Graduate School - What Most of Us Don't Know, Part III

The last of my Graduate school posts will cover the most important part of the Graduate school experience - the dissertation/thesis. The ultimate goal of Graduate school is the awarding of a degree by the successful defense of a dissertation or thesis. If the defense is successful, the committee will award a degree to the graduate student.

Selecting a topic for the dissertation or thesis is a difficult process, which requires the investment of many hours and a deep knowledge of the content area. The student should be sure that adequate research on his/her topic exists, but not so much research that his/her topic has already been brought to light. Furthermore, the topic should be one that interests the student, as the dissertation will take the student a large amount of time to research and the student must be able to defend the research.

The first step to a successful dissertation defense is to present a proposal to the dissertation committee. The proposal acts as an outline for the proposed question, time allotted for research, and availability of information on the topic. The dissertation committee will vote to accept the proposal or veto it - a veto meaning that the student must make changes to his proposal. If the proposal is accepted, the student may be working on his dissertation.

Writing the thesis is a time consuming process. The average thesis should take between six months and a year to write, assuming that the student does not procrastinate. Writing may begin as soon as the proposal has been accepted, but availability of information may impede writing for those dependent on survey results. Generally, it is best to start writing as soon as possible, and keep a steady pace. Procrastination does add time to the process, turning what could be a year-long endeavor into a project for multiple years.

Getting a graduate degree is an admirable goal. However, before you decide to jump into the world of graduate studies, it is wise to do your research. A good program will have supportive faculty, a cohesive student group, and connections with potential employers beyond graduate school. Know before you go!