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Examples of thesis statements, frequently asked questions about the length of thesis statements, related articles.
If you find yourself in the process of writing a thesis statement but you don't know how long it should be, you've come to right place. In the next paragraphs you will learn about the most efficient way to write a thesis statement and how long it should be.
A thesis statement is a concise description of your work’s aim.
The short answer is: one or two sentences. The more i n-depth answer: as your writing evolves, and as you write longer papers, your thesis statement will typically be at least two, and often more, sentences. The thesis of a scholarly article may have three or four long sentences.
The point is to write a well-formed statement that clearly sets out the argument and aim of your research. A one sentence thesis is fine for shorter papers, but make sure it's a full, concrete statement. Longer thesis statements should follow the same rule; be sure that your statement includes essential information and resist too much exposition.
Here are some basic rules for thesis statement lengths based on the number of pages:
Joe Haley, a former writing instructor at Johns Hopkins University exemplified in this forum post the different sizes a thesis statement can take. For a paper on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, someone could come up with these two theses:
In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice , gossip is an important but morally ambiguous tool for shaping characters' opinions of each other.
As the aforementioned critics have noted, the prevalence of gossip in Jane Austen's oeuvre does indeed reflect the growing prominence of an explicitly-delineated private sphere in nineteenth-century British society. However, in contrast with these critics' general conclusions about Austen and class, which tend to identify her authorial voice directly with the bourgeois mores shaping her appropriation of the bildungsroman, the ambiguity of this communicative mode in Pride and Prejudice suggests that when writing at the height of her authorial powers, at least, Austen is capable of skepticism and even self-critique. For what is the narrator of her most celebrated novel if not its arch-gossip par excellence ?
Both statements are equally sound, but the second example clearly belongs in a longer paper. In the end, the length of your thesis statement will depend on the scope of your work.
There is no exact word count for a thesis statement, since the length depends on your level of knowledge and expertise. A two sentence thesis statement would be between 20-50 words.
The length of the work will determine how long your thesis statement is. A concise thesis is typically between 20-50 words. A paragraph is also acceptable for a thesis statement; however, anything over one paragraph is probably too long.
Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how long they can be.
As a high school student, you are not expected to have an elaborate thesis statement. A couple of clear sentences indicating the aim of your essay will be more than enough.
Here is a YouTube tutorial that will help you write a thesis statement: How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements by Ariel Bisset.
A thesis is a very vital document that professors use to evaluate your level of understanding of a particular topic. Students should showcase their skills on their capability to construct facts logically. How long does it take to write a thesis, is there a time frame for such?
Writing a thesis is an excellent way to prove your critical thinking skills and successfully pass your message in the written form.
The time limit for one to write a thesis depends on several variables. For instance, if you are writing a Ph.D. thesis paper, it may take you months or years to complete it. However, ensure that you adhere to the institution’s guidelines about the timeframe.
Mostly, it takes an average of 7 months to write a thesis from scratch to the defense stage. Our research of hundreds of students showed that it takes between 3 months and 7 months to complete a dissertation for most on-campus students and around 10 months for off-campus students.
However, this depends on the technicality of the topic and the depth of research done.
The most critical part of thesis writing is quality. You should ensure that you perform extensive research to meet the expectations of your professor.
The secret lies in working with your supervisor at every stage closely.
Suppose the institution gave you the page limit to indicate how far you can extend, then it also determines the duration you will take to complete your thesis.
The secret lies in sticking with the instructions as you handle that task.
Your thesis could either take a long or short time, depending on different factors. More significantly, students should ensure that they perform thorough research to avoid shallow content that could land them in trouble.
Nevertheless, the following points will affect your speed of completion. Also, these factors come into play when determining the quality of your project.
It should be noted that the quality of the content determines if you will fail your dissertation or get a good grade. So, let us check them out.
When writing your thesis, the most crucial section is to have enough facts to support your arguments. How do you achieve that? Well, you have to dig deeper to get extra details that will keep your points well for the audience to digest them fully.
You can use different research methods to widen the topic. In a similar fashion, it may be time-consuming hence making your thesis writing take longer.
When you are researching an exciting topic, the chances are high that you are likely to gather more facts in your research. As you capture more details in your thesis, your paper will be long and take you more time.
While supporting your arguments, it is sensible to put more facts and evidence as possible to make your research authentic. Once given the challenge to substantiate some claims within your research, you should do so convincingly.
On the contrary, if you did shallow research, you will only capture a few details, making you short of completing your thesis.
As a rule of thumb, the longer the investigation, the longer the time to complete writing. If you have few facts to back up your arguments, it means your entire paper will take you less time to finish.
Some degrees do not require deep research while others need deeper primary study. For instance, a non-thesis master’s is worth it because it does not go deep into technical research compared to a thesis one.
Your writing prowess is a crucial factor in determining the duration you will take to complete your paper. Some authors have excellent writing skills by knowing what to say to place their points creatively.
For instance, they can get the reader glued to the paper by painting an exciting situation where you want to know more about it. For that reason, the author may be tempted to use more words, hence extending the completion period.
Suppose the author has comprehensive experience in writing, it means it can still take a short duration to place the fact found in research in a short period.
On the other hand, if the author lacks a great writing experience, it implies struggle. This writer will be challenged to articulate the facts; hence, he needs more time to express himself.
Different authors have varying typing speed skills. For example, a professional could type a hundred words per minute, while a poor could take even less than 20 words per minute.
When given similar tasks, the one who types more words per minute is likely to complete the job than the writer who has a slow speed.
If you know that your typing speed is poor, you can consider sharpening your skills through software that addresses that area.
The most common ones are typing master and so on. Also, your typing speed determines the length of your thesis because faster typers can extend their length compared to slower ones.
When the clock is ticking, it creates some panic or anxiety in you. For example, completing the thesis on time gives you an edge if you want to graduate that particular year. You should dedicate yourself to speedy completion while putting quality first.
If you write a poor thesis, you will fail and eventually not graduate that year. Luckily, you can take your time and research your topic well before presenting it to the defense panel.
Working smart is critical. Let your supervisor guide you at every level before you develop a refined document that will make you pass and graduate within the agreed timeline.
Students should liaise with the professor to ensure that they act within the institution’s guidelines. For instance, if the instructions prompt you to write additional pages, then it means that you may take a more extended period to complete your thesis.
Also, your academic level may require you to write more pages than others. For example, if you are a Ph.D. student, you can handle more pages than a master’s student. For that reason, you will require additional time to come up with an unacceptable document.
Let the instructor advise you on the number of page limits you are expected to fulfill. One way to ensure that you stick to the page limit is to perform extensive research to gather more evidence and examples.
The more the page limit, the more it takes for you to complete your thesis.
When you are working under a short deadline, it means you have to put more effort into coming up with a convincing thesis. You have to increase the pace of your research and develop unique content within the given timeframe.
Suppose you believe the timeframe is too short, then outsource your work to an expert who can make things work for you efficiently. Let your writer give you a progress report so that you stick to the deadline.
On the other hand, you should take your time and research well if you have the luxury of time to handle long timeframes. Here, you have an ample allowance to get more facts to incorporate into your work and write compelling content.
The type of topic you will settle for will determine how far you go in your thesis writing. If you want to provide extra details, your topic will be broader; hence, you need more time to accomplish it.
If you are tackling a complex topic, begin by breaking it down into small sections or subtopics so that your points remain clear to your audience.
On the other hand, suppose you are writing an easy topic, it means you will be discussing simple items that do not require more profound research. In response, your work will take a shorter period.
If you want to get a decent essay, you are free to hire an expert to do so. What makes the cost high is the number of pages you want the expert to craft for you.
Some students may have enough money to pay for more pages to ensure the expert does a great job. This will also demand additional time for completion.
Also, if you lack enough funds, it means the writer will minimize the pages to suit your needs. Since you are working on fewer pages, then the period of writing will also be short.
Writing a dissertation is the culmination of a doctoral education program . It is an exacting task, calling for dedication and perseverance, especially when you experience time constraints due to work or family obligations. Gaining a clear understanding of how long it takes to write an education dissertation and carefully planning your dissertation process—from carving out time in your busy daily schedule to setting achievement milestones to keep a steady pace—are crucial steps to earning a doctoral degree.
It takes longer than a year for most PhD students to complete a first draft of a dissertation. Students typically spend one to two years conducting research and reviewing literature while they complete doctoral courses before tackling a dissertation draft. The writing process typically takes a year or two beyond that. It can take five or more years for PhD students who get stuck in research phases, experience writer’s block, or have a high level of distractions or time constraints. The average time for students to complete all requirements for a doctorate in the US is nearly six years, according to U.S. News & World Report .
About how long will the dissertation process take? Many factors can influence the dissertation timeline length, such as:
Before doctoral students can submit a dissertation proposal, they must complete all of their doctorate-level coursework and pass their comprehensive exams. This designates them as doctoral candidates. However, just because a student hasn’t achieved candidate status does not mean they can’t or shouldn’t start the dissertation process. On the contrary, students are expected to identify their dissertation topic and start preparing for the proposal while they are engaged in graduate coursework.
Many of the classes offered in a Doctorate of Education (EdD) program will help students explore potential topics and research techniques. For example, American University’s online EdD program includes three weekend residency sessions during which students connect with faculty and participate in workshops to help them develop their dissertations. The program also includes two course sessions on applied research methods to familiarize students with qualitative and quantitative research methods.
The dissertation process includes the following steps:
The dissertation proposal may include the first few chapters of the dissertation. Students must be prepared to defend the proposal to the dissertation committee, which will evaluate the topic itself and approve, deny, or request revisions to the proposal. Many education dissertation topics relate to leadership strategies, literacy, or future learning trends.
This stage can include conducting surveys and interviews on the chosen education topic. Students look for evidence to support their hypotheses, take notes, and conduct interviews along the way.
Students need to gather a broad range of articles and books that are pertinent to their dissertation topic. Resources cited in the dissertation are included in a bibliography.
Structuring research and data in an outline helps students stay focused and organized during the dissertation writing stages.
The elements of a dissertation paper can include abstract, introduction, background, hypothesis, literature review, methodology, conclusion, and bibliography sections. Universities often provide templates and style guides to help students format their dissertations correctly.
Your dissertation strategy should take into account your unique strengths and weaknesses. If you know that you are most productive in the morning, for instance, schedule your research and writing time for early in the day. To successfully navigate the dissertation process, you should:
Get familiar with the dissertation process before you begin writing. Look at dissertation samples and guideline documents to get a firm grasp on formatting and style. Keep yourself on track by setting milestone deadlines.
Don’t put off the writing process. It’s easy to find excuses not to write, such as having a busy schedule or feeling that your argument isn’t fully formed. But sitting down to write every day, for at least two hours (with at least one break), can help you find your voice and establish your structure through experimentation.
Writing a dissertation can be a trial-and-error process. You will have to be self-reliant in many of the independent learning stages, including finding quality research sources and conducting your own studies. Don’t give in to self-doubt when you hit a roadblock and remember not to sacrifice your health and well-being by overstressing about your progress.
Students should feel comfortable checking in with a supervisor or committee member when they need support, advice, or encouragement. Making sure that you have an engaged and enthusiastic mentor can make a big difference in the dissertation process. Some mentors encourage regular meetings to keep in touch. Connecting with a group of peers who are also drafting dissertations can give you feedback as well. In addition, university libraries often support dissertation work through research and writing labs.
Once you’ve determined how long it will take you to write your education dissertation, consider how actively you’ll pursue publication. Students often want to share their work with a greater audience so that others can benefit from their insights.
Typically, a university will require students to publish their dissertation in an electronic database. For instance, American University requires students to submit dissertations to the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database and the American University Digital Research Archive (AUDRA).
Publication is also a plus on any academic CV. Some students reformat their dissertation into an article (or articles) for submission to a professional journal, or even as a book for publication. Others present their findings at educational conferences. Regardless of the arena, sharing a dissertation with a wider audience is a rewarding capstone achievement.
Individuals who are passionate about improving the education system through cutting-edge learning strategies should consider pursuing an advanced degree program. American University’s School of Education online provides a number of high-quality degree programs, including a Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Education Policy and Leadership . The university’s EdD program provides a flexible, part-time learning environment that helps education professionals gain the skills to effect positive change across all school levels and community settings.
What’s the Difference Between Educational Equity and Equality?
The Role of Educational Leadership in Forming a School and Community Partnership
EdD vs. PhD in Education: Requirements, Career Outlook, and Salary
American University, Submitting Your Thesis and Dissertation Files Electronically
Inside Higher Ed, “Give It a Rest”
Inside Higher Ed, “How to Draft a Dissertation in a Year”
Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education , “Preparing for Dissertation Writing: Doctoral Education Students’ Perceptions”
U.S. News & World Report , “How Long Does It Take to Get a Ph.D. Degree?”
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The obvious short answer is, it varies. But, in general, it depends upon these factors:
In general, and based upon actual data, the answer to how long it takes to write a dissertation is 12-18 months, but perhaps more, depending on the timeline to collect your research data.
So, let’s take a look at this entire process in terms of the average dissertation project from start to finish.
You have probably had many discussions with your advisor regarding your research question. You have picked a topic area of interest and have completed some initial research, in order to narrow that topic area to a specific research question you want to pursue. It has been approved by your advisor and you are now ready to write that proposal for your committee.
The question now becomes, how long does it take to write a dissertation proposal? And again, the answer varies. For some students, this is a longer project, because committees, and individual members, can be very picky. They may send the student back to re-write certain parts before final approval. You will discover that every committee member has individual agendas and pet peeves. These will come out in their assessment of your proposal. Do not be discouraged if you have to re-write – it is common and expected.
The proposal must include a clear statement of the research question and a justification of its importance to the field. The other parts include a short synopsis of the research you have conducted thus far that leads to your research question, a preliminary explanation of your research design, and a timeline for completion.
The five chapters of your dissertation will of course begin with an introduction. However, this should not be written until the entire piece is finished. It will be much better if you wait.
Here is the thing about the literature review. Many students need to complete it in full before they can really refine their research methodology; others, because of the nature of the research, may refine their methodology and begin the implementation of the project at the same time that they are working on their literature review.
This will be the most tedious and often least interesting of the dissertation project. It will be like a large research paper, and it must contain a synopsis of all research that directly relates to your question. At times, you will read abstracts that appear to be a fit, pull out the actual piece and discover, about halfway through that it will not work for your lit review. This is common, but frustrating. For this reason, students will often contact a writing service that has a Ph.D.’s in their fields and ask if they can, “ Write my dissertation lit review.” This is often a decent solution to an otherwise time-consuming task.
Just how long should a literature review be in a dissertation? Again, it varies. You have to include all relevant research studies. Focus on that rather than on length. These can run from 20-30 pages and include from 20-30 resources.
Here is where you explain to your reader exactly how you have designed your research, why you designed it as you did, and speak to the instruments, if any, that you will be using. The purpose of this chapter is to provide all of the details, so that a future researcher could replicate your research exactly. Having never done so before, many student writers are not sure how to write a dissertation methodology. The best thing to do is to read the methodology sections of other dissertations and follow the format that those researchers have used.
You will need to explain exactly how you chose samplings or the control and experimental groups (if you have them), and exactly the treatment(s) you used or the information your instruments are gathering from your sample population.
Depending upon your institution or department, the data you gathered is either reported in this chapter or the next. Data should always be reported in both prose and graphic forms
This is the “meat” of your dissertation. You will be analyzing that data you collected and determining if your research question was answered and what significance has been the result.
Consider yourself fortunate that you are not doing this 30 years ago, when the statistical workup was all completed by hand – yes, paper and pencil. No software programs to crunch your numbers as there are now.
The biggest issues students have with this chapter are determining which formulae to use and plugging the numbers in correctly, especially if they are not STEM majors. Of all chapters in a dissertation, this is the one for which students most commonly seek help. And hiring a statistician to crunch these numbers is the best way to ensure that it is done correctly.
Again, the analysis must be reported in both graphic and prose forms.
Just how long to write the analysis chapter in a dissertation? It will depend upon individual students’ abilities to craft it on their own or how quickly they can secure the help they need.
Most students have had experience writing conclusion for essays and papers. But understanding how to write a conclusion for a dissertation will require a different approach. Most dissertation conclusions are highly organized into specific sections.
First, you must declare that your research question has been answered, how you have shown this, and the contribution you have made to your field of knowledge.
Second, you must identify any constraints or nuisance factors within your research, so that future researchers can account for them as well.
Third, you should point future researchers in directions that will replicate or add to what you have accomplished.
Now you are ready to write that introduction. If you are wondering how long a dissertation introduction should be, understand that it will be your shortest chapter. The goal of the introduction is the same as any that is written for other academic pieces. You can use some of the information from your proposal to write this chapter – introduce your research question, provide a bit of background for choosing it, justify its significance, and give a very brief summary of your research design and methodology. Obviously, you will not give away the analysis and conclusion.
The abstract is composed after all else. This is the piece that others will read to discover exactly what your dissertation is about. You have already read many of them, so you should not have any questions about how long a dissertation abstract should be. It is no longer than one page. Again, you will state your research question and provide a very brief summary of what you did. The goal is for other researchers to determine if your study relates to their research and if your work should be used as a resource. Use other abstracts as model as you write your own.
If you have read other dissertations, you understand how long is a dissertation. Most will be 200 pages, more or less. You have a lot of work ahead of you, but if you commit to a regular schedule of work and get the help you need when you need it, you’ll make it. And the prize, that PH.D., will all be worth it.
Neighthan White is a writer and an undergraduate specialist in education sciences. In his late twenties he is a regular member of Montessori techniques for children under 10 seminars, a volunteer at Education without Borders and LDS, a startup inventor, a language learner, a writer and a happy husband.
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How long does it take to earn a master’s degree.
A master’s degree can equip you with comprehensive knowledge in a subject, paving the way to enhanced job prospects and earning potential.
But pursuing a master’s degree can also be a substantial investment of time and resources, typically consuming 1-2 years of full-time or 3-5 years of part-time study. Is the investment worth the benefits, and which type of program is the best fit for you?
We will cover the five biggest factors that can influence the time it will take you to complete a graduate degree, so you can make an informed decision about which path best fits your situation.
Universities typically use credit hours to gauge the workload of a course, based on weekly class attendance and homework assignments. Master's programs often require 30 to 60 credit hours, but that number can vary. Every course awards between 1 and 5 credits each, with most courses being between 3 and 5 credits. Check your institution’s program for further information.
At Stanford, the number of units required to earn a master’s degree is usually 45, but may vary depending on the degree that you are pursuing .
Within any program’s curriculum, you should expect some courses to be more challenging and time-consuming than others. To help you determine the intensity of each course so that you can plan your studies, most graduate courses offered through Stanford Online have a suggested “Time to Complete” on each course page, based on prior student’s reporting. As a rule of thumb, the higher number of credits a course is worth, the higher the amount of effort and time required to complete it.
Certain master's programs necessitate a final project, such as a thesis, internship, or capstone project. Research-focused fields, including mathematics or psychology, often require a master's thesis involving extensive independent research. For these, there may be minimum and maximum time for completion. Look to find the exact time frames in your institution's program information.
Your choice between full-time and part-time enrollment impacts the duration of time spent to earn your degree. As a full-time student with a standard course load, you can finish faster, typically around nine credit hours per semester. However, balancing full-time study with work and family commitments can be challenging. Part-time enrollment allows for a more balanced lifestyle but extends your time to complete the program.
Stanford has master’s degree programs that allow you to change status from full-time to part-time while progressing through your degree, allowing you to adapt based on changes in other areas of your life.
The flexibility was one of the main reasons, an important factor for wanting to come and do this program. - Jeff Hanson
Thanks to technology, if you are looking to expand your skills you can choose between three different formats when selecting a program.
Online master's programs can offer you access to the same curriculum as on-campus courses, providing the freedom to study at top universities without relocating. Many students tell us that the option to enroll in courses online was the difference between them being able to pursue the degree and not. In addition, the flexibility of online programs also allows you to set your own pace, meaning students can potentially handle a heavier course load and complete their degree in less time. Many of Stanford’s online students love being able to stream lectures on their own schedule, and that having the option to watch and rewatch content greatly increases their understanding of the content .
The best part of the program was the convenience. I never would have been able to finish if it wasn't for the online option. - Nancy Cheng
In-person courses often allow you more opportunities for networking and you might have a preference to be physically present in the classroom for lectures. Living on or near your university’s campus allows you to more fully experience all that the school has to offer. Many institutions offer in-person education for both full-time or part-time programs. Depending on where your institution is located, and if you continue to work while pursuing your degree, you might need to factor in additional housing and commuting costs to your overall budget.
Hybrid or mixed programs allow you the option to attend courses on campus or online. This might be the best of both worlds and afford you the flexibility to adapt to your personal and professional schedule while pursuing your education.
Different degree formats can also shorten or lengthen the time commitment to complete your degree. Here are three common types you should be aware of:
Accelerated master's programs, often referred to as co-term, five-year, or four-plus-one programs, allow you to pursue both a bachelor's and a master's degree in a shorter period than these degrees would typically require. Because these programs are completed in a shortened schedule, they are often more difficult to complete, and may also require additional eligibility criteria.
Stackable education programs allow you to obtain multiple credentials by “stacking” them to earn another type of credential, e.g.,earning a certificate from which the credits can contribute to a master’s degree. Stanford allows for up to 18 units to transfer from graduate certificates to applicable master’s degrees. This is a great option if you want to explore taking courses before committing to pursuing a full master’s degree.
A newer option within education is stacking micro certificates into graduate certificates. If you want to obtain more credentials throughout your education, look for institutions that offer stackable credential paths.
Dual-degree programs combine either two graduate programs or a graduate and a doctoral degree. They require more time than a single master's degree but less time than pursuing two degrees independently. Examples include combining a law degree with an MBA, or a master of public health with a doctor of pharmacy. Not every institution offers this style of program.
Every master's degree, whether it's a one-year commitment or a five-year journey, demands a significant investment of time and often expense. Before determining if such a pursuit is “worth it,” you should ask yourself four questions:
Determine if earning a graduate degree aligns with your future goals and plans. In certain fields, a master's degree is a prerequisite for entry-level positions. In other professions it's not mandatory, but having a master's can still substantially enhance your qualifications for career advancement and your earning potential. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022) , median weekly earnings for master's degree holders were $1,661, compared to $1,432 for those with a bachelor’s degree and $853 for those with only a high school diploma.
The cost of a master’s degree varies significantly from university to university and even program to program within a university, so it’s important to understand the full costs. Establish the budget you have available to pursue graduate school. While you are in the process of comparing graduate programs , compare the costs alongside other factors.
The average cost of a master’s degree at Stanford may vary based on the program you are pursuing.
If you’re a working professional contemplating a master's degree, you might find that your employer has sponsorship or reimbursement options available. Many companies recognize the value of highly skilled employees and provide tuition assistance, so be sure to seek out the resources your organization has available and meet with your manager or HR department to discuss further.
Your experience getting your master’s degree will depend on the course material as well as the overall character of the experience. To get a better sense, some institutions allow you to take individual courses before committing fully to a program. This provides a great opportunity to understand the curriculum, format, and workload.
Stanford offers students the opportunity to enroll in individual graduate courses without being officially admitted to a program. You can transfer up to 18 units to an applicable master’s degree (pending department approval). Many students start graduate school this way so they can get a better sense of the time and energy they need to invest and plan accordingly.In addition, Stanford offers some freely available graduate lectures that give you a great sense of the teaching team and content covered.
To get a sense of the second, seek out stories from students who have completed the program or that are currently enrolled. These can be helpful in determining if a program is the right fit for you. Ask your coworkers, friends, and family about their higher education experiences and connect with folks who can answer questions about institutions or programs you are considering.
Balancing the large time commitments of both work and school is no easy feat. It takes hard work, steadfast dedication, and intrinsic motivation. The possibility of reaching their personal goals is what pushes most or our students over the finish line.
While combining work and school is challenging, it can also be deeply rewarding. Many students find it benefits both because they can learn new concepts at school and then quickly apply them at work, building skills and refining their understanding simultaneously. If you are struggling to decide if managing both work and school is the best path for you, we recommend starting by applying and enrolling in an individual graduate course to gauge the rigor and help to plan how the rest of your studies could work.
When you are taking classes while you work, you apply the information immediately. You learn something in class and you relate it to what you're doing in the office. You're constantly drawing the connections. - Brett Ong
If you determine that you want to pursue a master’s degree but you feel that you cannot fit work in simultaneously, it might make the most sense to attend school full-time.
While pursuing a master's degree can enhance your career in many fields, the commitment of time, money and energy involved means it is certainly not the right path for everyone.. There are also alternative education options with a more manageable time commitment, including:
From this guide, you should have a better sense of how long it takes to earn a master’s degree and the variables that affect those timelines. Equipped with this knowledge, you can make thoughtful choices about your own education path. Please get in touch with our team if you have questions about a course or program offered through Stanford Online.
We wish you the best of luck in your future studies!
After defending my thesis in December, I completed the rest of my graduation papars and will receive my Masters Degree in Computer Science. I don’t have to expound any further to express how excited I am to be finished with the whole process.
Most Masters programs take around 30 credit hours of graduate course work and thesis research to complete. If you are a full time student, you can typically complete this coursework at the rate of about 6-9 credit hours per semester and you can expect to be finished with your degree in approximately two years.
I was lucky enough to have access to a program that allows graduate students to take their classes in the evenings and from various locations around the state. In this way, I was able to complete my degree while working full time and not living around the school. I took a couple semesters off while we moved. In addition, I had a couple of semesters where I was feeling overloaded and only took one class. In the end, it took me about 4 years to complete my degree. The amount of work required, however, should be pretty close for many programs and the time it takes should be dependent on how fast you can do the work.
So just how much work is it to complete a thesis anyway? Most thesis work is 6 credit hours, which can be completed over two semesters. It took a little longer than that for me so I’ve included below what I learned. Perhaps you can learn from my experience to complete your thesis faster.
My Experience: For me, this was one of the most difficult parts of the whole process. It literally took me an entire semester, working with my professor, to narrow exactly what problem I was going to solve. I met with the professor and we discussed various technologies I was interested in and possible problems that I could work on. After that, I had to read a lot of papers and check what existing works were available and how I could make some contribution. In the end, I still had to work a lot on the problem statement to be able to actually complete the writing portion of my thesis.
I recommend: I wish I had understood exactly what the problem statement was supposed to be. My professor helped me most when he outlined a few questions that the introduction of my thesis was supposed to answer. I’ve included them here for your consideration. The answers to these questions eventually became the introduction of my final paper.
You don’t have to be able to answer completely how you have solved the problem before you start your thesis, but you better know that you are able to solve the problem so you’ll be able to finish your thesis. It would have helped me to answer these questions more thoroughly before I spend as much time doing research. It would help to consider topics and think about possible thesis work a little earlier in your graduate work.
My Experience: I’m pretty good at writing code when I have a problem to solve. I set out to write code that would accomplish what I had in mind. In the end, I had a working FireFox plugin that shared URLs between clients and suggested patterns that users might be interested in. It took a couple months to hack out the program, a couple more months to make it more solid and workable, and a few months to collect enough data to write about.
I recommend: During the research process, it’s not a bad idea to spend a little more time writing than I did. When you figure something out and get it working, take a moment to write a paragraph (or two or three) about it. You don’t need to worry about where it will fit in your thesis later. Just make it good enough that you can include it if you want. I spent a lot of time going back and figuring out how I had run certain tests and what I was thinking about in the past because I left a lot of the writing for a later date.
My Experience: I used Latex to format my thesis. I posted a few latex tips after I finished to help out with that aspect. Latex has some really nice advantages over traditional word processors.
I recommend: Latex is pretty easy if you are computer savvy, but can be intimidating to those used to Word or OpenOffice. If your school publishes a Latex Style guide, it is highly worth the effort to learn how to format your thesis with Latex. In that case, the work is mostly done for you already. If not, you may want to evaluate Latex, but it definitely be a lot of work to make one of the existing styles fit your schools requirements. USU had an extremely strict format I had to adhere to and I had to do quite a bit of tweaking on a customized style in order to finally have it formatted correctly. If Latex isn’t right for you, I recommend learning your word processors advanced features for reference databases. Also, try seeing if you can use a multiple document format with a master document to control your sections and then sub documents to control their content. It’ll be a lot easier in the long run to move things around and reorder content if necessary.
My Experience: Once you get your thesis approved for defense, you’ll have to make a presentation in front of a committee. I imagine that different schools have different requirements for this. I was instructed to present for about 25 minutes and then answer questions for the remainder of the time. My defense was surprisingly easy. The professors only asked me a couple questions after my presentation.
I recommend: Give yourself plenty of time to prepare before hand. Make a nice presentation with PowerPoint or OpenOffice that outlines and details the process you went through. Try to answer a lot of questions with this presentation. Go through it enough times that you don’t have to read any of the content on the slides.
On the day of your defense, dress nicely. Arrive early enough to make sure your presentation works. If you’ve prepared well, you ought to be able to do just fine. Be confident and smile. If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t be afraid to admit that you haven’t considered something. Don’t try to BS your way through an answer.
In retrospect, it was a lot of work to get my thesis done but it wasn’t a lot of work that was too hard to complete. I kept telling myself that I’d just complete a little bit, or take a small step when I had some time to work on it. It definitely did take some determination though. Eventually, all those small steps paid off and I finished.
Where did you receive your Master’s from? I’m finishing my BS in CS next spring and I’m looking for something similar to your experience.
Utah State University. http://www.usu.edu Their program is great but I think you’d probably have to live somewhere in Utah to take advantage of it.
Great article, looking forward to review your thesis
I am now looking to do my Masters and this helps yo figure out how will it be like..
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I hear a lot of people brag or complain about how many hours they have to work for their PhD. Is this the norm? And if so is this really a wise choice to make? Do students really 'work' during this period of time (as would be expected in a corporate office), or do many also spend their time goofing around?
I've read that it's only possible to do 4 hours of deeply creative work everyday. Since energy often depletes over the day, I've personally found that outside of a small number of hours in a day, the rest of my time is spent doing mechanical tasks or straining myself in vain to think about a problem.
The answer is no .
There are a lot of factors in play. With my work, a lot of it is creative so it is hard to say when I am working or not.
Do people expect students to work that many hours? Maybe, but it isn't healthy (and maybe not legal).
Do people really work the entire time they are at work? Probably not. Your productivity certainly goes down the longer you work. Whether people goof around or not isn't specific to Academia and can happen anywhere (I don't find goofing around to be a negative thing).
I too have read several studies about the limited number of hours that people have for mentally demanding tasks. In fact, I read a study about programmers that said they were lucky to get 1-2 hours of solid work done in a day. This info can help you organize your day so that you work on difficult tasks in the morning and then mechanical tasks in the afternoon. Also, studies have shown that taking breaks and going on walks can help improve your productivity.
There isn't a cookie cutter answer for everyone. It depends on yourself, the type of work, your advisor, and your coworkers.
Most people who brag about how many hours they work are inefficient. Because they are inefficient, they feel a need to point out how many hours they work - rather than pointing to the quality of work. Keep this in mind.
Some PhD programs will allow you to be more isolated from non-PhD related work than others. If you have to teach, for example, that might take a considerable portion of your week - preparation, class, grading, etc. This might cause you to have to work many more hours if you want to make progress on your dissertation than someone who does not have to teach.
If you are unlucky and have your "paid research" different than your dissertation research the same thing can happen - you have to split your time into different buckets. The quality of your advisor and their expectations thus has a big effect here, too.
How quickly you want to graduate can affect this too.
That being said, how you work affects how efficient you are.
You will likely find that the better you work, the less you have to work. But simultaneously realize the more you could work (so if your goal is more X then it's great).
The how, when, and what for when we work dramatically affects our ability to work tons but also whether or not we have to.
My experiences suggest the answer is: possibly . Or perhaps more accurately sometimes .
A lot depends on the field you're in. I studied for a PhD in life science, where a lot of time at the lab bench was required. This is skilled work, but it's not "creative" nor does it involve much mental effort. So it's certainly possible to be productive at it for longer than four hour stretches.
In addition I often had to go in at the weekends to observe the results of my experiments. Cells don't grow to a useful 9-5 weekday schedule, unfortunately! I imagine other areas of science will impose similar time pressures.
I treated my PhD as though it were a job. Although I did work longer than 8 hours a day and I did work weekends when necessary, I viewed this as an annoying imposition and tried to minimize it. Other students and postdocs in the lab did longer hours and were more productive.
When it came time to write up my thesis, I discovred I simply did not have enough material to make it worthwhile. Ultimately I was forced to apply for a lesser research degree (an MPhil) and when it came to the crunch, I was not even able to obtain that with the evidence I'd gathered. Part of this is unquestionably down to lack of bench-hours.
I cannot speak about non-practical subjects, but even there I would imagine the amount of reading, learning and documentary research required would be significant, and would not involve creative mental effort. But my experience suggests that while ten hours a day, seven days a week is likely excessive, a successful research degree does involve time and effort well beyond that required for a regular highly-skilled job.
I would like to present how I think about my productivity as a PhD (note: it's Computer Science & Political Science). It might help getting an understanding about the hours and numbers.
My work is divided into "Thinking" and into "Doing".
"Doing" is the stuff that you can work on for 8 hours per day. Dull research assistant jobs involving filling out excel sheets, having to write the literature review, reading literature for taking notes and getting background, office hours, teaching and preparing teaching. Writing emails, applications, funding requests, finishing off papers, going to conferences. "Doing" is the stuff that I can plan and that usually has an end in sight.
"Thinking" is the hard work of which might not happen on a daily basis at all. It involves actually sketching out and developing my models and my hypothesis, reading difficult literature with challenging methods/theory that is crucial to my own work, thinking about how to convert theory into a computer program. "Thinking" is the stuff that happens when I read a completely unrelated book, when I am cooking, in the shower or on the train. I can plan to try, but I cannot plan to succeed. I cannot say "On Thursday I will have my theoretical argument". I can say "On Thursday I will work on my argument doing x and y. No promises".
It is the second category that makes it so difficult to break down a PhD into simple numbers. Sometimes it takes a day to make huge progress, other times (most of the time) you grind on a seemingly simple problem for weeks, even months.
Just to add to what is around:
Dr Hugh Kearns, famous speaker and researcher in "high performance psychology", has a very interesting course that is given to PhD students around the world, "The Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Research Student", with research that has been published in Nature .
I was lucky enough to have the chance to go to this workshop, and one of the secrets that all successful PhD student share is " Treat it like a job ".
He mentioned (as conclusions of his research), that if you do a PhD and work (but really work, not procrastinate) 8h a day, 5 days a week, thats enough to have a successful PhD.
So the answer is no! Just, treat it like a job.
I'd be careful with social comparison. While it can be helpful to see how other fare, the work time alone is a really bad measure for a couple of reasons:
In short, the PhD is not a prison sentence (although at times it might feel like it). Time doesn't cut it.
Instead, I would recommend to focus on what is needed to do a successful PhD (look at those PhDs that came before you, esp. those in the same department/with same adviser). Find out what people need to be successful in your discipline (likely: publications, publications, publications). Much more useful than time alone.
P.S.: Regarding creative work, yes, you need ideas, lots of them. But that's why you need time off work. And not all work is creative -- usually there is a lot of routine work involved.
It really should not be the norm. Like Austin already pointed out, there is no universal answer to that. When I did my PhD (in computational chemistry), I also had a commitment to look after students as a teaching assistant. This was certainly my main work during the semester and not a lot of research could be done while simultaneously preparing the next day with the students, grading protocols, discussing related things with the supervisor. When you are finally at the point where you can do the research for your PhD, you may as well do not consider it as work any more. There are plenty of ways, how you can boost your own productivity. If the environment is right, co-workers, supervisors, friends, equipment, then you should be able to find your way of getting the most out of it. I personally prefer staying long at my workplace, while goofing around (primarily on the network). I like the quieter hours during the evening, where I can concentrate better. But that is certainly my own choice, so I might end up staying longer than 10 hours, but I would neither complain nor brag about it.
In any case, it should not be a requirement and it is certainly different for any individual.
Ideally, a PhD student should work 0 hours a day. If you do the work you love, you won't work a day in your life.
Of course, most people have to overcome tough obstacles in the beginning of their scientific careers, but it is what you make out of it. I personally enjoyed the hardships because I learned a lot from every difficult problem I had to solve. I spent almost every hour I was awake and sometimes even dreamed at night thinking about my research, but not because I wanted to get it over with or get a degree to show off or even start making real money quicker. I just wanted to know how things work, to know the truth.
But even though you might not feel like you are working, others will. Friends and family will get much less of you when you spend weeks in the lab or in front of computer.
I've seen peers for whom PhD program was a toil. Most of them dropped out. They didn't seem to be spending too much time working on it either. I guess the key is what everyone says: pick the right topic. If you do something you are passionate about, the time will fly and you will wish it would just freeze so you can keep working on what you do forever until you find what you are looking for.
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Hi everyone, I'm defending my thesis this week. I turned in copies of my dissertation to my committee members, and they all read it and said it was great - just some minor corrections to the formatting and grammar.
I have a question about the defense presentation - how long should it be? Most people in my department (chemistry) end up giving a presentation for ~40-45 minutes, but all of my practices so far have been closer to an hour in length. Is it a big deal if my presentation is quite a bit longer than most peoples in my department? Will everyone be bored and just want to get it over with(I have lots of friends coming to watch)? Is it ever fine to omit a portion of your work in the interest of cutting time? I have one chapter that I could cut out - I think I did a really great job on it, but it is definitely something that could be reasonably cut out without causing the rest of the work to suffer. Thoughts?
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An undergraduate thesis is likely to be about 20 to 50 pages long. A Master's thesis is likely to be between 30 and 100 pages in length and a PhD dissertation is likely to be between 50 and 450 pages long. In the table below I highlight the typical length of an undergraduate, master's, and PhD. Level of study.
The average masters thesis is typically between 50 and 100 pages long. The length of the thesis will vary depending on the discipline and the university requirements but will typically be around 25,000 to 50,000 words in length. My Masters thesis in theoretical computational chemistry was 60 pages long. It was quite short for a master's ...
How long does it take to write a dissertation? The most accurate (and least helpful) answer is, it depends. Since that's probably not the answer you're looking for, I'll use the rest of the article to address the realities of how long it takes to write a dissertation.
Although all PhD theses are different, the proportion of time on each type of chapter may be helpful to those who have resolved to submit their theses in 2017. In total it took me 68 days to write up my thesis (NB 68 to write up the work, not 68 days to complete the PhD!) This is the equivalent of approximately 14 working weeks, assuming a five ...
A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.
Here are some basic rules for thesis statement lengths based on the number of pages: 5 pages: 1 sentence. 5-8 pages: 1 or 2 sentences. 8-13 pages: 2 or 3 sentences. 13-23 pages: 3 or 4 sentences. Over 23 pages: a few sentences or a paragraph.
It took about eight hours in total. For my Theory of Knowledge course, my thesis concerned the epistemological nature of logic and mathematics. That paper was twenty one pages long. It took eleven hours in total, including one hour of editing and formatting in the library before the paper was due.
How Long does it Take to Write a Thesis? The time limit for one to write a thesis depends on several variables. For instance, if you are writing a Ph.D. thesis paper, it may take you months or years to complete it. However, ensure that you adhere to the institution's guidelines about the timeframe.
How long does it take to write an education dissertation? Learn about the dissertation process and explore tips for writing a successful education dissertation.
I suggest setting targets that allow you to finish writing in eight days, not 10. This gives you some padding in case life gets in the way. To be clear, there are 192 hours in eight days. Allowing for a 12-hour work day, then you need to write 15,000 words in 96 hours or about 156 words an hour. Set a target of 400 words an hour.
In general, and based upon actual data, the answer to how long it takes to write a dissertation is 12-18 months, but perhaps more, depending on the timeline to collect your research data. So, let's take a look at this entire process in terms of the average dissertation project from start to finish.
I agree with the already-mentioned time estimates of 2-3 weeks of diligent work. ~200 page Ph.D. thesis done in a little over a month and a half. When writing nearly full time including compiling figures etc it took around 2 weeks. 2-3 weeks. one month. I was working 10 hrs a day. number of pages, 80.
I'm taking 12 hours this semester (including the thesis course) and I have a paid position as a TA (only 5 hours per week). I try to get in 3 hours per day for my thesis, but I've been wondering if that's enough.
Master's programs often require 30 to 60 credit hours, but that number can vary. Every course awards between 1 and 5 credits each, with most courses being between 3 and 5 credits. Check your institution's program for further information. At Stanford, the number of units required to earn a master's degree is usually 45, but may vary ...
Most Masters programs take around 30 credit hours of graduate course work and thesis research to complete. If you are a full time student, you can typically complete this coursework at the rate of about 6-9 credit hours per semester and you can expect to be finished with your degree in approximately two years.
100 I hear a lot of people brag or complain about how many hours they have to work for their PhD. Is this the norm? And if so is this really a wise choice to make? Do students really 'work' during this period of time (as would be expected in a corporate office), or do many also spend their time goofing around?
How much time for writing a Master thesis Assuming an upper limit of 250 pages, how much time do you think I need for writing? Two chapters have already been published in two separate papers. The last chapter I plan to publish after thesis and Defense.
The same applies to PhD dissertations, you really, really, really dont want to write nothing for the first 2 and a half years and then have to write your thesis from scratch in a few months at the end, because you will probably end up wanting to kill yourself.
My thesis was in a good place by the time I proposed, so I just needed to run the analysis, write the results, and write up a discussion. If the rest of your thesis is feasible, then I think it's possible.
How long did your dissertation take you to do? A Anonymous #1 So, including research and writing, how long did it take you?? Honestly, mine only took me a week or so.
As for the amount of work, I was about 90% and 60% done with my data analysis and thesis writing respectively. For the thesis writing what helped me was just staying at home to write and if needed remote desktop to my lab. My thesis was 200pgs long (110-txt, 90-data) in a poorly understood subject in geosciences).
The defense itself involves you sitting around a table with your committee and getting grilled for a set period of time, generally about 2 hours. Then your committee deliberates until a decision to pass or fail you is come to. Hi everyone, I'm defending my thesis this week. I turned in copies of my dissertation to my committee members, and they ...