Writing a Master’s Thesis

    First of all, you should be aware that every university is different in its requirements for a Master’s thesis and this can also apply department to department since academics love nothing better than to put their own individual spin on things to make themselves feel intellectually superior. So, that said, there are some general guidelines relative to planning and writing your thesis that you can follow.

    One of the most critical things that you can do and one that I have found most useful is to simply examine a chapter outline of what your Master’s thesis requirements are. Most universities these days typically offer a guideline of the chapters that you will be required to include in your thesis. However, some still do not but it makes little difference since you can use a general guideline such as that provided below to guide your project.

    The reason you want to examine a chapter outline is that it gives you a firm understanding of the structure and the type of tasks that you are going to have to undertake. Therefore, take a look at the general Master’s thesis outline provided below as it is fairly typical but sometimes some universities separate some of the chapters so that there might be just five, six or even seven chapters but essentially they are the same thing in most respects:

Table of Contents

List of Tables                                                                                                             

List of Figures                                                                                                

Chapter I: Introduction                                                                                              

            1.1 Problem Statement                                                                                   

            1.2 Purpose of Study                                                                         

            1.3 Importance of Study                                                                                

            1.4 Scope of Study                                                                                        

            1.5 Rationale of Study                                                                                   

            1.6 Definition of Terms                                                                                 

Chapter II: Literature Review                                                                                   

2.1 Sub-heading                                                                                                         

2.2 Sub-heading                                                                                                         

2.3 Sub-heading                                                                                                         

2.4 Sub-heading                                                                                                         

Chapter III: Methodology                                                                                         

3.1 Approach                                                                                                             

3.2 Data Gathering Method                                                                           

3.3 Database of Study                                                                                   

3.4 Validity of Data                                                                           

3.5 Originality & Limitations                                                             

3.6 Summary                                                                                                  

Chapter IV: Presentation of Findings                                    

4.1 Sub-heading                                                                                             

4.2 Sub-heading                                                                                             

Chapter V: Conclusions                                                                     

Chapter VI: Recommendations                                                         

References                                                                                                     

Appendix                                                                                                       

    As you can see, the form is fairly structured and being able to conceptualize what you must accomplish over the life of the project is critical to doing it successfully. So once you have a firm understanding of what the Master’s thesis requires there is some foundational thought and work that you would undertake prior to starting the actual research project.

    First, it is assumed that you must write a proposal for your Master’s thesis and submit it to your department or advisor for approval. Usually, and I say usually because there are always exceptions, the proposal consists of either the first three chapters of your project fully completed or just in shell form. Either way, this is an important part of the process because a well-written proposal can make the Master’s thesis easier to complete.

    Sometimes, some Master’s proposals are nothing than a worksheet type of form in which the department asks what your proposed topic is, what your working title and hypothesis is, and asks that you explain your methodology and rationale for selecting the proposed topic. Thus, you begin to see that the work done prior to starting your Master’s thesis is critical and foundational. Basically, the proposal contains the following information:

*The Problem, Hypothesis, or Research Question

*Importance of the Research

*Significant Research already Completed by Others

*A Proposed Research Methodology (i.e. Qualitative or Quantitative)

*The Outcome and Importance of the Research Project

    Therefore, just begin by answering these basic questions as fully as possible and then putting them within the context of the first three chapters outlined above. Obviously the literature review will not be fully complete but it provides a basis for the type of research that already exists relevant to your topic. The research proposal should typically be between 10 and 25 pages but again, check with your university’s specific requirements.

    Some of the other important questions you must answer before beginning the research project is what type of methodology that you will be using. Some universities require you to use a certain type of methodology such as qualitative or quantitative but usually this is up to you. Let me tell you a secret. If you have a choice always choose qualitative methodologies and then select either the case study method or the bracketing method from within the qualitative methodology library because these methods are grounded in the literature rather than reliant on primary data gathering methods such as surveys and questionnaires although these devices can be incorporated into these methodologies.

    At any rate, you may or may not have a choice and some research projects require the use of quantitative methods such as statistical analysis. If you are forced to use quantitative methodologies then utilize simple descriptive statistics as this quantitative methodology can be completed with Excel and with minimal statistical computation.

    Another basic question you must decide prior to beginning your research project is what type of research project is it going to be? That is, if it is experimental meaning you will have a control group and will be collecting primary data, then you must develop a hypothesis which is basically a type of syllogism in that you are stating that if your project discovers A to be true then B will be the outcome, for example. A non-experimental research project will utilize a research problem that is going to be addressed but you are not actually testing a hypothesis. Go with this one if you can.

    In terms of actually writing each individual section there are countless resources across the Web and likely your university has specific guidelines as well but follow the suggestions I have included here and your life will be easier. For your benefit, I have outlined them below once again:

*Review an outline of all the chapters and headings of a completed Master’s thesis

*Structure your proposal to follow the general outline of the first three chapters of the Master’s thesis

*Identify a research methodology and utilize a Qualitative methodology if possible and specifically pick the case study or the bracketing methodology

*Utilize a Research Question rather than a Hypothesis

If you have to use quantitative methodologies then use Descriptive Statistics since, technically, any type of analysis comparing quantitative figures is descriptive statistics and can be done in Excel—otherwise, you will be forced to use software programs such as SPSS or similar (pain in the ass)

*Finally, expect revisions because your advisor or, if you are in the UK or in the UK system, your tutor, will make countless suggestions which you must follow but recognize that most of them are usually pointless. Then, once the advisor or tutor passes off on your thesis you will have further revisions because the committee or the review board is also certain to have suggestions and there is always one professor that is just a complete jack-off and who will make you undertake a variety of anile revisions—just smile and say “OK!”