If you're in a graduate program or are thinking about continuing your education after you obtain your bachelor's degree, you might be wondering what the difference between a thesis and dissertation is. While they are similar in some ways, there are a few differences that set them apart from one another.
Similarities
Before researching the difference between a thesis and dissertation, you should understand that they are very similar. In fact, the two terms are often used interchangeably. Both theses and dissertations are papers that are assigned to graduate students. Since they are fairly extensive papers, you'll be given a large window of time to do whichever type of paper you are assigned. It will be due at the end of your last year of study. In order to get your degree, you'll have to get a passing grade on your project. The good news is that while it won't be a group project, you'll still be able to get some help from advisers and peers. With many people to help you along the way, passing your thesis or dissertation should be very attainable. If you do end up failing the first time around, many schools will let you resubmit it after you do more work to meet the requirements.
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Type of Degree
According to the United State Census Bureau, over one in ten individuals in the United States have a master's degree or have obtained even higher education, but less than two percent of individuals have obtained a doctorate degree. One difference between a thesis and dissertation is that theses are usually required for a master's degree and dissertations are usually required for doctorate degrees; however, this isn't always true. Some master's degree programs don't require a thesis or dissertation at all. These programs usually have two separate paths that students can take: a thesis option and a non-thesis option. A student who eventually wants to get a doctorate degree is usually encouraged to take the thesis option to prepare himself or herself for the dissertation that he or she will have to write as a doctorate student.
Purpose
Perhaps the biggest difference between a thesis and dissertation is the intended purpose. A thesis, commonly required to obtain a master's degree, is supposed to test a student's understanding of his or her field of study. The student formulates a proposition, or thesis, based on previous work done by others in the field. This previous work is analyzed by the student in his or her paper as he or she makes a case for a certain point of view. A dissertation is usually done by a doctorate student and focuses on original research. A student who is assigned a dissertation is required to come up with a subject in his or her field that hasn't already been researched. The student then must come up with a hypothesis and do original research to prove or disprove the hypothesis.
Whether you're already a graduate student or are just trying to prepare as much as possible, it's always good to do research whenever you have questions about your education. The difference between a thesis and dissertation might not seem very big, but you'll need to know how they differ before you start working on either of them.