Proposal preparation for the Master’s thesis
The hardest part of proposal preparation is structuring one’s thoughts in the areas of research and impressively articulating those thoughts. Another common hurdle students’ face is outlining their thesis proposal. In my previous article- How to approach a Master’s thesis, I emphasized — how one can be scientific and systematic in his/her thought process. In this article, sharing two key components of the proposal. A proposal is vital for two reasons: i. why a chosen topic qualifies to be the Master’s thesis project and ii. Motivation and commitment to documenting high-quality academic work.
Only a few students internalize the idea of Master’s thesis and succeed in preparing a good quality proposal which is worth reviewing. But many times, the majority of them make another lethargic attempt of imitating earlier work with little or no contribution; or sometimes, shallow implications with an original idea. This article is for all those students who get fabulous ideas and want to do innovative work :)… So, here we go,
1. Structure of the thesis
In my association with higher education for more than a decade, I have observed that the thesis guidelines are suggestive sub-headers (Colleges provide these guidelines which may vary from institute to institute, I’m not making any remarks on these guidelines). The primary reason for the poor proposal is, students, lack the logical assessment of the sub-headers of thesis guidelines. To structure a proposal, defining the nature of the thesis such as — a case study (taking a brand or company as a case), a comparative study (consider min two instances) or proposing an original concept with primary data collection etc. can be the first step. I have named a few; there are many more approaches. The clarity with the nature of the Master’s thesis certainly provides structure to students’ thought process and helps to overcome the logical flaw.
2. Objectives of the thesis
I have also noticed students enlisting too many objectives in the Master’s thesis. At times, as many as 8 to 10 objectives with bullet points. Unimpressive! It is advisable to identify one primary purpose. For instance, if the primary aim is ‘changing investment behaviours in millennial due to the COVID-19’. Then, perhaps, one can identify the secondary purpose of the thesis as — a) past investment patterns of millennial, b) segmentation of millennial population, c) millennial needs & aspirations and d) financial companies’ offerings amidst COVID-19. The deconstruction of primary purpose into fragmented theoretical determinants can be translated as secondary purpose with the brief explanation(this is suggestive only!). It is ideal to enlist feasible, significant and relevant objectives; take cautions to avoid repetitions in terms of theory or application. Well-defined objectives strengthen the qualification of the chosen topic for the Master’s thesis.
The above points are necessary requisites in any proposal. An ideal length is 7–8 pages with double line spacing. The purpose of the Master’s thesis is to introduce and sensitize students to academic writing — it is crucial to use (cite) scholarly references in the introduction section.
I hope the article helps you to overcome the initial challenges of drafting the Master’s thesis proposal.
And, one more thing, there is always a Rhino in the thesis!!
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Happy reading :)
