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Dissertation vs Thesis

December 15, 2024

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“Thesis” and “Dissertation” are the words often used in academia, which also lead to some confusion that what exactly each word means. This article tries to clarify the Difference Between a Dissertation vs Thesis.

Difference between Dissertation vs Thesis

Thesis – is a Greek word meaning “proposition”

Dissertation- is a Latin word meaning “discussion”

Thesis – is usually used for a PhD (doctoral) or M.Phil. level degree in the UK.

A Thesis is a document that presents the author’s research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification.

Thesis statements at the primary argument and tell supervisors what you want to ascertain. It goes to all depths of the topic throughout the thesis work and in the conclusion part, the topic and its finding are summarized.

Dissertation – Generally, described as a treatise without relation to obtaining an academic degree. But, the usage of the word differs in two countries US and UK, and that confusion reflects the rest of the world.

In the US,

A person needs to write a thesis if he doing a master’s level education.

A person needs to write a dissertation if he doing a doctoral degree.

In the UK,

A person would be awarded a master’s level degree if he has successfully submitted dissertation work.

A person needs to write a thesis if he doing a Ph.D. (Doctoral) degree.

Key Differences Between a Dissertation and a Thesis – 2025

Aspect	Dissertation	Thesis
Academic Level	Typically for doctoral (PhD) level	Usually for master’s or bachelor’s level
Length	Extensive, often 200-300 pages	Shorter, typically 50-100 pages
Original Research	Requires completely original, groundbreaking research	Demonstrates understanding of existing research
Research Depth	Extremely in-depth, contributes new knowledge to the field	Provides a comprehensive analysis of existing knowledge
Purpose	Aims to make a significant original contribution to academic knowledge	Demonstrates mastery of a specific subject area
Research Methodology	Involves extensive original research, often including primary data collection	Usually involves secondary research and analysis
Novelty	Must present a novel concept or approach	Synthesizes and analyzes existing research
Scope	Broader and more comprehensive	More focused and narrower in scope
Defense	Typically involves a formal, rigorous public defense	Often a less intensive defense or presentation
Time to Complete	Often takes 2-3 years	Usually completed within 1 year
Academic Contribution	Expected to be a significant, original contribution to the field	Demonstrates academic competence and research skills

Finally,

The main confusion occurs in the usage of the terms dissertation and the thesis is the structure. Both have an introduction, literary review, main body, conclusion, bibliography, and appendix.