A master's thesis in the United States is conferred on students who have gone beyond the requirements of an undergraduate course and demonstrated scholarship and advanced knowledge of their field of academic study. Whether the degree is a Master of Arts or a Master of Science, one of the ways candidates are often expected to show their understanding of the subject matter is by submitting a thesis or dissertation.
Every university or college, and within those institutions every faculty, has its own specific criteria for assessing and passing - or failing - master thesis. Length, format and content may vary, within certain general limits; but the keys to success in creating a master's thesis remain more or less consistent.
The key words to bear in mind are content, citations and style. All are equally important: the thesis must express the candidate's understanding of the subject matter; must do so with precision and clarity; and must also do so in the format required, first by the candidate's individual supervisor, and ultimately by the examiners. Let's look at these in turn.
First, content. A master's candidate, having chosen a topic within the applicable field of study, usually with the advice of his or her individual supervisor, needs to develop relevant, engaging and novel content with respect to that topic. Different fields of study have different requirements. Candidates in some fields will need to conduct original research - surveys, interviews, field research or finding and reading original documents. In other fields it will be enough to develop and express original and interesting views on relevant material. In almost every case, the candidate will need to demonstrate familiarity with existing opinions on the same topic - usually through what is called a literature review: a referenced summary of what other scholars have said about the topic of the thesis.
It is important to gather as much information and material as possible. Whatever the required length of the thesis (and this can vary greatly), it is much easier to for a candidate to produce several thousand words when there is plenty of information to convey. As for citations, best practice is carefully to note citations to books, papers, articles or websites while developing the material for the thesis. Much better to pause and make a careful record of author, source, date, and any other necessary information while you are working on it, than go back and try to recover it later. It is easy to underestimate the amount of time required to compose an adequate reference section for the thesis, and much effort is saved by capturing the data during the research phase.
It is also very easy to underestimate the time and effort involved in conforming the text of the thesis to the specific demands of the examiners. Institutions have different requirements as to style - Chicago, for example, of APA - and in every case there are very precise expectations, not only as to formatting of pages and text, but also with respect to citations. Smart candidates know the details in advance, and are always conforming their writing and their references to what the end product requires. This approach saves an enormous amount of time.
Content, citations and style. Successful completion of a master's thesis depends on developing something to say, while constantly paying attention to how it will be said.
Mike Shane is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known writer and consultant. His area of writing includes master thesis, dissertations, articles, and books. Every year he publishes a list of master's thesis, books and dissertations.