Thesis or Comprehensive Exam

[kumapanda]

I got accepted into Radford's graduate program and I'm stuck on whether I should complete my degree with a thesis or a comprehensive exam.  I never had research experience, so I'm not sure what to expect if I was to take the thesis route.  What are some pros and cons for these?  I would love to hear everyone's experiences/opinions on this.

[thespeechblog.com]

I'm in the same situation. I'm thinking I want to do the thesis option precisely because I didn't get much research experience as an undergrad, and I would like to learn more about it. Furthermore, it will help me realize if a PhD might/not be for me. 

I'm not sure you about your program, but in mine I'll have to take a "Research and Writing in SHS" course to give us a taste of what the thesis option is like. Do you have a course like that to help you decide? I've heard the thesis option is a lot of work that most students don't end up having time for. I have a free summer in my program and I'm hoping I can do my thesis then. 

Anyways, that's my two cents. I'm interested to hear everyone else's comments! 

[jpiccolo]

The girls doing a thesis in my program just have the added pressure of working on it in addition to clinic and class. It's very time consuming. The comps are more of a one time headache and since you have to take the praxis anyway you'll be studying for both. 

Thesis is really good for phd route or if you have a specific interest you'd  like to study more. But there's also the possibility of grad assistantships or helping out professors with research without having the stress of a thesis.