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What is the difference between a dissertation and a thesis? Here is a simple answer:
A thesis is usually done as part of a master’s program. A dissertation is written as part of a doctoral program.
However, that’s where the simplicity ends. Because in truth, the use of those terms isn’t agreed on by everyone. It depends where in the world you’re located, and even which institution you’re in.
Some institutions call the paper that doctoral students write a “thesis.”
Also, in the UK, it’s just the opposite: a thesis is the crowned jewel of doctoral research, whereas a dissertation is submitted as an intermediary part of the graduate process.
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Confused yet?
Here’s one more difference between a dissertation vs. thesis: A dissertation is usually original research, whereas a thesis is often a synthesis of research. However, that is not always true. I know plenty of people who completed original research as part of their master’s thesis (in fact, I’m married to one of them).
So, unfortunately, there’s no clear, cut-and-dried answer to the “dissertation vs thesis” question. It’s often a question of semantics, though there are some important differences between the papers written in master’s and PhD programs.
Dissertation vs Thesis Pros and Cons
For the purposes of this article, let’s define a dissertation as an independent research project completed as part of a doctoral program, and a thesis as a long paper, often synthesizing research, written as part of a master’s program.
Doing Original Research
Doing a research project gets you familiar with the skills so that you can replicate it and do original research. Whatever your degree is, if your final paper doesn’t ask you to do original research, you may struggle with doing research on your own or with jobs that ask that of you.
That said, doing original research does take an enormous amount of work. So if it’s not part of your foreseeable career trajectory, there’s something to be said for skipping that part.
Time
Writing a dissertation usually takes longer than writing a master’s thesis. In general, master’s programs are shorter than PhD programs and have lower attrition rates. If you don’t have a good reason to pursue writing a dissertation as part of a PhD program, it may be much easier to go the thesis (master’s) route.
Clout
Generally speaking, those who have written dissertations and graduated from PhD programs are assumed to have a high level of expertise. Those who have completed master’s degrees which are not terminal degrees aren’t afforded quite the same level of assumed expertise.
Dissertation vs Thesis Summary
I hope I’ve shed some light on the definitions that some people use. Hopefully, this knowledge will be enough to guide you to ask the right questions at the right time so that you understand exactly what somebody is talking about.
Dissertation vs Publishable Papers.
Ten years ago or so, some schools recognized that it might be more valuable for their students to get out of school with actual publications. So instead of having students write a dissertation, they gave them the option to write two or three papers worthy of publication in an academic journal.
Pros of Writing Publishable Papers
If you intend to go with an academic career track, then coming out with several publications or papers to submit for publication can help you get a job. And once you have a job, these publications can help you get promotion and tenure. It’s a great way to kick-start your career and get valuable experience submitting to academic journals.
Cons of Writing Publishable Papers
The drawbacks are that you’re writing papers on different topics, so you may have to do multiple studies instead of one. You may have committee members who aren’t familiar with that and they might expect dissertation-quantity work instead of publishable paper quantity work.
If the requirement is published papers vs publishable papers, then you’re subject to the whims of journals in addition to your committee.
It’s a relatively new option, so some employers may not be that familiar with it. Some people may be stuck in the, “well I did a whole dissertation” paradigm and not recognize that writing publishable papers is equally rigorous.
Dissertation vs Publishable Papers Summary
Neither path is easier than the other. If you’re going down the publishing track, be careful with the methodologies you have to use, because you may have to learn several different methodologies as opposed to one in a dissertation.
