academic expectations thesis

Everyone Wants an "A": The Role of Academic Expectations in Academic Performance

Degree type.

• Master of Science
• Psychological Sciences

Campus location

• Indianapolis

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Additional committee member 2, additional committee member 3, usage metrics.

• Clinical psychology

• Skip to main content
• Skip to ChatBot Assistant
• Academic Writing
• Research Writing
• Critical Reading and Writing
• Punctuation
• Writing Exercises
• ELL/ESL Resources

Checklist for Thesis-Support Essay: Basic Expectations

• Is there a main idea (thesis sentence) that focuses the information?
• Does all of the information relate to and support that main idea?
• Has the main idea been broken down into its parts (topic sentences), and are those parts indicated clearly in the essay?
• Is the main idea actually a main idea and not just a topic? That is, is there a clear, assertive idea being presented about a topic?

Organization

• Does the essay have a clear introduction-body-conclusion order?
• Are the ideas in the body arranged in an order appropriate to their content (e.g., complexity, time, order of importance)?
• Are the ideas in the body arranged in an order appropriate to the thesis, if the thesis indicates an order?
• When moving from one main idea to the next in the essay's body, are the moves marked with transitions that show how the new idea relates to the preceding idea?
• Are all of the examples and explanations relevant to the thesis and topic-sentence ideas?
• Is there enough evidence--are there enough main ideas--to support the thesis fully?
• Are there enough specifics and details to fully explain each main or topic-sentence idea?
• Are the examples and explanations specific and concrete enough so that the reader can understand them and relate them to real-world experience?

Presentation

• Is the language grammatically correct; does it follow accepted grammatical conventions so that a reader can understand it?
• Is the language appropriate in style for the writing's purpose, audience and context (e.g., not too formal, not too informal, nor too technical, or wordy)?
• Is the essay written in the writer's own voice so that the language is "comfortable," clear and interesting to both the writer and the audience?
• In research essays, is the information documented as needed?
• Is the documentation format standard (MLA, APA, or a designated format) and correct? See here for more information (click on "Other Guides" tab).
• Has the essay been proofread, and is it free of distracting typos and errors?

For more information about writing or the writing process or any assistance with your writing, please contact Academic Support by emailing [email protected] , calling 800-847-3000 ext. 3008, or requesting a tutor by filling out the Learning Coach/Tutoring Request form found on this page.

Need Assistance?

If you would like assistance with any type of writing assignment, learning coaches are available to assist you. Please contact Academic Support by emailing [email protected].

Questions or feedback about SUNY Empire's Writing Support?

Contact us at [email protected] .

Smart Cookies

They're not just in our classes – they help power our website. Cookies and similar tools allow us to better understand the experience of our visitors. By continuing to use this website, you consent to SUNY Empire State University's usage of cookies and similar technologies in accordance with the university's Privacy Notice and Cookies Policy .

Welcome to the new OASIS website! We have academic skills, library skills, math and statistics support, and writing resources all together in one new home.

• Walden University
• Faculty Portal

Writing a Paper: Thesis Statements

Basics of thesis statements.

The thesis statement is the brief articulation of your paper's central argument and purpose. You might hear it referred to as simply a "thesis." Every scholarly paper should have a thesis statement, and strong thesis statements are concise, specific, and arguable. Concise means the thesis is short: perhaps one or two sentences for a shorter paper. Specific means the thesis deals with a narrow and focused topic, appropriate to the paper's length. Arguable means that a scholar in your field could disagree (or perhaps already has!).

Strong thesis statements address specific intellectual questions, have clear positions, and use a structure that reflects the overall structure of the paper. Read on to learn more about constructing a strong thesis statement.

Being Specific

This thesis statement has no specific argument:

Needs Improvement: In this essay, I will examine two scholarly articles to find similarities and differences.

This statement is concise, but it is neither specific nor arguable—a reader might wonder, "Which scholarly articles? What is the topic of this paper? What field is the author writing in?" Additionally, the purpose of the paper—to "examine…to find similarities and differences" is not of a scholarly level. Identifying similarities and differences is a good first step, but strong academic argument goes further, analyzing what those similarities and differences might mean or imply.

Better: In this essay, I will argue that Bowler's (2003) autocratic management style, when coupled with Smith's (2007) theory of social cognition, can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover.

The new revision here is still concise, as well as specific and arguable.  We can see that it is specific because the writer is mentioning (a) concrete ideas and (b) exact authors.  We can also gather the field (business) and the topic (management and employee turnover). The statement is arguable because the student goes beyond merely comparing; he or she draws conclusions from that comparison ("can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover").

Making a Unique Argument

This thesis draft repeats the language of the writing prompt without making a unique argument:

Needs Improvement: The purpose of this essay is to monitor, assess, and evaluate an educational program for its strengths and weaknesses. Then, I will provide suggestions for improvement.

You can see here that the student has simply stated the paper's assignment, without articulating specifically how he or she will address it. The student can correct this error simply by phrasing the thesis statement as a specific answer to the assignment prompt.

Better: Through a series of student interviews, I found that Kennedy High School's antibullying program was ineffective. In order to address issues of conflict between students, I argue that Kennedy High School should embrace policies outlined by the California Department of Education (2010).

Words like "ineffective" and "argue" show here that the student has clearly thought through the assignment and analyzed the material; he or she is putting forth a specific and debatable position. The concrete information ("student interviews," "antibullying") further prepares the reader for the body of the paper and demonstrates how the student has addressed the assignment prompt without just restating that language.

Creating a Debate

This thesis statement includes only obvious fact or plot summary instead of argument:

Needs Improvement: Leadership is an important quality in nurse educators.

A good strategy to determine if your thesis statement is too broad (and therefore, not arguable) is to ask yourself, "Would a scholar in my field disagree with this point?" Here, we can see easily that no scholar is likely to argue that leadership is an unimportant quality in nurse educators.  The student needs to come up with a more arguable claim, and probably a narrower one; remember that a short paper needs a more focused topic than a dissertation.

Better: Roderick's (2009) theory of participatory leadership  is particularly appropriate to nurse educators working within the emergency medicine field, where students benefit most from collegial and kinesthetic learning.

Here, the student has identified a particular type of leadership ("participatory leadership"), narrowing the topic, and has made an arguable claim (this type of leadership is "appropriate" to a specific type of nurse educator). Conceivably, a scholar in the nursing field might disagree with this approach. The student's paper can now proceed, providing specific pieces of evidence to support the arguable central claim.

Choosing the Right Words

This thesis statement uses large or scholarly-sounding words that have no real substance:

Needs Improvement: Scholars should work to seize metacognitive outcomes by harnessing discipline-based networks to empower collaborative infrastructures.

There are many words in this sentence that may be buzzwords in the student's field or key terms taken from other texts, but together they do not communicate a clear, specific meaning. Sometimes students think scholarly writing means constructing complex sentences using special language, but actually it's usually a stronger choice to write clear, simple sentences. When in doubt, remember that your ideas should be complex, not your sentence structure.

Better: Ecologists should work to educate the U.S. public on conservation methods by making use of local and national green organizations to create a widespread communication plan.

Notice in the revision that the field is now clear (ecology), and the language has been made much more field-specific ("conservation methods," "green organizations"), so the reader is able to see concretely the ideas the student is communicating.

Leaving Room for Discussion

This thesis statement is not capable of development or advancement in the paper:

Needs Improvement: There are always alternatives to illegal drug use.

This sample thesis statement makes a claim, but it is not a claim that will sustain extended discussion. This claim is the type of claim that might be appropriate for the conclusion of a paper, but in the beginning of the paper, the student is left with nowhere to go. What further points can be made? If there are "always alternatives" to the problem the student is identifying, then why bother developing a paper around that claim? Ideally, a thesis statement should be complex enough to explore over the length of the entire paper.

Better: The most effective treatment plan for methamphetamine addiction may be a combination of pharmacological and cognitive therapy, as argued by Baker (2008), Smith (2009), and Xavier (2011).

In the revised thesis, you can see the student make a specific, debatable claim that has the potential to generate several pages' worth of discussion. When drafting a thesis statement, think about the questions your thesis statement will generate: What follow-up inquiries might a reader have? In the first example, there are almost no additional questions implied, but the revised example allows for a good deal more exploration.

Thesis Mad Libs

If you are having trouble getting started, try using the models below to generate a rough model of a thesis statement! These models are intended for drafting purposes only and should not appear in your final work.

• In this essay, I argue ____, using ______ to assert _____.
• While scholars have often argued ______, I argue______, because_______.
• Through an analysis of ______, I argue ______, which is important because_______.

Words to Avoid and to Embrace

When drafting your thesis statement, avoid words like explore, investigate, learn, compile, summarize , and explain to describe the main purpose of your paper. These words imply a paper that summarizes or "reports," rather than synthesizing and analyzing.

Instead of the terms above, try words like argue, critique, question , and interrogate . These more analytical words may help you begin strongly, by articulating a specific, critical, scholarly position.

Read Kayla's blog post for tips on taking a stand in a well-crafted thesis statement.

Related Resources

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

• Previous Page: Introductions
• Next Page: Conclusions
• Office of Student Disability Services

Walden Resources

Departments.

• Academic Residencies
• Academic Skills
• Career Planning and Development
• Customer Care Team
• Field Experience
• Military Services
• Student Success Advising
• Writing Skills

Centers and Offices

• Center for Social Change
• Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services
• Office of Degree Acceleration
• Office of Research and Doctoral Services
• Office of Student Affairs

Student Resources

• Doctoral Writing Assessment
• Form & Style Review
• Quick Answers
• ScholarWorks
• SKIL Courses and Workshops
• Walden Bookstore
• Walden Catalog & Student Handbook
• Student Safety/Title IX
• Legal & Consumer Information
• Website Terms and Conditions
• Cookie Policy
• Accessibility
• Accreditation
• State Authorization
• Net Price Calculator
• Cost of Attendance
• Contact Walden

Walden University is a member of Adtalem Global Education, Inc. www.adtalem.com Walden University is certified to operate by SCHEV © 2024 Walden University LLC. All rights reserved.

• Future Students
• Parents/Families
• Alumni/Friends
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff
• MyOHIO Student Center
• Visit Athens Campus
• Regional Campuses
• OHIO Online
• Faculty/Staff Directory

College of Arts and Sciences

• Awards & Accomplishments
• Communications
• Mission and Vision
• News and Events
• Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
• A&S Support Team
• Faculty Affairs
• Human Resources
• Promotion & Tenure
• Centers & Institutes
• Faculty & Department Research
• Undergraduate Research
• Environmental Majors
• Pre-Law Majors
• Pre-Med, Pre-Health Majors
• Find an Internship. Get a Job.
• Honors Programs & Pathways
• Undergraduate Research Opportunities
• Undergraduate Advising & Student Affairs
• Online Degrees & Certificates
• Ph.D. Programs
• Master's Degrees
• Certificates
• Graduate Forms
• Thesis & Dissertation
• Departments
• Alumni Awards
• Giving Opportunities
• Dean's Office
• Department Chairs & Contacts
• Faculty Directory
• Staff Directory
• Undergraduate Advising & Student Affairs Directory

Helpful Links

Navigate OHIO

Connect With Us

Academic Expectations

Students are accepted into the program because they possess the interests, skills, and work ethic to complete their degree in a timely manner. We are confident that you will perform well in your classes and achieve high grades. However, you should be aware of the following guidelines for graduate-level academic expectations.

GPA Requirement

Ohio University operates on a plus/minus grading system, e.g., A (4.00), A- (3.67), B+ (3.33), B (3.00), B- (2.67), etc. Unconditional admission into the program requires an undergraduate grade point average (gpa) of 3.00 (B) or higher, or compensating evidence of the ability to perform at the graduate level. To remain in good standing in the program you must maintain this level of performance as a minimum. If your overall gpa drops below 3.00, you will be placed on academic probation immediately. At that time, you will have one semester (or the equivalent of 12 graduate credit hours) to raise your overall average to the 3.00 mark. Students on academic probation cannot receive any financial aid from Ohio University.

The lowest acceptable grade in a graduate course is a C. However, any student receiving more than one grade of C (at any time in his or her course of study) may be dropped from the program. In such a case, a formal meeting with the student and the graduate committee will be held to discuss the grades and the prospect of removal. Students must earn at least a B (3.00) in the required course (GEOG 5000) in order to receive credit for it, otherwise he or she must repeat the course and earn a grade of B (3.00) or better. A student who receives a grade lower than a C (2.00) in any course can be dropped from the program at the discretion of the graduate committee. If the student is allowed to remain in the program with a grade of less than C (2.00), the course and the hours in which the grade below C (2.00) were earned will not count toward the credit hour requirement for the degree.

Annual Review

At the end of spring semester, the graduate committee will conduct a review of your performance thus far in the program. The purpose of this review is to verify that you are making satisfactory progress toward the completion of your degree and that you are on track to fulfill all the requirements of the program on time. Working with your advisor, the graduate committee will:

• Examine your grade report, paying particular attention to courses completed and your GPA
• Identify course grades below B (3.00), as well as Incomplete (I) and Progress (PR) grades (indicating that course requirements have not been completed)
• Seek comments and recommendations from your advisor regarding your ability to complete the degree
• Request a timetable for completing I or PR grades, if any were noted

Students making adequate progress toward the degree are considered in good standing. Following the annual review by the graduate committee, any student found not to be in good standing will receive a letter to that effect from the graduate chair. Students receiving an assistantship or Graduate Recruitment Scholarship who are judged not to be in good standing will lose financial support. Students not in good standing may be terminated from the program on the advice of the graduate committee.

OU students must apply for graduation online via their MyOHIO portal early in the term in which they expect to graduate. The deadline to apply for graduation occurs approximately one month into the semester. If you are not able to complete the requirements for graduation as planned, the application for graduation must be renewed online (for a small fee) for a subsequent term.

Ohio University Academic Policies and Procedures stipulate that students must be registered for a minimum of 0.5 hours of graduate credit in any semester in which they receive any service from the University, use its facilities, or graduate. Individual degree programs may set higher minimum registration thresholds for certain services or uses.

The only exception to minimum enrollment is that you do not have to register for your graduation term if you meet the following conditions prior to the start of the first day of classes in the term you will officially graduate:

• You were enrolled for at least one credit hour in the term prior to your graduation term
• You have completed all required coursework and have no incomplete grades
• You have completed all final projects and/or completed all required parts of the thesis or dissertation process by the posted deadlines

Students who were not registered at Ohio University in the term before they intend to apply for graduation must submit a request for re-enrollment .

Please note that the Commencement is optional and is a ceremonial occasion at which to celebrate your degree but does not indicate formal approval of your graduation. Students who are on track to complete all of their degree requirements during summer semester are welcome to participate in the Spring commencement.

The Effect of Expectation on Student Achievement

• First Online: 16 May 2017

Cite this chapter

• Şahin Danişman 2  

2620 Accesses

12 Citations

7 Altmetric

The effect of expectation on student achievement was examined in this meta-analysis study. A total of 1641 research studies were collected during the literature review, out of which 67 were included in the meta-analysis. The sixty seven research studies which included 126 correlation coefficients were compiled to obtain a sample size of 104,926 subjects. The results of the random effect model showed that expectation has a medium - level positive effect on student achievement . The moderators identified for the study were the type of publication , sample group (education level), school subject or assessment type, country (culture) , the year of the studies and the source of expectation, out of which publication type , country and source of expectation were found to be the moderator variables .

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save.

• Get 10 units per month
• Download Article/Chapter or eBook
• 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
• Cancel anytime
• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Teacher expectation effects in Chinese junior high schools: Exploring links between teacher expectations and student achievement using a hierarchical linear modelling approach

Frame of reference effects on values in mathematics: evidence from german secondary school students.

Assessing the predictive validity of expectancy theory for academic performance

Note . “*” References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the meta-analysis. The in-text citations to studies selected for meta-analysis are not followed by asterisks.

Google Scholar  

Adeniji-Neill, D. (2008). Parental expectations in education: A qualitative study of the expectations of Nigerian voluntary immigrants to the United States for their children’s school achievement (Doctoral dissertation). University of Hawai, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3326431).

Aldous, J. (2006). Family, ethnicity, and immigrant youths’ educational achievements. Journal of Family Issues, 27 (12), 1633–1667.

Al-Fadhli, H., & Singh, M. (2006). Teachers’ expectancy and efficacy as correlates of school achievement in Delta, Mississippi. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 19 (1–2), 51–67.

Alvidrez, J., & Weinstein, S. R. (1999). Early teacher perceptions and later student academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 731–746.

Article   Google Scholar  

Andrusik, K. N. (2011). The contributions of expectancy value theory and special education status to reading achievement of African American adolescents (Doctoral dissertation). University of Maryland, College Park, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3461481).*

Baron, R. M., Tom, D. Y. H., & Cooper, H. M. (1985). Social class, race and teacher expectations. In J. B. Dusek (Ed.), Teacher expectancies (pp. 251–269). Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Bodovski, K., & Farkas, G. (2008). “Concerted cultivation” and unequal achievement in elementary school. Social Science Research, 37, 903–919.*

Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Introduction to meta-analysis . UK: Wiley.

Boxer, P., Goldstein, S. E., DeLorenzo, T., Savoy, S., & Mercado, I. (2011). Educational aspiration–expectation discrepancies: Relation to socioeconomic and academic risk-related factors. Journal of Adolescence, 34 , 609–617.*

Buff, A., Reusser, K., Rakoczy, K., & Pauli, C. (2011). Activating positive affective experiences in the classroom: “Nice to have” or something more? Learning and Instruction, 21 , 452–466.*

Bui, K. (2001). Educational expectations and academic achievement among middle and high school students. Education, 127 (3), 328–331.

Bui, K. (2007). Educational expectations and academic achievement among middle and high school students. Education, 127 (3), 328–331.*

Carden, D. L. (2005). Parental expectations and the role of parent involvement in an independent school (Doctoral dissertation). The University of Alabama, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, (UMI Number: 3210436).

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences . Hillside, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Craft, S. A. (2005). Ethnic differences in the relationship between self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and academic achievement for first-year college students (Doctoral dissertation). Duke University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3231782).*

Cupani, M., de Minzi, M. C. R., Perez, E. R., & Pautassi, R. M. (2010). An assessment of a social-cognitive model of academic performance in mathematics in Argentinean middle school students. Learning and Individual Differences, 20 , 659–663.*

Darley, J. M., & Fazio, R. H. (1980). Expectancy-confirmation processes arising in the social interaction sequence. American Psychologist, 35, 867–881.

Davis-Kean, P. (2009 tarihi kontrol et metin 2005). Race differences in parental influences on child achievement: Multiple pathways to success. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 55(3), 285–318.

Defreitas, S. C. (2012). Differences between African American and European American first-year college students in the relationship between self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and academic achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 15, 109–123.*

Derbigny, L. T. R. (2011). The relationship among racial identity, subscription to stereotypic roles, perceived environmental expectations, and academic achievement in adolescent African-American girls (Doctoral dissertation). University of Southern California, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3477878).*

Diamond, J., & Gomez, K. (2004). African American parents’ educational orientations: The importance of social class and parents’ perceptions of schools. Education and Urban Society, 36 (4), 383–427.

Dickhauser, O., Reinhard, M. A., Diener, C., & Bertrams, A. (2009). How need for cognition affects the processing of achievement-related information. Learning and Individual Differences, 19 , 283–287.*

Domenech-Betoret, F., Gomez-Artiga, A., & Lloret-Segura, S. (2014). Personal variables motivation and avoidance learning strategies in undergraduate students. Learning and Individual Differences, 35 , 122–129.*

Durik, A. M., Shechter, O. G., Noh, M., Rozek, C. S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2015). What if I can’t? Success expectancies moderate the effects of utility value information on situational interest and performance. Motivation and Emotion, 39 , 104–118.*

Dusek, J. B., & Joseph, G. (1985). The bases of teacher expectancies. In J. B. Dusek (Ed.), Teacher expectancies (pp. 229–250). Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Eccles, J. S. (1983). Expectancies, values, and academic behavior. In J. T. Spence (Ed.), Achievement and achievement motives (pp. 75–146). San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.

Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109–132.

Englund, M. (2004). Children’s achievement in early elementary school: Longitudinal effects of parental involvement, expectations, and quality of assistance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96 (4), 723.

Englund, M. M., Luckner, A. E., Whaley, G. J. L., & Egeland, B. (2004). Children’s achievement in early elementary school: Longitudinal effects of parental involvement, expectations, and quality of assistance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96 (4), 723–730.

Entwisle, D. R., Alexander, K. L., & Olson, L. S. (2005). First grade and educational attainment by age 22: A new story. American Journal of Sociology, 110 (5), 1458–1502.

Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 13 (1), 1–22.

Feldman, D. B., & Kubota, M. (20159. Hope, self-efficacy, optimism, and academic achievement: Distinguishing constructs and levels of specificity in predicting college grade-point average. Learning an Individual Differences, 37 , 210–216.*

Gallahar, T. M. (2009). Students’ perceptions of teachers’ expectations as predictors of academic achievement in mathematics (Doctoral dissertation). The University of Alabama, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3385372).*

Garcia, J. N. (2014). Teacher and parent beliefs and expectations of parental involvement and how it relates to student academic achievement (Doctoral dissertation). Texas State University—San Marcos, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3681031).*

Good, T., & Brophy, J. (2000). Looking in classrooms (8th ed.). New York: Longman.

Graves, S. (2010). Are we neglecting African American males?: Parental involvement differences between African American males and females during elementary school. Journal of African American Studies, 14, 263–276.

Gray, D. L., Chang, Y., & Anderman, E. M. (2015). Conditional effects of mastery goal structure on changes in students’ motivational beliefs: Need for cognition matters. Learning and Individual Differences, 40 , 9–21.*

Grinstein-Weiss, M., Yeo, Y., Irish, K., & Zhan, M. (2009). Parental assets: A pathway to positive child educational outcomes. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 36 (1), 61–85.

Guo, J., Marsh, H. W., Parker, P. D., Morin, A. J. S., & Yeung, A. S. (2015). Expectancy value in mathematics gender and socioeconomic background as predictors of achievement and aspirations: A multi-cohort study. Learning and Individual Differences, 37 , 161–168.*

Hedges, L. V., & Olkin, I. (1985). Statistical method for meta-analysis . United Kingdom: Academic Press.

Hester, D. (2006). S elf-perception, teachers’ expectations, and reading achievement in elementary children (Master’s thesis). California State University, Fresno, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 1443544).*

Hill, N. E., & Tyson, D. F. (2009). Parental involvement in middle school: A meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Developmental Psychology, 45 (3), 740–763.

Hill, S. (2001). Class, race, and gender dimensions of child rearing in African American families. Journal of Black Studies, 31 (4), 494–508.

Hood, M., Creed, P. A., & Neumann, D. L. (2012). Using the expectancy value model of motivation to understand the relationship between student attitudes and achievement in statistics. Statistics Education Research Journal, 11 (2), 72–85.*

Imes, A. E. (2008). From expectations to success: Examining the relation of educational expectations to educational attainment for African American and white adolescents (Doctoral dissertation). The University of Texas at Austin, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3557948).*

Jeynes, W. H. (2005). A meta-analysis of the relation of parental involvement to urban elementary school student academic achievement. Urban Education, 40 (3), 237–269.

Jeynes, W. H. (2007). The relationship between parental involvement and urban secondary school student academic achievement. A meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42 (1), 82–110.

Johnson, W., McGue, M., & Iacono, W. G. (2007). Socioeconomic status and school grades: Placing their association in broader context in a sample of biological and adoptive families. Intelligence, 35, 526–541.*

Jones, B. D., Paretti, M. C., Hein, S. F., & Knott, T. W. (2010). An analysis of motivation constructs with first-year engineering students: Relationships among expectancies, values, achievement, and career plans. Journal of Engineering Education, 99 (4), 319–336.*

Jones, E. E. (1986). Interpreting interpersonal behavior: The effects of expectancies. Science, 234, 41–46.

Jussim, L. (1986). Self-fulfilling prophecies: A theoretical and integrative review. Psychological Review, 93 (4), 429–445.

Karp, J. M. (2010). Teacher expectations and the mediation effects of trust on eighth grade adolescent academic self-efficacy and achievement (Doctoral dissertation). Dowling College, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3405781).*

King Lewis, G. D. (2014). The achievement gap: Teachers’ expectations and reading achievement of African American middle school students (Doctoral dissertation). Walden University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3670316).*

Kleemans, T., Segers, E., & Verhoeven, L. (2013). Relations between home numeracy experiences and basic calculation skills of children with and without specific language impairment. Early Childhood research Quarterly, 28 , 415–423.*

Knape, E. O. (2010). Predicting high school graduation for Latino males using expectancy value theory of motivation and tenth grade reading achievement scores (Doctoral dissertation). University of Florida, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3585142).*

Kuklinski, M. R., & Weinstein, R. (2000). The stability of teacher expectations and perceived differential teacher treatment. Learning Environments Research, 3 (1), 1–34.

Kulinskaya, E., Morgenthaler, S., & Staudte, R. G. (2008). Meta-analysis: A guide to calibrating and combining statistical evidence . London: John Wiley & Sons.

Lazarides, R., & Watt, H. M. G. (2015). Girls’ and boys’ perceived mathematics teacher beliefs, classroom learning environments and mathematical career intentions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41 , 51–61.*

Lee, V., & Smith, J. (1996). Collective responsibility for learning and its effects on gains in achievement for early secondary school students. American Journal of Education, 104 (2), 103–147.

Lee, V., Smith, J., Perry, T., & Smylie, M. (1999). Social support, academic press, and student achievement: A view from the middle grades in Chicago . Chicago, IL: A Report of the Chicago Annenberg Research Project.

Lee, V. E., & Smith, J. B. (1999). Social support and achievement for young adolescents in Chicago: The role of school academic press. American Educational Research Journal, 36 (4), 907–945.

Lent, R. W., Miller, M. J., Smith, P. E., Watford, B. A., Him, R. H., & Hui, K. (2016). Social cognitive predictors of academic persistence and performance in engineering: Applicability across gender and race/ethnicity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 94 , 79–88.*

Levi, U., Einav, M., Ziv, O., Raskind, I., & Margalit, M. (2014). Academic expectations and actual achievements: the roles of hope and effort. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 29 (3), 367–386.*

Lucio, R., Rapp-Paglicci, L., & Rowe, W. (2011). Developing an additive risk model for predicting academic index: School factors and academic achievement. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 28, 153–173.

Ma, X. (2001). Participation in advanced mathematics: Do expectation and influence of students, peers, teachers, and parents matter? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 26 (1), 132–146.

Madon, S., Jussim, L., & Eccles, J. (1997). In search of the powerful self-fulfilling prophecy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 791–809.

Martin Krumm, C. P., Sarrazin, P. G., & Peterson, C. (2005). The moderating effects of explanatory style in physical education performance: A prospective study. Personality and Individual Differences, 38 , 1645–1656.*

Maskey, V. (2012). Grade expectation and achievement: Determinants and influential relationships in business courses. American Journal of Educational Studies, 5 (1), 71–88.*

McKown, C., & Winstein, R. S. (2008). Teacher expectations, classroom context and the achievement gap. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 235–261.*

Merton, R. K. (1948). The self-fulfilling prophecy. Antioch Review, 8, 193–210.

Mistry, R. S., White, E. S., Benner, A. D., & Huynh, V. W. (2009). A longitudinal study of the simultaneous influence of mothers’ and teachers’ educational expectations on low-income youth’s academic achievement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38 (6), 826–838.*

Moosmann, D. A. V., Roosa, M. W., & Knight, G. P. (2014). Generational patterns in Mexican Americans academic performance in an unwelcoming political context. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 35 , 102–110.*

Muller, C. (1998). The minimum competency exam requirement, teachers’ and students’ expectations and academic performance. Social Psychology of Education, 2 (2), 199–216.

Nelson, C. D. (2015). Relationship between first-generation college students’ expectations for experiences with faculty members and students’ success after the first year (Doctoral dissertation). University of South Florida, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3688408).*

Nicholson, L., Putwain, D., Connors, L., & Hornby-Atkinson, P. (2013). The key to successful achievement as an undergraduate student: Confidence and realistic expectations? Studies in Higher Education, 38 (2), 285–298.*

Novak, K. R. (2009). Teacher expectancy, teacher efficacy, and curriculum choice as factors in middle school achievement (Doctoral dissertation). Boston University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3357767).*

Oh, Y. J. (2008). The relationship between student perceptions of parental expectations, utility value, aptitude, and English achievement among Asian American high school students (Doctoral dissertation). University of Southern California, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3324947).*

Parsley, K., & Corcoran, C. (2003). The classroom teacher role in preventing school failure. Kappa Delta Pi, 39 (2), 84–87.

Patrikakou, E. N. (1997). A model of parental attitudes and the academic achievement of adolescents. Journal of Research & Development in Education, 31, 7–26.

Peterson, E. R., Rubie-Davies, C., Osborne, D., & Sibley, C. (2016). Teachers’ explicit expectations and implicit prejudiced attitudes to educational achievement: Relations with student achievement and the ethnic achievement gap. Learning and Instruction, 42 , 123–140.*

Phillipson, S., & Phillipson, S. N. (2007). Academic expectations, belief of ability, and involvement by parents as predictors of child achievement: A cross-cultural comparison. Educational Psychology, 27 (3), 329–348.*

Phillipson, S., & Phillipson, S. N. (2012). Children’s cognitive ability and their academic achievement: the mediation effects of parental expectations. Asia Pacific Education Review, 13 (3), 495–508.*

Piciullo, T. J. (2009). School membership, parent academic expectations, peer relationships, student-teacher relationships, academic self-concept, and academic achievement among ninth grade students from low, average, and high need schools (Doctoral dissertation). Dowling College, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3368241).*

Plante, I., O’keefe, P. A., & Théorêt, M. (2013). The relation between achievement goal and expectancy-value theories in predicting achievement-related outcomes: A test of four theoretical conceptions. Motivation and Emotion , 37 , 65–78.*

Reader, T. (2013). The relationship between high school students’ attributions and achievement and their perceptions of teachers’ expectations (Doctoral dissertation). The Claremont Graduate University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3605536).*

Ricks, L. E. (2010). A study of black and white teachers’ expectations and students’ academic achievement at a southeastern Virginia public high school (Doctoral dissertation). Regent University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3392175).*

Rivera, V. Y. (2012). The impact of teachers’ expectations, parents’ expectations, and academic self-efficacy on the achievement of English language learners (Doctoral dissertation). Texas A&M University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3532231).*

Rodriguez, C. M. (2014). The relationship between teacher expectations and teacher self-efficacy as it pertains to student success (Doctoral dissertation). Claremont Graduate University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3668382).*

Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom: Teacher expectation and pupils’ intellectual development . New York: Holt.

Rubie-Davies, C. M. (2006). Teacher expectations and student self-perceptions: Exploring relationships. Psychology in the Schools, 43 (5), 537–552.

Rubie-Davies, C. M. (2007). Classroom interactions: Exploring the practices of high and low-expectation teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77 (2), 289–306.

Rubie-Davies, C. M., Peterson, E., Irving, E., Widdowson, D., & Dixon, R. (2010). Expectations of achievement: Student, teacher and parent perceptions. Research in Education, 83 (1), 36–53.

Rubie-Davies, C. M., & Peterson, E. R. (2016). Relations between teachers’ achievement, over- and underestimation, and students’ beliefs for Maori and Pakeha students. Contemporary Educational Psychology (Article in Press).*

Rubie-Davies, C. M., Weinstein, R. S., Huang, F. L., Gregory, A., Cowan, P. A., & Cowan, C. P. (2014). Successive teacher expectation effects across the early school years. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 35 , 181–191.*

Sanders, C. E., Field, T. M., & Diego, M. A. (2001). Adolescents’ academic expectations and achievement. Adolescence, 36 (144), 795–802.

Schmitt-Wilson, S., & welsh, M. C. (2012). Vocational knowledge in rural children: A study of individual differences and predictors of occupational aspirations and expectations. Learning and Individual Differences, 22 , 862–867.*

Seeley, B. G. (2012). Predicting children’s academic achievement from parental aspirations, expectations, help with schoolwork, and home learning and language materials (Doctoral dissertation). Arizona State University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3502628).*

Seyfried, S., & Chung, I. (2003). Parent involvement as parental monitoring of student motivation and parent expectations predicting later achievement among African American and European American middle school age students. Journal of Ethnic Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 77, 109–131.

Shavitt, S., Johnson, T. P., & Zhang, J. (2011). Horizontal and vertical cultural differences in the content of advertising appeals. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 23 (3–4), 297–310.

Shouse, R. (1996). Academic press and sense of community: Conflict, congruence, and implications for student achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 1 (47), 47–68.

Smith, M. L. (1980). Teacher Expectations. Evaluation in Education, 4, 53–55.

Steinmayr, R., Wirthwein, L., & Schone, C. (2014). Gender and numerical intelligence: Does motivation matter? Learning and Individual Differences, 32 , 140–147.*

Stern, M. H. (2006). Parents’ academic expectations, children’s perceptions, and the reading achievement of children at varying risk (Doctoral dissertation). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3239232).*

Su, W. (2012). Explaining the link between parental educational expectations and Chinese high school students’ academic achievement: The roles of psychological distress, parental involvement, and filial piety (Doctoral dissertation). The University of Alabama at Birmingham, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3512324).*

Sulimani-Aidan, Y. (2015). Do they get what they expect?: The connection between young adults’ future expectations before leaving care and outcomes after leaving care. Children and Youth Services Review, 55 , 193–200.*

Tanaka, A., Takehara, T., & Yamauchi, H. (2006). Achievement goals in a presentation task: Performance expectancy, achievement goals, state anxiety, and task performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 16, 93–99.*

Tavani, C. M., & Losh, S. C. (2003). Motivation, self-confidence, and expectations as predictors of the academic performances among our high school students. Child Study Journal, 33 (3), 141–151.

Taylor, R. D., & Lopez, E. I. (2005). Family management practice, school achievement, and problem behavior in African American adolescents: Mediating processes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 26 , 39–49.*

Temple, A. (2012). A model of student engagement and academic achievement: The role of teacher-student relationships and teacher expectations (Doctoral dissertation). Wayne State University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, (UMI Number: 3504032).*

Tenenbaum, H. R., & Ruck, M. D. (2007). Are teachers’ expectations different for racial minority than for European American students? A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99 (2), 253–273.

Teshima, A. (2013). Effects of parent’s belief, generational status, and household language, on expectation, in predicting child’s academic achievement (Master’s thesis). California State University, Fullerton, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 1523979).*

Triandis, H. C., & Gelfand, M. J. (1998). Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74 (1), 118–128.

Turner, H., Rubie-Davies, C., & Webber, M. (2015). Teacher expectations, ethnicity and the achievement gap. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 50 (1), 55–69.*

Villiger, C., Wandeler, C., & Niggli, A. (2014). Explaining differences in reading motivation between immigrant and native students: The role of parental involvement. International Journal of Educational Research, 64 , 12–25.*

Walkey, F. H., McClure, J., Meyer, L. H., & Weir, K. F. (2013). Low expectations equal no expectations: Aspirations motivation and achievement in secondary school. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 38, 306–315.*

Wang, Y. (2015). A trend study of the influences of parental expectation, parental involvement, and self-efficacy on the English academic achievement of Chinese eighth graders. International Education, 44 (2), 45–68.*

Weeks, J. C. (2008). African American parents’ academic expectations for their children and their experiences with schools. (Doctoral dissertation). University of Houston, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3340598).

Weinstein, R. S. (2002). Reaching higher: The power of expectations in schooling . Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.

Weinstein, R. S., & McKown, C. (1998). Expectancy effects in “context”: Listening to voices of students and teachers. In J. Brophy (Ed.), Advances in research on teaching: Expectations in the classroom (Vol. 7, pp. 215–242). Greenwich, CT: JAI.

Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2002). The development of competence beliefs, expectancies for success, and achievement values from childhood through adolescence. In G. Phye (Ed.), Development of achievement motivation (pp. 91–120). San Diego: Academic Press.

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Williams, B. R. (2007). Ninth grade student perceptions of sense of school membership, parent academic expectations, and peer relationships as related to academic achievement (Doctoral dissertation). Dowling College, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3275710).*

Wilson, P. M., & Wilson, J. R. (1992). Environmental influences on adolescence educational aspirations. Youth & Society, 24, 52–70.

Wood, D., Kurtz-Costes, B., Okeke-Adeyanju, N., & Rowley, S. (2010). Mother’s academic gender stereotypes and education-related beliefs about sons and daughters in African American families. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102 (2), 521–530.

Woolley, M. E., Structhens, M. E., Gilbert, M. C., & Martin, W. G. (2010). Mathematics success of black middle school students: Direct and indirect effects of teacher expectations and reform practices. The Negro Educational Review, 61 , 41–59.*

Wu, F., & Qi, S. (2006). Longitudinal effects of parenting on children’s academic achievement in African American families. The Journal of Negro Education, 75 (3), 415–429.

Youse, K. E. (2012). Locus of control and academic achievement: Integrating social learning theory and expectancy-value theory (Doctoral dissertation). Temple University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3510454).*

Zhang, Y., Haddad, E., Torres, B., & Chen, C. (2011). The reciprocal relationships among parents’ expectations, adolescents’ expectations, and adolescents’ achievement: A two-wave longitudinal analysis of the NELS data. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40 (4), 479–489.

Zhu, X. (2009). Examining the relation between student expectancy-value motivation, achievement in middle-school physical education, and after-school physical activity participation (Doctoral dissertation). University of Maryland, College Park, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (UMI Number: 3372939).*

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey

Şahin Danişman

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Şahin Danişman .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Faculty of Education, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Turkey

Engin Karadag

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Danişman, Ş. (2017). The Effect of Expectation on Student Achievement. In: Karadag, E. (eds) The Factors Effecting Student Achievement. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56083-0_14

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56083-0_14

Published : 16 May 2017

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-319-56082-3

Online ISBN : 978-3-319-56083-0

eBook Packages : Education Education (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

• Future Students
• Parents/Families
• Alumni/Friends
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff
• MyOHIO Student Center
• Visit Athens Campus
• Regional Campuses
• OHIO Online
• Faculty/Staff Directory

College of Arts and Sciences

• Awards & Accomplishments
• Communications
• Mission and Vision
• News and Events
• Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
• A&S Support Team
• Faculty Affairs
• Human Resources
• Promotion & Tenure
• Centers & Institutes
• Faculty & Department Research
• Undergraduate Research
• Environmental Majors
• Pre-Law Majors
• Pre-Med, Pre-Health Majors
• Find an Internship. Get a Job.
• Honors Programs & Pathways
• Undergraduate Research Opportunities
• Undergraduate Advising & Student Affairs
• Online Degrees & Certificates
• Ph.D. Programs
• Master's Degrees
• Certificates
• Graduate Forms
• Thesis & Dissertation
• Departments
• Alumni Awards
• Giving Opportunities
• Dean's Office
• Department Chairs & Contacts
• Faculty Directory
• Staff Directory
• Undergraduate Advising & Student Affairs Directory

Helpful Links

Navigate OHIO

Connect With Us

Academic Expectations

Students are accepted into the program because they possess the interests, skills, and work ethic to complete their degree in a timely manner. We are confident that you will perform well in your classes and achieve high grades. However, you should be aware of the following guidelines for graduate-level academic expectations.

GPA Requirement

Ohio University operates on a plus/minus grading system, e.g., A (4.00), A- (3.67), B+ (3.33), B (3.00), B- (2.67), etc. Unconditional admission into the program requires an undergraduate grade point average (gpa) of 3.00 (B) or higher, or compensating evidence of the ability to perform at the graduate level. To remain in good standing in the program you must maintain this level of performance as a minimum. If your overall gpa drops below 3.00, you will be placed on academic probation immediately. At that time, you will have one semester (or the equivalent of 12 graduate credit hours) to raise your overall average to the 3.00 mark. Students on academic probation cannot receive any financial aid from Ohio University.

The lowest acceptable grade in a graduate course is a C. However, any student receiving more than one grade of C (at any time in his or her course of study) may be dropped from the program. In such a case, a formal meeting with the student and the graduate committee will be held to discuss the grades and the prospect of removal. Students must earn at least a B (3.00) in the required course (GEOG 5000) in order to receive credit for it, otherwise he or she must repeat the course and earn a grade of B (3.00) or better. A student who receives a grade lower than a C (2.00) in any course can be dropped from the program at the discretion of the graduate committee. If the student is allowed to remain in the program with a grade of less than C (2.00), the course and the hours in which the grade below C (2.00) were earned will not count toward the credit hour requirement for the degree.

Annual Review

At the end of spring semester, the graduate committee will conduct a review of your performance thus far in the program. The purpose of this review is to verify that you are making satisfactory progress toward the completion of your degree and that you are on track to fulfill all the requirements of the program on time. Working with your advisor, the graduate committee will:

• Examine your grade report, paying particular attention to courses completed and your GPA
• Identify course grades below B (3.00), as well as Incomplete (I) and Progress (PR) grades (indicating that course requirements have not been completed)
• Seek comments and recommendations from your advisor regarding your ability to complete the degree
• Request a timetable for completing I or PR grades, if any were noted

Students making adequate progress toward the degree are considered in good standing. Following the annual review by the graduate committee, any student found not to be in good standing will receive a letter to that effect from the graduate chair. Students receiving an assistantship or Graduate Recruitment Scholarship who are judged not to be in good standing will lose financial support. Students not in good standing may be terminated from the program on the advice of the graduate committee.

OU students must apply for graduation online via their MyOHIO portal early in the term in which they expect to graduate. The deadline to apply for graduation occurs approximately one month into the semester. If you are not able to complete the requirements for graduation as planned, the application for graduation must be renewed online (for a small fee) for a subsequent term.

Ohio University Academic Policies and Procedures stipulate that students must be registered for a minimum of 0.5 hours of graduate credit in any semester in which they receive any service from the University, use its facilities, or graduate. Individual degree programs may set higher minimum registration thresholds for certain services or uses.

The only exception to minimum enrollment is that you do not have to register for your graduation term if you meet the following conditions prior to the start of the first day of classes in the term you will officially graduate:

• You were enrolled for at least one credit hour in the term prior to your graduation term
• You have completed all required coursework and have no incomplete grades
• You have completed all final projects and/or completed all required parts of the thesis or dissertation process by the posted deadlines

Students who were not registered at Ohio University in the term before they intend to apply for graduation must submit a request for re-enrollment .

Please note that the Commencement is optional and is a ceremonial occasion at which to celebrate your degree but does not indicate formal approval of your graduation. Students who are on track to complete all of their degree requirements during summer semester are welcome to participate in the Spring commencement.

Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

Graduate Handbook

Introduction, expectations and responsibilities, goal of graduate education link to section.

The primary goal of graduate education at the University of Rochester is to prepare promising students for outstanding scholarly and professional achievement by educating them in the skills of a discipline and in the intellectual and ethical foundations of research, instilling in each student the capacity for independent critical thinking and inspiring students to use their knowledge and training for the betterment of society.

Master’s Student Expectations Link to section

As with most worthwhile endeavors, success in graduate study cannot be guaranteed and often depends on the mutual efforts of faculty and student. Individual faculty and programs as well as the School of Arts & Sciences and the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences are committed to your success as a graduate student, and, as such, master’s students may reasonably expect the following support in their program. The exact way in which these goals may be met can vary, depending on the program and the department.

• Resources: To receive appropriate resources, including reasonable access to appropriate course offerings to meet the student’s approved program of study and facilities to allow the student to complete the program.
• Guidance: To receive advice and direction regarding the student’s academic program.
• Expectations: To be informed of the expectations, including timelines, for the successful completion of any potential non-course duties, such as research projects, teaching assignments, and thesis work.
• Evaluation: To receive timely and fair assessment of the student’s work, including coursework, program exams, and (potentially) research and teaching assignments.
• Support services: To be provided with professional and personal development support services if requested, such as those offered by the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections , Disability Resources , Learning Center , and Teaching Center  that enhance the student’s professional and academic experience.
• Professional development: To be provided with opportunities to attend colloquia and seminars and, in appropriate cases, to publish the student’s research.
• Nondiscrimination: To be treated in a fair, impartial, and professional manner in all dealings in accordance with University policies governing discrimination and harassment (as per the University of Rochester Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment ).
• Collegiality: To have a collegial, welcoming environment in which to pursue the student’s graduate studies, where students are respected as valuable members of the community.
• Fair treatment: To be given appropriate credit for the student’s work and provided clear guidelines on authorship, data ownership, and research practices when engaged in joint research projects.
• Conflict of interest: To receive appropriate instruction about conflicts of interest so the student can avoid being placed in a situation that creates a conflict of interest (see the University of Rochester Guidelines on Research Integrity and Conflict of Interest for Graduate Students Policy ).
• Policies: To receive guidelines on academic policies and procedures, as found in the Graduate Bulletin , on the AS&E GEPA website , and provided by the student’s program.
• Feedback: To be provided feedback on performance and given clear guidelines on the required areas of improvement when performance is deemed poor and the student is in jeopardy of being removed from the program.
• Appeal: In ways prescribed by University policies, to have the opportunity to petition for an exemption to an existing policy, to appeal decisions related to policies and procedures, and to issue a complaint when standards of fairness may have been violated.

Master’s Student Responsibilities Link to section

Master’s students are responsible for working toward completion of their degree programs in a timely manner. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure continued progress of their academic program. Students have a responsibility for the following aspects of their program.

• Timeframes: To work effectively toward completion of the degree in a timely manner.
• Academics: To successfully complete a program of study consisting of the number of credit hours specified by the departmental requirements.
• Thesis (for Plan A students only): To discover and pursue a unique topic of research in order to construct new knowledge.
• Integrity and ethics: To assume the highest integrity and maintain ethical standards in all aspects of the student’s work, including coursework and research, especially in the tasks of collecting, analyzing, and presenting research data and in writing reports or essays. Special care should be taken to follow guidelines established by the University’s independent review boards for research, such as the Research Subjects Review Board (RSRB) .
• Research records management: Where applicable, to maintain detailed, organized, and accurate research notebooks and records. Please note that when a student leaves a program, all research data and documentation remain the property of the University.
• Teaching: Where applicable, to take teaching duties seriously and to use all teaching experiences to enhance the student’s effectiveness as an instructor.
• Work environment: To help maintain a clean and safe work environment, including but not limited to classroom spaces, laboratory spaces, and common spaces.
• Collegiality: To promote collegiality and a welcoming environment in all aspects of the student’s program, ensuring that all students, faculty, and staff are treated with respect.
• Familiarity with policies: To take responsibility for keeping informed of and complying with regulations and policies and to complete all required paperwork and other degree obligations in a timely fashion. Note that individual programs may have additional policies, and it is the student’s responsibility to understand and comply with these policies as well.
• Effort: To devote full time and effort toward completing degree requirements (for full-time students). Students are expected to be on campus and completing degree requirements during the academic semester. Students away from campus for an extended period during any academic semester (e.g., for field research) must register in absentia for the semester.
• Employment: Not to simultaneously be employed full time while maintaining full-time student status, unless it is an internship related to the student’s academic program and supported by the student’s advisor, the program director of graduate studies, and the AS&E dean of graduate education and postdoctoral affairs. International students must discuss with the International Services Office (ISO) any special rules and regulations for internships and part-time employment, including the maximum number of hours they are allowed to work.

PhD Student Expectations Link to section

As with most worthwhile endeavors, success in graduate study cannot be guaranteed and often depends on the mutual efforts of faculty and student to work diligently and form a productive professional relationship.

Individual faculty and programs as well as the School of Arts & Sciences and the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences are committed to your success as a graduate student, and, as such, graduate students may reasonably expect the following related to their research, their teaching, and their general program support. The exact way in which these goals may be met can vary, depending on the program and the department requirements.

Research, Teaching, and Training Link to section

• Resources: To receive appropriate resources, including reasonable access to faculty, appropriate course offerings to meet the student’s approved program of study, and facilities to allow the student to complete the program.
• Guidance: To receive advice and direction regarding the student’s academic program as well as thesis research.
• Training: To receive training on the current best practices in research and teaching, including appropriate techniques, tools, methods, and equipment needed to successfully carry out the student’s research or teaching duties.
• Appropriateness: To have projects and tasks that are assigned to the student be appropriate for the student’s program of study and designed to help the student make continued progress toward completion of the degree.
• Expectations: To be informed of the expectations, including timelines, for the successful completion of any duties, such as research projects, teaching assignments, and thesis work.
• Evaluation: To receive timely and fair assessment of the student’s work, including coursework, program exams, research, and teaching. Students should receive, at minimum, a yearly evaluation by their advisor or department graduate committee to provide feedback and monitor progress.
• Support services: To be provided with professional and personal development support services if requested, such as those offered by the Greene Career Center , Disability Resources , Learning Center , and Teaching Center   that enhance the student’s professional and academic experience.
• Professional development: To be provided in appropriate cases with opportunities to publish the student’s research, present the student’s work, apply for patents and copyrights for the student’s work, and attend colloquia, seminars, and workshops to support the student’s professional development.

Community and Administrative Link to section

• Collegiality: To have a collegial, welcoming environment in which to pursue the student’s research, teaching, and professional activities, where students are respected as valuable members of the community.
• Conflict of interest: To receive appropriate instruction about conflicts of interest so the student can avoid being placed in a situation that creates a conflict of interest (see the University of Rochester's  Guidelines on Research Integrity and Conflict of Interest for Graduate Students Policy ).
• Policies: To receive guidelines on academic policies and procedures, as found in the Graduate Bulletin and Regulations and University Policies Concerning Graduate Studies , on the AS&E GEPA office website, and provided by the student’s program.
• Feedback: To be provided feedback on performance and given clear guidelines on the required areas of improvement when performance is deemed poor and the student is in jeopardy of being removed from the program. Students should also receive a formal evaluation at least annually.

PhD Student Responsibilities Link to section

PhD students are responsible for working toward completion of their degree programs in a timely manner. In addition to gaining expertise in a particular field of study, PhD students are expected to expand the knowledge of that disciplinary field by discovering and pursuing a unique topic of scholarly research, resulting in the PhD dissertation. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure continued progress of their academic program and thesis research.

In addition, the Office of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs requires that all departments in AS&E conduct an annual evaluation of their PhD students in conjunction with their graduate program to be completed by July 1.

Annual evaluations are a key practice for professional development. It provides an opportunity to track progress and build your portfolio, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate success. By completing a yearly evaluation, you have an opportunity to receive feedback from your advisor and/or department and to clarify goals and expectations with them, reflect on what you have already accomplished as well as to set goals for the future.

Given the distinctiveness of graduate training by department, each department may administer the self-evaluation differently. Therefore, if you have any questions, please contact your director of graduate studies or your graduate coordinator for more details.

• Academics: To learn the existing theories, practices, and research methods of the discipline and to apply these in the student’s research and teaching.
• Thesis: To discover and pursue a unique topic of research in order to construct new knowledge and to apply this knowledge to existing problems and issues.
• Communication: To communicate regularly with faculty advisors and thesis exam committee members, providing these faculty with updates on the student’s progress within the program and updates on results of research activities.
• Integrity and ethics: To assume the highest integrity and maintain ethical standards in all aspects of the student’s work, especially in the tasks of collecting, analyzing, and presenting research data. Special care should be taken to follow guidelines established by the University’s independent review boards for research, such as the Research Subjects Review Board (RSRB) .
• Teaching: To take teaching duties seriously and to use all teaching experiences to enhance the student’s effectiveness as an instructor and to further the educational goals of the students being taught.
• Professionalization: To contribute, wherever possible, to the scholarly discourse of the discipline through presentations, publications, and professional engagement and service. The student should attend and participate in appropriate meetings, colloquia, seminars, and group discussions that are part of the educational program, and the student should submit all relevant research results that are ready for publication in a timely manner.
• Work environment: To help maintain a clean and safe work environment, including but not limited to office space, laboratory spaces, and common spaces.
• Mentors: To seek out a range of faculty, professional, and peer mentors who can help the student prepare for a variety of professional and career roles and responsibilities and to serve as a mentor to others when appropriate.
• Collegiality: To promote collegiality and a welcoming environment in the student’s classrooms and laboratories and in all aspects of the student’s program, ensuring that all students, faculty, and staff are treated with respect.
• Effort: To devote full time and effort toward completing degree requirements (for full-time students). Students are expected to be on campus and completing degree requirements during the academic semester. Students must check with the program director of graduate studies for program-specific guidelines while on vacation.
• Employment: Not to simultaneously be employed full time while maintaining full-time student status, unless it is an internship related to the student’s academic program and supported by the student’s advisor, the program director of graduate studies, and the AS&E dean of graduate education and postdoctoral affairs. Part-time employment for full-time students is limited by individual programs—any part-time employment must be approved by the student’s advisor and the program director of graduate studies. International students must discuss with the International Services Office (ISO) any special rules and regulations for internships and part-time employment, such as the number of allowable work hours.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | Guide, Examples, & Template

A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program.

Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you’ve ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating to know where to begin.

Your department likely has guidelines related to how your dissertation should be structured. When in doubt, consult with your supervisor.

You can also download our full dissertation template in the format of your choice below. The template includes a ready-made table of contents with notes on what to include in each chapter, easily adaptable to your department’s requirements.

Download Word template Download Google Docs template

• In the US, a dissertation generally refers to the collection of research you conducted to obtain a PhD.
• In other countries (such as the UK), a dissertation often refers to the research you conduct to obtain your bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Dissertation committee and prospectus process, how to write and structure a dissertation, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your dissertation, free checklist and lecture slides.

When you’ve finished your coursework, as well as any comprehensive exams or other requirements, you advance to “ABD” (All But Dissertation) status. This means you’ve completed everything except your dissertation.

Prior to starting to write, you must form your committee and write your prospectus or proposal . Your committee comprises your adviser and a few other faculty members. They can be from your own department, or, if your work is more interdisciplinary, from other departments. Your committee will guide you through the dissertation process, and ultimately decide whether you pass your dissertation defense and receive your PhD.

Your prospectus is a formal document presented to your committee, usually orally in a defense, outlining your research aims and objectives and showing why your topic is relevant . After passing your prospectus defense, you’re ready to start your research and writing.

Don't submit your assignments before you do this

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students. Free citation check included.

Try for free

The structure of your dissertation depends on a variety of factors, such as your discipline, topic, and approach. Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an overall argument to support a central thesis , with chapters organized around different themes or case studies.

However, hard science and social science dissertations typically include a review of existing works, a methodology section, an analysis of your original research, and a presentation of your results , presented in different chapters.

Dissertation examples

We’ve compiled a list of dissertation examples to help you get started.

• Example dissertation #1: Heat, Wildfire and Energy Demand: An Examination of Residential Buildings and Community Equity (a dissertation by C. A. Antonopoulos about the impact of extreme heat and wildfire on residential buildings and occupant exposure risks).
• Example dissertation #2: Exploring Income Volatility and Financial Health Among Middle-Income Households (a dissertation by M. Addo about income volatility and declining economic security among middle-income households).
• Example dissertation #3: The Use of Mindfulness Meditation to Increase the Efficacy of Mirror Visual Feedback for Reducing Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees (a dissertation by N. S. Mills about the effect of mindfulness-based interventions on the relationship between mirror visual feedback and the pain level in amputees with phantom limb pain).

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo.

Read more about title pages

The acknowledgements section is usually optional and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you. In some cases, your acknowledgements are part of a preface.

Read more about acknowledgements Read more about prefaces

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about 150 to 300 words long. Though this may seem very short, it’s one of the most important parts of your dissertation, because it introduces your work to your audience.

Your abstract should:

• State your main topic and the aims of your research
• Describe your methods
• Summarize your main results
• State your conclusions

Read more about abstracts

The table of contents lists all of your chapters, along with corresponding subheadings and page numbers. This gives your reader an overview of your structure and helps them easily navigate your document.

Remember to include all main parts of your dissertation in your table of contents, even the appendices. It’s easy to generate a table automatically in Word if you used heading styles. Generally speaking, you only include level 2 and level 3 headings, not every subheading you included in your finished work.

Read more about tables of contents

While not usually mandatory, it’s nice to include a list of figures and tables to help guide your reader if you have used a lot of these in your dissertation. It’s easy to generate one of these in Word using the Insert Caption feature.

Read more about lists of figures and tables

Similarly, if you have used a lot of abbreviations (especially industry-specific ones) in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.

Read more about lists of abbreviations

In addition to the list of abbreviations, if you find yourself using a lot of highly specialized terms that you worry will not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary. Here, alphabetize the terms and include a brief description or definition.

Read more about glossaries

The introduction serves to set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance. It tells the reader what to expect in the rest of your dissertation. The introduction should:

• Establish your research topic , giving the background information needed to contextualize your work
• Narrow down the focus and define the scope of your research
• Discuss the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s relevance to a broader problem or debate
• Clearly state your research questions and objectives
• Outline the flow of the rest of your work

Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant. By the end, the reader should understand the what, why, and how of your research.

Read more about introductions

A formative part of your research is your literature review . This helps you gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic.

Literature reviews encompass:

• Finding relevant sources (e.g., books and journal articles)
• Assessing the credibility of your sources
• Critically analyzing and evaluating each source
• Drawing connections between them (e.g., themes, patterns, conflicts, or gaps) to strengthen your overall point

A literature review is not merely a summary of existing sources. Your literature review should have a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear justification for your own research. It may aim to:

• Address a gap in the literature or build on existing knowledge
• Take a new theoretical or methodological approach to your topic
• Propose a solution to an unresolved problem or advance one side of a theoretical debate

Read more about literature reviews

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework. Here, you define and analyze the key theories, concepts, and models that frame your research.

Read more about theoretical frameworks

Your methodology chapter describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to critically assess its credibility. Your methodology section should accurately report what you did, as well as convince your reader that this was the best way to answer your research question.

A methodology section should generally include:

• The overall research approach ( quantitative vs. qualitative ) and research methods (e.g., a longitudinal study )
• Your data collection methods (e.g., interviews or a controlled experiment )
• Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place
• Any tools and materials you used (e.g., computer programs, lab equipment)
• Your data analysis methods (e.g., statistical analysis , discourse analysis )
• An evaluation or justification of your methods

Read more about methodology sections

Your results section should highlight what your methodology discovered. You can structure this section around sub-questions, hypotheses , or themes, but avoid including any subjective or speculative interpretation here.

Your results section should:

• Concisely state each relevant result together with relevant descriptive statistics (e.g., mean , standard deviation ) and inferential statistics (e.g., test statistics , p values )
• Briefly state how the result relates to the question or whether the hypothesis was supported
• Report all results that are relevant to your research questions , including any that did not meet your expectations.

Additional data (including raw numbers, full questionnaires, or interview transcripts) can be included as an appendix. You can include tables and figures, but only if they help the reader better understand your results. Read more about results sections

Your discussion section is your opportunity to explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research question. Here, interpret your results in detail, discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the framework that you built in earlier chapters. Refer back to relevant source material to show how your results fit within existing research in your field.

Some guiding questions include:

• What do your results mean?
• Why do your results matter?
• What limitations do the results have?

If any of the results were unexpected, offer explanations for why this might be. It’s a good idea to consider alternative interpretations of your data.

Read more about discussion sections

Your dissertation’s conclusion should concisely answer your main research question, leaving your reader with a clear understanding of your central argument and emphasizing what your research has contributed to the field.

In some disciplines, the conclusion is just a short section preceding the discussion section, but in other contexts, it is the final chapter of your work. Here, you wrap up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you found, with recommendations for future research and concluding remarks.

It’s important to leave the reader with a clear impression of why your research matters. What have you added to what was already known? Why is your research necessary for the future of your field?

Read more about conclusions

It is crucial to include a reference list or list of works cited with the full details of all the sources that you used, in order to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your dissertation. Each style has strict and specific formatting requirements.

Common styles include MLA , Chicago , and APA , but which style you use is often set by your department or your field.

Create APA citations Create MLA citations

Your dissertation should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents such as interview transcripts or survey questions can be added as appendices, rather than adding them to the main body.

Read more about appendices

Making sure that all of your sections are in the right place is only the first step to a well-written dissertation. Don’t forget to leave plenty of time for editing and proofreading, as grammar mistakes and sloppy spelling errors can really negatively impact your work.

Dissertations can take up to five years to write, so you will definitely want to make sure that everything is perfect before submitting. You may want to consider using a professional dissertation editing service , AI proofreader or grammar checker to make sure your final project is perfect prior to submitting.

After your written dissertation is approved, your committee will schedule a defense. Similarly to defending your prospectus, dissertation defenses are oral presentations of your work. You’ll present your dissertation, and your committee will ask you questions. Many departments allow family members, friends, and other people who are interested to join as well.

After your defense, your committee will meet, and then inform you whether you have passed. Keep in mind that defenses are usually just a formality; most committees will have resolved any serious issues with your work with you far prior to your defense, giving you ample time to fix any problems.

As you write your dissertation, you can use this simple checklist to make sure you’ve included all the essentials.

Checklist: Dissertation

My title page includes all information required by my university.

I have included acknowledgements thanking those who helped me.

My abstract provides a concise summary of the dissertation, giving the reader a clear idea of my key results or arguments.

I have created a table of contents to help the reader navigate my dissertation. It includes all chapter titles, but excludes the title page, acknowledgements, and abstract.

My introduction leads into my topic in an engaging way and shows the relevance of my research.

My introduction clearly defines the focus of my research, stating my research questions and research objectives .

My introduction includes an overview of the dissertation’s structure (reading guide).

I have conducted a literature review in which I (1) critically engage with sources, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, (2) discuss patterns, themes, and debates in the literature, and (3) address a gap or show how my research contributes to existing research.

I have clearly outlined the theoretical framework of my research, explaining the theories and models that support my approach.

I have thoroughly described my methodology , explaining how I collected data and analyzed data.

I have concisely and objectively reported all relevant results .

I have (1) evaluated and interpreted the meaning of the results and (2) acknowledged any important limitations of the results in my discussion .

I have clearly stated the answer to my main research question in the conclusion .

I have clearly explained the implications of my conclusion, emphasizing what new insight my research has contributed.

I have provided relevant recommendations for further research or practice.

If relevant, I have included appendices with supplemental information.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

I have listed every source in a reference list at the end of my dissertation.

I have consistently followed the rules of my chosen citation style .

I have followed all formatting guidelines provided by my university.

Congratulations!

The end is in sight—your dissertation is nearly ready to submit! Make sure it's perfectly polished with the help of a Scribbr editor.

If you’re an educator, feel free to download and adapt these slides to teach your students about structuring a dissertation.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

Is this article helpful?

Other students also liked.

• How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates
• Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples
• How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow

More interesting articles

• Checklist: Writing a dissertation
• Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates
• Dissertation Binding and Printing | Options, Tips, & Comparison
• Example of a dissertation abstract
• Figure and Table Lists | Word Instructions, Template & Examples
• How to Write a Discussion Section | Tips & Examples
• How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis Proposal
• How to Write a Results Section | Tips & Examples
• How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Conclusion
• How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction
• How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples
• How to Write Recommendations in Research | Examples & Tips
• List of Abbreviations | Example, Template & Best Practices
• Operationalization | A Guide with Examples, Pros & Cons
• Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples
• Purpose and structure of an advisory report
• Relevance of Your Dissertation Topic | Criteria & Tips
• Research Paper Appendix | Example & Templates
• Shorten your abstract or summary
• Theoretical Framework Example for a Thesis or Dissertation
• Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples
• Thesis & Dissertation Database Examples
• Thesis & Dissertation Title Page | Free Templates & Examples
• What is a Dissertation Preface? | Definition & Examples
• What is a Glossary? | Definition, Templates, & Examples
• What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips
• What Is a Theoretical Framework? | Guide to Organizing
• What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

What is your plagiarism score?

Three Minute Thesis Competition

The Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) is an exciting, fast-paced event showcasing the research of graduate students across campus. Each scholar is given three minutes to present their research displayed to the audience and judging panel in a single presentation slide. The competition boasts cash prizes for winners in each category.

You'll be amazed at what these scholars can fit into a three-minute presentation. You don't want to miss this competition!

Our graduate students have had an impressive showing at the regional 3MT competition at the Western Association of Graduate Schools annual conference. In 2023, Jennifer Heppner won third place and in 2024, Kendra Isable won second place. 

The 2024 competition will be hosted in the Spring semester with two preliminary rounds in early March and the finals in April.

Learn more about our competition

Join our competition, preliminary round.

The top four contestants from groups A1, B1, A2 and B2 will be awarded $300 and will compete in the final round. Submit your presentation using the appropriate Group description link below.

Liberal Arts/Social Sciences/Education/Business

Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 6 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Auditorium (MIKC 124)

• Group A1: Doctoral Dissertation Students
• Group B1: Master's Thesis Students

Sciences/Engineering/Mathematics/Health Sciences

Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 6 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Auditorium (MIKC 124)

• Group A2: Doctoral Dissertation Students
• Group B2: Master's Thesis Students

Final round

Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 7 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Auditorium (MIKC 124)

In the final round you'll compete against the eight finalists at your degree level:

• Group A — Doctoral Students (Four students from A1 and four students from A2)
• Group B — Master's Students (Four students from B1 and four students from B2)

Award amounts

Winners from each group of the final round will be awarded as follows:

• First Place: $1,000
• Second Place: $600
• Third Place: $400
• Peoples' Choice: $500

Deadline and application form

Applications are due February 29 by 11:59 p.m.

Preliminary submission form

Competition rules and terms

Presentation:.

• A single, static PowerPoint slide in 16x9 format is required (pdfs not allowed).
• Include your presentation title, full name, and graduate program on the slide.
• First-place winners from the last year's 3MT competition are ineligible to compete, however, last year's second- and third-place winners are eligible to compete.
• No slide transitions, animations or on-screen movement of any description are allowed.
• The slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum; competitors exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• Presentations are to commence from the stage.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
• All monetary awards for both preliminary and final rounds are pre-tax amounts.
• Abstracts are limited to 250 words.
• Students must be graduate students to enter the competition.
• While advancement to candidacy is not required, students must have made significant progress towards completion of their dissertation, thesis, or professional project in order to enter the competition.
• Winners will be announced approximately one week after the competition.
• You will be asked to sign a photo-video release at the event to allow the University of Nevada, Reno to use your likeness in photos/videos of the competition.

Judging criteria

Comprehension & content.

• Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background to the research question being addressed and its significance?
• Did the presentation clearly describe the key results of the research including conclusions and outcomes?
• Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
• Was the thesis topic, key results and research significance and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
• Did the speaker avoid scientific jargon, explain terminology and provide adequate background information to illustrate points?
• Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation - or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?

Engagement & Communication

• Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
• Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their research?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience's attention?
• Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation - was it clear, legible, and concise?

View past Three Minute Thesis winners

View the winners of each year since 2014!

View past winners

2022-2023 Finalists and winners

Doctoral category

First place: cody cris.

• Graduate program:  Cell and Molecular Biology
• Title:  Lighting the way: Tools to prepare for future pandemics
• Faculty advisor:  Subhash Verma

SECOND PLACE: Anithakrithi Balaji

• Graduate program: Biomedical Engineering
• Title: Electrifying the fight-or-flight response: Nanosecond electric pulses for neuromodulation
• Faculty advisor: Jihwan Yoon

THIRD PLACE: Noah Nieman

• Graduate program:  Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Title:  Accelerating bridge construction connections behavior during near fault motions
• Faculty advisor: Floriana Petrone

2024 Finalists:

Francisco calderon abullarade.

• Graduate program: Ph.D. History
• Title: Creating the Enemy: The origins of the inter-american cold war in the 1940s
• Faculty advisor: Renata Keller

Anithakrithi Balaji

• Graduate program: Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering
• Title: Electrifying the fight-or-flight response: Nanosecond electric pulses for neuromodulation 

Monika Bharti

• Graduate program: Ph.D. Education - Literacy Studies
• Title: P re-service teachers experiences teaching K-8 Multilingual Students' (MLS) writing
• Faculty advisor: Rachel Salas and Fares Karam

Cossette Canovas

• Graduate program: Ph.D. Clinical Psychology
• Title: Identifying predictors of racial trauma to inform treatment development 
• Faculty advisor: Lorraine Benuto
• Graduate program: Ph.D. Cell and Molecular Biology
• Title:   Lighting the way: Tools to prepare for future pandemics 
• Faculty advisor: Subhash Verma

Kaashifah 

• Graduate program: Ph.D. Education - Equity, Diversity and Language
• Title: Bridging  the gaps: Evaluating the intervention programs to overcome academic disparities 
• Faculty advisor: Donald Easton-Brooks

Noah Nieman

• Graduate program: Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Title: Accelerating bridge construction connections behavior during near fault motions 

Sanjeevan Pradhan

• Graduate program: Ph.D. Political Science
• Title: Tough sell: Rising powers, domestic legitimation and costly international initiatives 
• Faculty advisor: Xiaoyu Pu

Patricia Berninsone People's Choice Award

Abdulwarith kassim.

• Graduate program: Chemistry
• Title: Chemically recyclable dithioacetal polymers
• Faculty advisor:  Ying Yang

Master's category

First place: abdulwarith kassim.

• Faculty advisor: Ying Yang

SECOND PLACE (TIE): 

• Name:  Elizabeth Everest
• Graduate program: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology
• Title: Sustaining the beating heart of Cambodia: Fisheries management in southeast Asia's largest lake
• Faculty advisors: Zeb Hogan, Sudeep Chandra, Ken Nussear
• Name:  Cathy Silliman
• Title: Winterfat restoration in a changing climate
• Faculty advisor: Elizabeth Leger 

Samantha DeTiberiis

• Graduate program: M.A. Criminal Justice 
• Title: What do our phones teach us about incarceration? A social media content analysis 
• Faculty advisor: Jennifer Lanterman

Elizabeth Everest 

• Graduate program: M.S. Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology 
• Title:   Sustaining the beating heart of Cambodia: Fisheries management in southeast Asia's largest lake 
• Faculty advisor: Zeb Hogan, Sudeep Chandra, Ken Nussear

Carolynn Fedarko 

• Title: Zeroing in on gun violence
• Faculty advisor: Weston Morrow

Shipra Goswami

• Graduate program: M.S. Biochemistry
• Title: May the pericytes be with you: Transport engineers you never knew existed!
• Faculty advisor: Albert Gonzales
• Graduate program: M.S. Chemistry 

Anthony Michell

• Graduate program: M.A. History
• Title: Pushed to the limit: How the 1998 China floods revolutionized the relationship between China and the natural world
• Faculty advisor: Hugh Shapiro

Elizabeth Morgan

• Graduate program: M.S. Teaching History (M.A.T.H.)
• Title: Dust in the wind dude: The Owens Valley everywhere except, in the Owens Valley
• Faculty advisor: Edward Schoolman

Cathy Silliman

• Graduate program: M.S. Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology
• Faculty advisor: Elizabeth Leger