How often do students fail? (master's thesis)

[Adelaide9216]

Hello,

I am submitting the initial version of my thesis in about 2 weeks. How often do students fail at this stage? I'm anxious about this. I know I won't win the Nobel prize with this, I just want a pass and want my thesis to be decent enough so I don't get ashamed of it in 20 years. I can say that I've worked hard, done my best. I enjoyed the process but was definitely a lot more work than what I had expected. My supervisor will give me her comments prior to the initial submission. I'm still feeling anxious about not passing.

[PsyDuck90]

I don't know if there's a strict answer to this. Is there a rubric available that you can use to try and grade yourself on? Chances are there will be some revisions that you will be asked to make. I know in my program, they had pass, revise, and fail. Most people got revise and then passed. 

[Noegenesis]

4 hours ago, Adelaide9216 said:

Hello,

I am submitting the initial version of my thesis in about 2 weeks. How often do students fail at this stage? I'm anxious about this. I know I won't win the Nobel prize with this, I just want a pass and want my thesis to be decent enough so I don't get ashamed of it in 20 years. I can say that I've worked hard, done my best. I enjoyed the process but was definitely a lot more work than what I had expected. My supervisor will give me her comments prior to the initial submission. I'm still feeling anxious about not passing. 

It depends on the requirements of your institution and the expectations of your advisor, who should have already relayed to you what he or she is expecting. Provided that you meet those requirements/expectations and have been soliciting feedback throughout the writing process, you should pass without a problem.

[Adelaide9216]

Hello, thanks for your answer. Unfortunately, my institution doesn't have clear guidelines for master's thesis in my field because I am the only student in my program who chose to do a thesis. Social Work is a professional degree, most students choose the field placement option. So I looked for guidelines from other universities in similar departments and looked at the master's thesis of previous social work students to have a better idea of the expectations.

I sent multiple parts of my thesis to my supervisor over the last few months. I have gotten zero feedback. I was told by a colleague that it's probably because she has seen it, and is not worried and is waiting to see the entire product before commenting. She has told me that she would give me feedback in the next couple of weeks, as I am approaching towards the end of my degree. I have a very good link with her, I've known her for many years. But the lack of guidance was a struggle, even though I made it through. She is incredibly busy (like many researchers/scholars I assume). I'm not expecting to have an "excellent" comment on my thesis, I just want to pass at this point. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Adelaide9216

[Noegenesis]

2 hours ago, Adelaide9216 said:

So I looked for guidelines from other universities in similar departments and looked at the master's thesis of previous social work students to have a better idea of the expectations.

This probably answers your own question. If you want a more definitive answer, your best bet is still your advisor (a face to face meeting should give you some clues), other professors at your department, especially those who have supervised master's theses in the past, and your institution's guidelines for writing a master's thesis (either a general guideline not restricted to a specific department or requirements from similar disciplines, e.g., psychology, sociology).