The sun is shining and the birds are singing outside your window. Unfortunately, you don’t have time to enjoy this beauty as you are surfing the collection of academic papers on ProQuest.com. You should get yourself prepared for the most challenging task so far. If you are considering the possibility of pursuing your studies to acquire a degree, presumably you have heard about two obstacles on your way. Those are a thesis and a dissertation. During the freshman and sophomore years of studying students don’t occupy their minds with these troubles. They’ve got their own difficulties and no time to worry about so distant future. But as you get closer to the point when you need to decide what to do next, you start to get involved in all of the details of academic affairs. And the time to learn the difference between a dissertation and a thesis comes.
There is a good explanation why a juxtaposition like “thesis vs dissertation” is so widespread. These two terms are very similar. The successful defense of each of them guarantees your dream come true. You’ll finally get the degree you’ve been working for so long. The question is, what kind of degree? Your specialization will make the choice easier. Some of the subject areas can’t be imagined without pulling up the sleeves and plunging into the research. The others are more about making new assumptions on the basis of the recent findings and testing them. No matter which one of these groups you belong to, our world needs a hero. And it’s not Batman we are waiting for. We need new useful discoveries that can make our lives easier and better.
Terminology Issues
If you live in the U.S., you’ll have to write a thesis to receive a master’s degree and a dissertation to get a doctoral degree. The logic behind this is simple. Thesis is considerably shorter and doesn’t require a student to dig very deep into the topic, it is the first stage a young scholar must survive through. But be careful as the terms get mixed up in the rest of the world. For example, in the UK you will be asked to formulate a thesis if your goal is to receive a Ph.D. Likewise, you are expected to submit a dissertation in case you take a master’s program.
There are also some differences in the material you have to present. For the first step of your further education, you’ll have to demonstrate some technical expertise. You’ll do the research, get involved in the experimental part of it and present your findings. But you will not investigate the subject to the comparable degree that you would in a Ph.D. program. A Ph.D. dissertation has a focus on the analysis of the conclusions made by other scientists and offering a new fresh point of view. Your goal is to add some novel findings to the subject area and join the community of renown scientists.
While These two assignments have a lot of differences, they are aimed at making you a better scholar and a real professional. After you’ve experienced what making discoveries (even small ones) feels like, you become a new person. the knowledge you gain will help you reach a new level of your professional progress. The successful topic for a dissertation can guarantee you nailing a very important job interview that will bring you to the dreamed job.