Thesis vs Dissertation – A Fair Comparison

Many universities consider that there is no difference between thesis and dissertation even the generalized definition of the both, thesis vs dissertation is identical i.e. “any formal discourse in speech or writing”. Is this enough information for us to conclude that both are the same?

Although, dictionary and some universities assume that there is no difference between thesis and dissertation however there are a few differences between the two if you see the both in broader terms. Thesis is actually a basic requirement to acquire Master’s degree while dissertation is required to acquire a doctorate degree.

Here are is a fair comparison between thesis and dissertation that will let you find more differences between the two:

1. In dissertation, you have to perform an original research while your thesis is usually based on secondary information already available to you.

2. In terms of length, thesis is shorter than a dissertation.

3. Hypothesis serves as a cornerstone to thesis whereas dissertation is based on the new discoveries about your topic that you have to utilize to infer your conclusions effectively.

4. Thesis aids the students to get the scholarships for the higher level of studies while the case is not the same in terms of dissertation writing.

5. Dissertation is based on your background research about the topic while thesis focuses on primary arguments.

6. In Master’s thesis, your research work will aid you to prove your standpoint while you need to add novel findings in the existing literature for PhD dissertation.

7. Thesis is more like a research paper while dissertation is written as an academic book.

8. Data collection in dissertation is comprised of theories and arguments based on the original research while it is based upon the hypothetical analysis of contents in thesis.

Conclusion:

Hopefully, you would have learnt the basic difference between thesis and dissertation. Although, thesis is a basic requirement for students to earn Master’s degree and dissertation to earn PhD; however, the situation reverses in some countries. In a nutshell, thesis vs dissertation will always remain a debatable topic; however most people will agree on the point that: “Thesis and dissertation is same”.