What is a Thesis?
The Oxford English Dictionary says:
- A statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved
- A long essay or dissertation involving personal research, written by a candidate for a university degree.
In the Waterloo School of Planning both definitions apply. A thesis should be a clear statement and it is a long essay submitted in the partial completion of a degree.
In the School of Planning a master’s level paper is generally referred to as a thesis while dissertation is the term reserved for a PhD level work.
What is the purpose of writing a thesis?
The purpose of a master’s thesis in planning is to demonstrate that the candidate has mastered their craft. Therefore the thesis is not only about its subject matter but also about showing mastery of the research process.
What is the craft that must be mastered?
It can be stated in various ways but the following is concise but complete:
The ability to describe a field of study that is of importance to planning, to identify a significant question the answer to which will shed light on that field, to understand what is already known about the question, to outline a method or methods of investigation, to gather and analyse relevant data, to draw conclusions and to present them effectively.
What is the difference between a master’s thesis and major research paper?
A thesis must be clearly placed in the context of the literature in its area and must identify and address a gap in that literature. It can be theoretical, methodological and/or empirical but it must address real world issues.
A major research paper, besides being shorter, identifies a problem and seeks a solution but in itself is not expected to contribute to the literature in the topic area. It demonstrates problem solving ability.
What is the difference between a master’s thesis and a doctoral dissertation?
While a master’s thesis demonstrates mastery of the research craft, the purpose of a PhD dissertation is to demonstrate that candidates understand the philosophy of planning and can, themselves, philosophise.
A master’s thesis can deal with a topic that is not necessarily original but it should add to the knowledge in that field. A PhD dissertation is expected to add a new dimension to the discipline by generating original knowledge.
How long should a master’s thesis be?
An ideal master’s thesis should be between 90 and 110 pages of text exclusive of references and appendices. The principle is that something worth saying should be able to be said concisely. Longer is not necessarily better and longer is often confused and confusing.
A PhD dissertation is longer, generally between 160 and 260 pages.
What is the typical format for a master’s thesis?
A typical thesis format should include the following components or a variation of these themes:
- Introduction (what is it you are interested in, why is it important to planning and what questions are you going to answer)
- Literature Review (what have others said about it and what have they missed)
- Methods (what are you going to do)
- Findings/Results ( what did you discover)
- Analysis/Discussion (what does it all mean)
- Conclusion and Recommendations (how does the work answer the original question and what should others do about it)
What are some of the different types of theses?
While all theses should be empirical, which is to say about actual things, they can take one of a number of forms:
- A thesis can be explanatory, describing how something works
- It can be conformational, examining some approach or policy and seeing if it is working as planned
- It can be remedial, examining a problem and exploring solutions
- A thesis can be methodological, exploring approaches to either studying a phenomenon or solving a dilemma
- It can be innovative, pointing to new ways of dealing with old problems or finding ways of tackling new problems
- What a thesis cannot be is simply descriptive
What is the general opinion among the School of Planning faculty regarding the importance of the thesis to a student’s learning and to their career?
The prevailing attitude among School of Planning faculty is that conceptualizing, researching and writing a thesis is the best preparation for a variety of careers in planning and beyond. It is also the best way for candidates to demonstrate their mastery of the craft as outlined above.
Even if graduates never write another research paper as such they will go through the thesis research steps over and over in their subsequent work in various forms. For those who continue in academic pursuits a master’s thesis is an absolute requirement.
Graduate students also play an instrumental role in the research programs of the faculty where they not only learn but contribute to generation of new knowledge in the field. Without thesis writing the productivity of a university school of planning would be immeasurably diminished. In this way the thesis is the hallmark of the School of Planning thesis-based master’s programs.