, in consultation with the student, which may not exceed one calendar year, or the last day of the term of graduation, whichever comes first. An I not removed according to this rule shall automatically convert to a grade of F or U, or the lapse grade assigned by the course instructor, and shall be indicated on the student's record."

Grading Scales

Regular courses, grading scale: a, b, c, d, f, (i).

The basic system is an A, B, C, D, F, (I) scale, where:

• A designates above-average graduate work;
• B designates average graduate work;
• C designates passing but not average graduate work
• D and F designate failing graduate work.
• Inclusion of the I option is at the discretion of the department (see above).

Research Courses

Departments select one of the two (2) following scales to grade their thesis, dissertation, and approved thesis- or dissertation-equivalent courses. Other research courses are graded using the A, B, C, D, F, P scale. The I grade is not appropriate for enrollment in thesis, dissertation, or research courses and is not allowed by these grading scales. The I grade is discussed separately above.

Grading Scale: A, B, C, D, F, P

In this grading scale, the letter P indicates participation in coursework where evidence of performance may not be available. (Use of the P grade is restricted in some divisions: please see the Exclusions and Special Circumstances section below for more information.)

This grading scale is appropriate in two (2) types of situations:

• in designated thesis, dissertation, approved thesis- or dissertation-equivalent or research courses;
• in the first semester of two-semester (2-semester) sequence courses.

In any semester, an instructor has the option to assign a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F, instead of P, when evidence about performance is available. Upon completion of thesis, dissertation, or research hours leading to a master's specialist or doctoral degree, the P remains on the final transcript in all semesters for which it was recorded.

For departments that use this scale, a letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F) must be assigned for a student's final semester of enrollment in thesis, dissertation, or research coursework. The letter grade assigned characterizes the quality of the final product.

Grading Scale: SP, LP, NP

This grading scale is established in USRR 2.2.5 . It evaluates a student's work as demonstrating satisfactory progress (SP), limited progress (LP), or no progress (NP). It is appropriate only in designated thesis, dissertation, and approved thesis- and dissertation-equivalent enrollments.

For departments that use this scale, a grade of SP must be assigned for a student's final semester of enrollment in thesis, dissertation, or approved thesis- or dissertation-equivalent coursework. The SP indicates that the final product was of satisfactory quality to earn the degree.

Milestone Examinations

Honors, satisfactory, unsatisfactory.

Performance on milestone examinations may be graded Honors, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory. These outcome grades are appropriate to the following milestone examinations:

• the general examination for the master's degree;
• the general examination for the degree of specialist;
• the comprehensive oral examination for the doctorate;
• the final examination for the doctorate.

Use of the Honors designation is at the department's discretion.

Other Grading Scales

Grading scale: s, u, (i).

The grades of S and U designate satisfactory (S) and unsatisfactory (U) performance. This grading scale is appropriate to three types of course:

• continuing education courses;
• workshop courses;
• institute courses.

No more than six (6) hours total of graduate coursework graded S may count toward a degree. The S, U, (I) grading scale may be adopted at the department's discretion (see above for discussion of the I grade).

In courses numbered 800 or above, and for which specific authorization has been given, an instructor may report a grade of S for students who have satisfactorily attended the course but for whom it has not been possible to evaluate the quality of performance.

Grading Scale: CR, NC

The Credit (CR) or No Credit (NC) option is authorized for graduate students: a grade of CR will reflect work earning a C or better and the grade of NC will reflect work earning a C- or below.

As outlined in USRR 2.2.7.6 , no course graded CR or NC can count toward the satisfaction of the requirements for a graduate degree or a graduate certificate. This prohibition includes any courses taken to meet the Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement.

Please see the Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship policy for more information.

Individual schools or the College may restrict use of the P grade beyond the provisions of this policy. In such cases, it is expected that the research grading scale of A, B, C, D, F, P described above will be applied as though the P grade were omitted.

Graduate Studies 213 Strong Hall 1450 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS 66045 (785) 864-8040 [email protected]

University Senate Rules and Regulations Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship

07/18/2023: Approved by changed to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, updated links.  11/04/2016: Corrected typo 10/12/2016: Updated 10/04/2016 RACH statement 10/05/2016: Policy formatting cleanup (e.g. bolding, spacing). Fixed link. 10/04/2016: Substantive revisions approved by Interim VPAA Day- structural overhaul and cleanup for flow and clarity; add SP, LP, NP grading scale as provided by updates to USRR in fall 2016 (effective spring 2017) - ARG 07/11/2016: Updated to remove gendered pronouns. 12/06/2016: Policy was updated.

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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

• Filing Fees and Student Status
• Submission Process Overview
• Electronic Thesis Submission
• Paper Thesis Submission
• Formatting Overview
• Fonts/Typeface
• Pagination, Margins, Spacing
• Paper Thesis Formatting
• Preliminary Pages Overview
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• Tutorials and Assistance
• FAQ This link opens in a new window

UCI Libraries maintains the following  templates to assist in formatting your graduate manuscript. If you are formatting your manuscript in Microsoft Word, feel free to download and use the template. If you would like to see what your manuscript should look like, PDFs have been provided. If you are formatting your manuscript using LaTex, UCI maintains a template on OverLeaf.

• Annotated Template (Dissertation) 2024 PDF of a template with annotations of what to look out for
• Word: Thesis Template 2024 Editable template of the Master's thesis formatting.
• PDF Thesis Template 2024
• Word: Dissertation Template 2024 Editable template of the PhD Dissertation formatting.
• PDF: Dissertation Template 2024
• Overleaf (LaTex) Template
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• Last Updated: Jul 18, 2024 9:46 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/gradmanual

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Physical Address: 921 Campus Drive Moscow ID, 83844

General Contact: Phone: 208-885-6772 Email: [email protected]

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Curriculum & Instruction, M.Ed.

Career information is not specific to degree level. Some career options may require an advanced degree.

Current Job Openings and Salary Range

in ID, WA, OR, MT and HI

Entry-Level

Senior-Level

• Career Options
• Education Administrator, Elementary and Secondary School
• Education Administrator, Postsecondary
• Director, Religious Activities and Education
• Education Teacher, Postsecondary

Regional Employment Trends

Employment trends and projected job growth in ID, WA, OR, MT & HI

*Job data is collected from national, state and private sources. For more information, visit EMSI's data sources page .

• Degree Prep

To prepare for an Ed.S. or a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction students must have a Bachelor of Science.

Transfer Courses The combined total of transfer credits, correspondence credits, non-degree credits, and approved credits more than 8 years at the time the degree is awarded will not exceed 12 credits for master's programs requiring 36 or fewer credits.

• Degree Roadmap

Study Plans and Curriculum

Students prepare with initial advisor or major professor a master's degree study plan outlining all course work to be completed to fulfill the requirements for the degree. The study plan is approved by the student's major professor, departmental administrator, and the dean of the College of Graduate Studies. Any subsequent changes in the study plan must be submitted for approval to the Graduate College. Initial Study Plan beginning with Curriculum and Instruction Core Courses. Most core courses are offered in an online format to provide the maximum flexibility for professionals.

• EDCI 570: Intro to Research in C&I
• EDCI 511: Planning and Administering the Curriculum
• EDCI 513: History of Educational Thought
• EDCI 524: Models of Teaching
• EDCI 572: Measurement and Evaluation
• EDCI 599: Non-Thesis Project

Refer to the catalog for required course work.

» M.Ed. » Ed.S.

• Professional Licensing

Completion of the program will make you eligible to sit for the Standard Instructional Certificate  with several available endorsements (5-9, 6-12, or K-12).

• Scholarships

Visit the  Financial Aid office  for available scholarships.

• Hands-On Learning

Field study and undergraduate research opportunities through industry partners and our Taylor Wilderness Research Station internships are plentiful.

• Internships

Upon completion of your coursework, you will be required to take certification exams by the state in which you will work. You also will complete a one semester internship experience in a classroom environment, where you will learn alongside experienced teachers. You also will receive personal mentorship from our leading education faculty. Learn more about semester internships .

• Job Openings and Salary Range
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Make the jump from curious educator to engaged, creative and innovative leader with the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum & Instruction. You have your certification, you’ve been in front of the classroom for a few years now, and you’ve experimented with various strategies to capture students' attention and ensure they successfully retain and apply concepts. This program — designed for certified teachers aspiring to a leadership, curriculum development or administrative role — provides the clear, theory- and experience-based direction you need.

Through a minimum of 30 credits, you’ll broaden your understanding of the principles of instruction, be exposed to a wide spectrum of teaching strategies and learning theories and discover ways to incorporate relevant teaching technologies. This framework shows you how to employ these methods as you’re teaching core concepts from elementary school through high school and adult education and helps you encourage inquiry, problem-posing and solving, communication and collaboration in the classroom to guide a diverse student body on their individual journeys.

The M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction starts with a versatile core and is a non-thesis graduate degree. You’ll explore techniques for building relevant and challenging lessons, learn to celebrate diversity through curriculum and connections with your students, uncover the role of research and data analysis in curriculum planning and assessing performance. You’ll gain a stronger grasp on the philosophical, historical, social, political and cultural foundations of schools and educational organizations, and you’ll do it all with a study plan developed by you and your advisor.  Review all course descriptions and expected learning outcomes .

Make an impact and refine your knowledge further with an emphasis area. Our Career and Technical Education  area helps transform you into a stronger leader and curriculum planner for professional education programs. The Teacher Certification emphasis  area builds off your mastery of a secondary school content area, helping you work toward receiving secondary teacher certification in the state of Idaho. Expanding on the core courses, you’ll learn strategies for addressing individual differences in the classroom, planning and administering district-wide curriculum, utilizing various teaching models, reinforcing subject matters through reading and writing, and testing and evaluation in schools.

If you envision yourself shaping the next generation of learners through curriculum, review all admission requirements  before applying to this M.Ed. program.

• 30-credit, non-thesis Master of Education degree.
• Select from three master’s projects: an inquiry project, a professional portfolio or a professional alternative exploration.
• This M.Ed. program is delivered online and face-to-face. On-campus courses may be taken in Moscow, Coeur d’Alene  and Boise.
• For those seeking Teacher Certification, participate in a one-semester internship in a classroom environment and learn alongside teachers and other education professionals to observe leadership, curriculum planning and assessment skills. This approach reflects our department’s emphasis on acquiring knowledge through hands-on experience .
• Learn from faculty who are active leaders in educational research and dedicate themselves to imparting the latest insights in curriculum development, leadership and student engagement in the classroom.
• Learn with students from all over the world through extensive web-based instruction.
• Customize your degree and knowledge toward your career goals with two emphasis areas: Teacher Certification  and Career and Technical Education (CTE) , which, in conjunction with the core curriculum, require a minimum of 45 credits. Students may also take the CTE emphasis through the  Ed.S., Curriculum and Instruction program .

Requirements

Program's non-thesis requirements.

• To complete the Master of Education (M.Ed.), a non-thesis degree program, the student must complete and successfully defend a graduate project (i.e., non-thesis project).
• Of the minimum 30 credits required, at least 18 must be in courses at the 500 level; the remainder may include 400 level courses in the major and 300 or 400 level courses in supporting areas.
• A candidate for an advanced degree must have a cumulative GPA, based on his or her graduate record, of at least 3.00 (A = 4.00).
• The M.Ed. program requires a minimum of 30 credits. Additional work may be stipulated in individual cases to meet particular objectives or need for additional background.
• Courses used toward an undergraduate degree, professional development courses or courses on a professional development transcript are not available to be used toward a graduate degree.
• No more than three credits of workshop or workshop equivalent courses may be used toward the graduate degree.
• Up to five credits of course number 599 are allowed to count toward a non-thesis master's degree.
• A graduate student in a non-thesis program must be registered at U of I during the semester in which the non-thesis requirements are completed.
• This project is completed after the completion of most or all of the degree requirements. The department establishes format and time frame, and reports the results of the non-thesis requirement to the College of Graduate Studies using the Non-Thesis Report form .

Transfer Courses

The combined total of transfer credits, correspondence credits, non-degree credits, and approved credits more than eight years from the time the degree is awarded will not exceed 12 credits for master's programs requiring 36 or fewer credits.

Study Plans

Students will prepare with their initial advisor or major professor a master’s degree study plan outlining all course work to be completed to fulfill the requirements for the degree. The study plan is approved by the student’s major professor, departmental administrator and the dean of the College of Graduate Studies. Any subsequent changes in the study plan must be submitted for approval to the College of Graduate Studies. Most core courses are offered in an online format to provide the maximum flexibility for professionals.

M.Ed. Non-Thesis Projects

Curriculum & Instruction graduate students at the University of Idaho are able to select from three master’s projects and from a number of options listed. Each project will include a document that is professionally written.

Inquiry Project

Within the framework of the project, students, along with their major professors, may choose to complete one of the following inquiry projects:

Classroom curriculum/instruction projects usually are focused on improvement of curriculum and instruction within a teacher’s own classroom. In the context of the proposal, the students describe what they want to improve, why they consider the improvement needed and how they intend to accomplish the improvement.

Implementation of an educational project responding to a school, district or community need. This project may take many forms. For example, the student could take the leadership role in developing and implementing a change within a school district. A teacher might also become involved with a project that initiates a teacher study group, organizes school volunteers to contribute more effectively to classroom learning, or connects school curriculum with work in a local museum or library or another informal learning environment.

Theoretical exploration professional papers are completed as an independent study under the advisement of a major professor. The professional paper involves a review of the literature and careful analysis of a complex issue that has multiple perspectives. Topics might include the politics of the “No Child Left Behind Act,” the use of technology in classrooms or the impact of increasing student diversity on the formation of classroom communities. A public presentation of the completed work is required. This could take the form of a conference presentation, a paper submitted for publication or other forums as approved by the students’ major professors.

Research involving students as subjects may not be eligible for exempt status and must undergo an expedited review by the Human Assurances Committee (HAC). If students are pursuing a research project, it is imperative to work closely with their major professors to ascertain the process that needs to be followed in conjunction with a HAC review.

A research project would exemplify different aspects of quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods research. The quality of the paper will be such that the paper could be published in professional, scholarly journals. Included within this process would be a proposal, approval from the HAC, if necessary, literature review, methods, results, discussion and references. Public dissemination of the paper would follow this process.

Professional Portfolio

A public presentation of the portfolio is required., portfolio requirements: , table of contents.

The Table of Contents shall be provided, including a list of the major sections of the portfolio and subheadings.

1. Interpretation of Reflective Practice

This section should focus on your understanding of reflective practice based on course readings in the professional educational courses. You also may report on other courses and experiences in the Master of Education program, as well as your professional practice.

2. Reflection on Practice

This section should reveal student reflection and understanding of self and practice, including several or all of these aspects:      

Philosophical: Student goals, visions and images of one’s self as an educator/leader.

Professional: Student competency and artistry as an educator/leader.

Affective: Student feelings about oneself and ones identity as well as other people who influence ones practice.

Ethical: Student morals, beliefs, values and system of ethics that influence ones practice.

Sociocultural: The social, cultural, political and economic forces that influence ones practice.

3. Demonstration of Depth of Knowledge:

Providing five entries showing depth of knowledge in five different areas — at least one that demonstrates student commitment to social justice, equity, diversity and school improvement. Two of the entries should be formal papers and three of the entries may be examples or a demonstration.

Each entry should include a reflection with these components:

How this learning connects to student work in the Master of Education program, e.g., courses, readings, films, papers, projects and class activities.

What this entry signifies about students as learners. 

What this entry signifies about students as educators/leaders. 

Particularly for the fifth entry (but for other entries as applicable), how this work demonstrates student commitment to social justice, diversity, equity and school improvement 

4. Reflection on Growth and Learning in the Master of Education program

The concluding section of one’s portfolio should be a self-reflection about one’s most significant learning during the Master of Education program, including consideration of growth as a scholar, educator and reflective practitioner. Students should draw from specific concepts and readings to illustrate discussion.

Professional Alternative Exploration

This project is a negotiated alternative for students interested in exploring a topic, action or experience that does not fit into the above categories. Students will write a description of their project and the processes and outcomes of their work. Within the project, students will create an overview of the topic and provide a background theory or framework that guides their exploration. The students also will be responsible for a public presentation, which could take many forms.

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