Masters Thesis v. Article Publication

[annae]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I was wondering what everyone's thoughts are about the value of a master's thesis as opposed to published, peer-reviewed articles, in the context of PhD admissions. I know the benefit of publishing an article is that it is peer-reviewed, so your thoughts are validated by others. Are there any qualities or characteristics of a Master's thesis that are different or more beneficial than a published article? What are the benefits to having one over the other? Or rather, does the peer-review process capture all of the benefits of a formal thesis when applying for Phd programs?

[.letmeinplz//]

Your thesis is reviewed too by your committee.

[victorydance]

Ideally you should have both, but a publication in at least a decent journal is always worth more. 

[shadowclaw]

I agree that you should have both. The format of your actual written thesis may not be suitable for publication, but you should write up a manuscript from it and submit. Depending on your school, your thesis might have to be in a manuscript format anyway. That's what my school does.

[Cactus Ed]

Well, I would assume a Master's thesis earns you the Master's, which is a nice prerequisite to have when applying to PhD programs (when competing w/ those coming in with a BA). A publication is always better, however. I turned part of my Master's thesis into a publication once I entered the PhD program, but it was mostly ready before I applied and likely could've been picked up before I entered my PhD program (I didn't edit too much of it). I just didn't have the confidence to do so. My advice would be to polish the hell out of it and send it off somewhere just to get the experience. If you get a publication, big time bonus. 

[juilletmercredi]

Why not both? I published my master's thesis.

 

If your goal is academia published papers are always better than a master's thesis. It's not just about your ideas being validated; published papers are the coin of academia. They're what get you jobs and fellowships and grants and such (along with other things). In fact, doing a master's thesis is supposed to be the preparatory experience for writing publications in academia.

 

So when applying for PhD programs: MA thesis is good, publications are better. MA thesis AND publications is best.

[kotov]

The last two posters really kinda hit what I think would be the best answer: try to take some of that research you did for your MA thesis and turn it into an article. I guess the only pitfall is if you end up using your MA thesis as a starting point for your dissertation, but I don't think having one article based on the research is going to prevent someone from publishing your dissertation several years from now. 

[Igotnothin]

Peer-reviewed paper's always better in my opinion. When you start a MS program with a thesis component you're basically guaranteed to have your thesis "accepted" by your committee. It's way more impressive to submit a journal article that 2 or 3 experts in the field deem an important contribution to the field.

[.letmeinplz//]

Peer-reviewed paper's always better in my opinion. When you start a MS program with a thesis component you're basically guaranteed to have your thesis "accepted" by your committee. It's way more impressive to submit a journal article that 2 or 3 experts in the field deem an important contribution to the field.

This doesn't sound correct though.

 

So if I make a thesis called "A Study of Hello Kitty Island Adventure... The WoW Killer" I will automatically get my thesis accepted and receive my MS?

[Igotnothin]

This doesn't sound correct though.

 

So if I make a thesis called "A Study of Hello Kitty Island Adventure... The WoW Killer" I will automatically get my thesis accepted and receive my MS?

 

MS thesis acceptance rates are near 100% at most programs I'm familiar with. That's what I mean by "basically guaranteed."

[dr. t]

Peer-reviewed paper's always better in my opinion. When you start a MS program with a thesis component you're basically guaranteed to have your thesis "accepted" by your committee. It's way more impressive to submit a journal article that 2 or 3 experts in the field deem an important contribution to the field.

 

I agree. It also leaves you with a much better writing sample.

[Saila09]

MS thesis acceptance rates are near 100% at most programs I'm familiar with. That's what I mean by "basically guaranteed."

 

This is true but students go through many "revise and resubmits" before they formally present their thesis. They get feedback throughout the process to prepare them for the final product. If the committee members don't feel like a student is ready, he/she most likely won't present. 

[lewin]

 

It's been pointed out that this isn't an either/or question. 

 

I'm reminded of this scene from the big bang theory.

 

Everyone with a master's degree has a master's thesis so it's no big deal. But not everybody with a master's has a published thesis, so that'll carry a lot more weight. 

 

 

If the question were "What's better, a master's degree or a published paper?" that's a more complicated question.

[Saila09]

 

 

It's been pointed out that this isn't an either/or question. 

 

I'm reminded of this scene from the big bang theory.

 

Everyone with a master's degree has a master's thesis so it's no big deal. But not everybody with a master's has a published thesis, so that'll carry a lot more weight. 

 

 

If the question were "What's better, a master's degree or a published paper?" that's a more complicated question.

 

 

That's not true. Some people don't do one in clinical fields, e.g., social work, psychology.

[dr. t]

It's far from a universal. My MA program also does not require a thesis.

[bsharpe269]

I am in a MS program that is course work based but have been doing tons of research and will have 2 first author papers. Interestingly, during PhD interviews, no one cared whether my MS was course work or research based. Only 1 prof asked about this and when I answered that it was course based and I have been taking 3-4 classes a semester he got really impressed that I was publishing on top of that course load. They seemed to care WAY more about publications than whether I had a thesis or not. Based just on my personal experience, publications are more important.

[twentysix]

 

 

It's been pointed out that this isn't an either/or question. 

 

I'm reminded of this scene from the big bang theory.

 

Everyone with a master's degree has a master's thesis so it's no big deal. But not everybody with a master's has a published thesis, so that'll carry a lot more weight. 

 

 

If the question were "What's better, a master's degree or a published paper?" that's a more complicated question.

 

 

UCLA's MA (Humanities/Social Science) did not require a thesis. This is most certainly not true. Though if one intends to go on to a PhD, the thesis route is surely the best option.

Edited April 13, 2015 by twentysix