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How to Pick a Thesis Topic?


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What should bear the most weight when picking a topic for your MA thesis: the area of expertise the professors who could potentially supervise you, your area of expertise (even if there isn't a professor in your department who specializes in that area?), or a topic related to the field in which you want to work after graduating?

 

I know for PhD-level studies, it's imperative to have a supervisor who specializes in your field, but how about at the MA level? I'm about to start an MA in Political Science, and I'm pondering potential thesis topics at the moment. Thanks!

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Step 1: Decide what kinds of things you find interesting

Step 2: See where your Advisor's expertise fits under something you find interesting.

Step 3: read  100-150 journal articles on the subject

Step 4: identify a gap in literature you read

Step 5: form a hypothesis to test that gap.

Step 6: test that hypothesis

Step 7: write up thesis

step 8: defend thesis

step 9: publsih

Edited by GeoDUDE!
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I know for PhD-level studies, it's imperative to have a supervisor who specializes in your field, but how about at the MA level? I'm about to start an MA in Political Science, and I'm pondering potential thesis topics at the moment. Thanks!

 

I actually would have said the opposite. When you do a PhD you specialize in a certain subfield, study it very extensively, and end up becoming one of the leading experts in it (at least in the limited scope part of it you studied). The advisor's guidance doesn't have to be about the very specific details of your work but could be more generally about how to approach things, how to get unstuck, where to look for resources, etc. You have the time to learn the background and details of your topic yourself, and at some point you might find out that you know more about your topic than your advisor. 

 

Not so with a Masters--it's short, and you won't have the time to really become an expert in your subfield. You rely a lot more on your advisor to be able to guide you through difficult places, suggest literature, help you define a manageable size question to work on, etc. The best you can do is find a topic that you are interested in, which is within your advisor's area of expertise. It doesn't need to be the one topic you are most interested in, but instead it should simply be a topic that is in the intersection of your general interests, and your advisor's expertise. For more specifics about how to choose a topic that would be appreciated by employers after you graduate (assuming they would care, which I'm not entirely sure is true), you should post in the political science forum or ask your professors. Most of us here can't give you advice about how an poli sci MA plays out on the job market after you graduate.  

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