Exact Answer: 20000-60000 Words
Master’s Thesis is an original piece of work written by graduates under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Master’s thesis is not just based on random opinions but rather empirically based research. A Master’s Thesis is not just a random piece of work, but it can be seen as proof of one’s ability to study further in one respective field of study.
Not just that, if one wishes to, they can also publish their Master’s Thesis. Although one wonders about how much they should write in their Master’s Thesis. One may wonder how long is too long and how short is too short to be submitted and published as a Master’s Thesis.
How Long Is A Master’s Thesis?
As with every writing, a Master’s Thesis also aims to impress its primary reader. Here, the primary reader is an examiner. The examiner decides whether the writing is good enough to prove the writer’s writing and researching skills The examiner is like a bridge between graduates and their academic future. So they have high expectations. So it is normal for a Thesis to be around 20000 words at least. But again, it is not a Dissertation for a doctoral degree. So it should be written in 60000 words at max.
Completing a Thesis reflects how interested the person was in their thesis. Longer and more researched Thesis reflects the idea that the graduate who was working on it had much interest in working on their thesis. Not just that, a Master’s Thesis also reflects the skills of a student like researching, reviewing, collecting, analyzing, reporting, discussing, concluding the data in a way that can gain the acceptance of the reader, i.e., the examiner. Other than that, it also reflects one’s creativeness, ability to do something with discipline, even in difficult situations, and style of scholarly writing.
Usually, in terms of pages, the Master’s Thesis can vary from 40 pages with single spacing. However, it can be as big as up to 120 pages or around that. The length also can vary according to the requirement of the field in which one is pursuing their studies.
| Thesis type | Word Limit |
| Master’s Thesis | 20000-60000 words |
| PhD Thesis | 60000-100000 words |
Why A Master’s Thesis Is That Long?
A Master’s Thesis is an academic work written under the guidance of a faculty advisor of a respective stream. It is a long process and is for 2 whole semester period. Other than that, a Master’s Thesis is written to decide whether or not the student will be able to pursue even higher studies. So, it is obvious for it to be that long.
The examiner, even the faculty advisor has some expectations from the graduate and they believe that the graduate would work up to those expectations. Although it has a limit of about 60000 words as exceeding that limit makes it close to a thesis for a doctorate program. Sometimes, it is also a test of the faculty who is working as the advisor as the better thesis would prove that the advisor was also very helpful in it.
An examiner, who is also the primary audience of the Master’s thesis, has some expectations from the thesis. The examiner expects to see some key ideas of the graduate student reflecting in the thesis. The ideas should be about the core of the discipline in which the graduate is working on their thesis.
The examiner expects the ideas presented in the thesis to be backed up by some empirical proof rather than just random opinions. They expect to see some in-depth research in the thesis. Other than that the examiner also expects to see a creative yet academic way of expressing ideas and points in the academic work. These all factors lead the thesis to become this long automatically.
Conclusion
Master’s Thesis is an academic work that is original and is made under the supervision of some faculty advisor. It is a long academic work that might be as big as 60000 words and it works as a mirror to a graduate’s interest and knowledge of their respective subject. The thesis proves one’s skills to collect data like treasure from various sources and present it in a most creative yet academic manner.
The examiner who evaluates the thesis has some expectations and expects to see in-depth research from proper sources, a specific length under which the student have to write their thesis and a way of writing which should be academic as well as creative
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_bQgAQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=master%27s+thesis&ots=Oi05Nf6BiU&sig=KoB8Axy700FFAAamC3RFRxgd4mM
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=T1sCDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT13&dq=master%27s+thesis&ots=eNdbtcPwRH&sig=Yy9Ize2dT57xcSJw_QubPoy9diw
- https://ssl.uh.edu/class/political-science/_docs/MA/MA%20Thesis%20Guidelines.pdf