sample graduate thesis

Thesis and Dissertation Guide

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Think of yourself as a member of a jury, listening to a lawyer who is presenting an opening argument. You'll want to know very soon whether the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they have read too far, they want to know what the essay argues as well as how the writer plans to make the argument. After reading your thesis statement, the reader should think, "This essay is going to try to convince me of something. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm interested to see how I might be."

An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. "Reasons for the fall of communism" is a topic. "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" is a fact known by educated people. "The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe" is an opinion. (Superlatives like "the best" almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to weigh every "thing" that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldn't that be "the best thing"?)

A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay.

Steps in Constructing a Thesis

First, analyze your primary sources.  Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Does the author contradict himself or herself? Is a point made and later reversed? What are the deeper implications of the author's argument? Figuring out the why to one or more of these questions, or to related questions, will put you on the path to developing a working thesis. (Without the why, you probably have only come up with an observation—that there are, for instance, many different metaphors in such-and-such a poem—which is not a thesis.)

Once you have a working thesis, write it down.  There is nothing as frustrating as hitting on a great idea for a thesis, then forgetting it when you lose concentration. And by writing down your thesis you will be forced to think of it clearly, logically, and concisely. You probably will not be able to write out a final-draft version of your thesis the first time you try, but you'll get yourself on the right track by writing down what you have.

Keep your thesis prominent in your introduction.  A good, standard place for your thesis statement is at the end of an introductory paragraph, especially in shorter (5-15 page) essays. Readers are used to finding theses there, so they automatically pay more attention when they read the last sentence of your introduction. Although this is not required in all academic essays, it is a good rule of thumb.

Anticipate the counterarguments.  Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you'll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counterargument. If yours doesn't, then it's not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)

This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counterarguments. For example, a political observer might believe that Dukakis lost because he suffered from a "soft-on-crime" image. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counterargument, you'll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below.

Some Caveats and Some Examples

A thesis is never a question.  Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or even answered. A question ("Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?") is not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water.

A thesis is never a list.  "For political, economic, social and cultural reasons, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" does a good job of "telegraphing" the reader what to expect in the essay—a section about political reasons, a section about economic reasons, a section about social reasons, and a section about cultural reasons. However, political, economic, social and cultural reasons are pretty much the only possible reasons why communism could collapse. This sentence lacks tension and doesn't advance an argument. Everyone knows that politics, economics, and culture are important.

A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational.  An ineffective thesis would be, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil." This is hard to argue (evil from whose perspective? what does evil mean?) and it is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough. It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If readers strongly disagree with you right off the bat, they may stop reading.

An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.  "While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline" is an effective thesis sentence that "telegraphs," so that the reader expects the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the disintegration of economies. This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim: that the disintegration of economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by thinking, "Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want to read further to see how the author argues this claim."

A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible.  Avoid overused, general terms and abstractions. For example, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elite's inability to address the economic concerns of the people" is more powerful than "Communism collapsed due to societal discontent."

Copyright 1999, Maxine Rodburg and The Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University

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Spring Thesis Submission Deadline: Monday, May 6

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Formatting Requirements

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Thesis and Dissertation Credit

Thesis track master's students and all PhD students are required to submit their final thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School after the work has been successfully defended and deemed complete by the committee.  All students must complete  the submission process by the deadlines posted on the academic calendar for the desired semester of graduation. 

Details on the submission and formatting process can be found below.   The Graduate School has not prescribed a particular style to be followed in writing a thesis/dissertation. The style chosen must be appropriate to the student’s field of study. However, the Graduate School has adopted standards for form and organization. These standards are outlined in the formatting manual linked on this page.  

Formatting and Submission Resources

• Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Manual
• ProQuest Submission FAQ
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The Graduate School offers a free formatting review to all students submitting a thesis or dissertation.  This review is not required, but is strongly suggested.  To obtain a review, please email your thesis/dissertation, either in PDF or with a sharing link, to [email protected] with 'Thesis Review' as the subject line. Reviews may take up to a week depending on the time of year. 

Students should become familiar with the formatting requirements that are outlined in the thesis manual .  The formatting specifications are based on universal formatting required by many colleges and universities around the country.  These requirements are also mandated by the publisher to ensure that all thesis and dissertations have a consistent format.

Students should not rely solely on previously bound copies of theses for answers on formatting issues. While bound copies may provide ideas for possible procedures, format requirements may have changed. If you have a question, please contact the Graduate School. 

The Graduate School does not create or host any formatting templates (Overleaf, LaTeX, etc.).  Any templates that may exist were created by prior students.  Students are advised caution when using previously created templates as formatting requirements may have changed. 

Final Submission

The final approved thesis/dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School through ProQuest via the UNH ETD Administrator website by the appropriate deadline as published in the Graduate School calendar. Publishing options include traditional publishing (free) as well as open access publishing (additional cost).  The benefits of each can be found on the ProQuest website.  Students can opt to embargo their thesis (hold publication) if needed, which will delay publishing for a specified period of time.  Bound copies are available for purchase through ProQuest at the time of submission. Students should check with their department to determine if a bound copy is required. All fees are to be paid by the student at the time of submission.

Students are advised not to wait until the last minute to submit their work. Submissions must be received by the published deadline for your intended graduation term unless the Graduate School has granted an extension. The specific deadline for submission for each graduation date is published on the UNH Academic Calendar as well as on our calendar page .

*Under no circumstances will a submission be accepted after the graduation date has passed.

The final version of the thesis must be submitted electronically to the Graduate School via the secure UNH ProQuest ETD Administrator website: http://www.etdadmin.com/unh . Submissions should be made only after a student has successfully passed the defense and has made all the necessary corrections required by their committee. In addition to the ProQuest submission, students will also need to submit the Thesis Submission Form as well as a copy of their signed signature page to the Graduate School Dean's Office .  

ProQuest Thesis/Dissertation submission: Submit the completed and approved thesis/dissertation through ProQuest.  You will be able to choose from two publishing options and will be able to purchase bound copies if desired.

Signature Page: The signature page is created by the student and should be based on the sample template that we provide in the thesis formatting manual.  This page should be signed by all committee members as confirmation that the thesis/dissertation has been approved.  As we understand that not all faculty may be local or able to sign in person, digital or otherwise electronic signatures are permitted.  A hard copy signature page is not required.  The final page should be submitted to the Graduate School as  PDF file. 

Final Submission Form: This form/checklist, found linked at the top of this page, is to be filled out and submitted by the student as confirmation that all steps in the process have been completed.

The submission form and signature page can be submitted as PDF files to [email protected] (preferred).  Pages can also be submitted in person or mailed to the Graduate School Dean's Office in Thompson Hall.

These materials can be submitted in any order.  Once all materials have been received the Graduate School will review the submission.  If there are changes needed, the student will be notified and will be able to make the necessary changes and resubmit.

Students can choose between Traditional Publishing (no cost) or Open Access Publishing.  More information about the publishing options can be found on the ProQuest website at the time of submission.   All publishing fees are the responsibility of the student. 

Thesis/dissertation submissions will be sent for publishing after all degrees are awarded.  Publishing normally takes 8-10 weeks.  Once published, the thesis/dissertations will be made available online through ProQuest as well as through the UNH Library Scholar's Repository.  

Note: If the student opted for an embargo, then release will not be completed until the embargo expires.  In the case of an infinite embargo, the submission will never be made available. 

Students can request bound copies at the time of submission.  The Graduate School does not require students to purchase copies to complete the submission process.  However, some departments may still require/request copies.  Students can select any format for personal bound copies, however, for university use the 8 1/2 x 11 hardcover is recommended.  Payment for any bound copies is the responsibility of the student. 

After publication, bound copies will be printed and mailed to the address the student provided at the time of submission. Students can also order additional bound copies at any time through the ProQuest portal once publication is completed. 

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

A thesis requires the completion of between 6-10 thesis credits.  Some departments have more specific requirements.  Students who enrolled for more than 10 credits will need to work with the Graduate School to withdraw the excess credits.  

Once the thesis is approved and submitted the department will submit a request to award the CR grade for thesis completion.  The Graduate School monitors thesis grades closely, but it is not unusual for thesis grades to remain incomplete until immediately before the degree is awarded. 

PhD students are required to register for Doctoral Research (999) each semester until their degree is awarded.  Once the dissertation is submitted and approved the department will submit a request to award the CR grade for the dissertation.  Please note that only the most recent registration of 999 will be given a CR.  All other registrations will have a IA grade. 

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Theses and Dissertations

Defense and submission.

Below is an overview of the main steps in preparing, defending, and submitting your thesis or dissertation. For detailed instructions on each step, see The Graduate School's  Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation (PDF) , in addition to this video recording from a workshop given on the subject. 

• Schedule your defense and apply for graduation in DukeHub ( defense and graduation deadlines ).  
• At least 30 days before your defense: Confirm or update your defense committee.  
• Give your thesis/dissertation to your advisor for inspection, and prompt your advisor to send a letter to [email protected] stating that it is complete and ready to defend. Note: For students in School of Medicine Ph.D. programs, their advisor letters are generated through T3.  
• Request your DGSA to send a departmental defense announcement to  [email protected] . Note: For students in School of Medicine Ph.D. programs, their departmental defense announcements are generated through T3.  
• At least 2 weeks before your defense: Submit your complete, correctly formatted dissertation/thesis to ProQuest (initial submission). Also provide it to each member of your committee.  
• Optional: After you receive an email through ProQuest from the Graduate School administrator who reviewed your thesis/dissertation format, you may make an appointment for a brief, virtual meeting with the administrator to discuss any questions you have about the defense process or the recommended formatting revisions.  
• A few days before your defense, The Graduate School will generate your final examination certificate and email it to the chair/co-chair(s) of your examination committee and the DGSA of your department. Note:  For students in School of Medicine Ph.D. programs, their final examination certificates are generated and released through T3.  
• Defend your dissertation. After your final examination, your committee members will vote on whether you passed or failed. Your chair and DGS will record the votes on your final examination certificate, sign it, and submit it to The Graduate School. Your committee may vote that you passed but still require minor edits or corrections before final submission.  
• As soon as possible after your defense, submit to [email protected] the Non-Exclusive Distribution License and Thesis/Dissertation Availability Agreement (“embargo agreement”) signed by yourself and your thesis/dissertation advisor.  
• Within 30 days after your successful defense, or by the established final submission deadline (whichever is first): Submit the final version of your dissertation/thesis to ProQuest.

Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation (PDF)

We provide the following templates for your convenience and to help you eliminate common formatting errors. However,  all submitted theses and dissertations must meet the specifications listed in the ETD guide . The manuscript must be a completed document, formatted correctly, with no sections left blank.

• Word Template for Thesis/Dissertation (Word)
• LaTeX Template for Thesis/Dissertation (ZIP)

Notes about the LaTeX Template

• This LaTeX template is for both master's and Ph.D. students. Master's theses must also have an abstract title page.
• Neither The Graduate School nor OIT supports LaTeX beyond providing this template.

Ph.D. and master’s students are required to apply for graduation in  DukeHub  by the established application deadline for the semester in which they plan to graduate.

Review the full graduation guidelines on the  Graduation Information and Deadlines  page. 

When you submit your thesis or dissertation electronically, you will also permit Duke University to make it available online through  DukeSpace  at Duke Libraries. See the pages below for more information about ETDs:

• ETDs Overview
• ETD Availability
• ETD Copyright Information 
• ETD Technical Help 

Check out the writing support  offered by The Graduate School, such as writing spaces, consultations, and access to online writing workshops, communities, and resources.

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The graduate school, thesis/dissertation examples.

01 Title Page  |  01b Title page thesis 02 Copyright Page 03 Acknowledgments 04 Dedication 05 Epigraph 06 Table of Contents 07 List of Tables 08 List of Figures 09 List of Abbreviations 10a Abstract  |  10b Abstract (Science) 11 Chapter One 12 Formatted table 13 Appendix cover page and contents 14 List of References | 14b Bibliography 15 Vita 16 Dissertation approval sheet 17 Extra title page 18 Extra abstract

Chapter template (locked)

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Dissertations & Theses

All doctoral dissertations and master’s theses are submitted by the student for archiving upon final approval by the student’s committee. (“Dissertations” here also refers to DNP projects in Nursing and DMA documents in Music.) These works will be added to the UA Campus Repository and the national archive of dissertations and theses maintained by ProQuest/UMI. There are no fees charged for archiving.

The Graduate College has provided Sample Pages for use in your dissertation or thesis. These samples represent the first two pages of the dissertation or thesis. 

The Graduate College also has Dissertation and Thesis Formatting Guides available in order to assist students with formatting their dissertation or thesis.  Please review the relevant guide prior to submitting your work for archiving.

In order to graduate in a given term, a student must submit the dissertation or thesis by the published deadline for the term. Note that the dissertation submission deadline typically falls before the end of the term. The student must have defended the dissertation or thesis and gained final committee approval before submitting it for archiving. If the committee requires further revisions, the student must request a change to their graduation term from the Graduate College .

The links in the menu at the right provide full information about the process of submitting a dissertation or thesis for archiving.

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Research Proposal Example/Sample

Detailed Walkthrough + Free Proposal Template

If you’re getting started crafting your research proposal and are looking for a few examples of research proposals , you’ve come to the right place.

In this video, we walk you through two successful (approved) research proposals , one for a Master’s-level project, and one for a PhD-level dissertation. We also start off by unpacking our free research proposal template and discussing the four core sections of a research proposal, so that you have a clear understanding of the basics before diving into the actual proposals.

• Research proposal example/sample – Master’s-level (PDF/Word)
• Research proposal example/sample – PhD-level (PDF/Word)
• Proposal template (Fully editable) 

If you’re working on a research proposal for a dissertation or thesis, you may also find the following useful:

• Research Proposal Bootcamp : Learn how to write a research proposal as efficiently and effectively as possible
• 1:1 Proposal Coaching : Get hands-on help with your research proposal

PS – If you’re working on a dissertation, be sure to also check out our collection of dissertation and thesis examples here .

FAQ: Research Proposal Example

Research proposal example: frequently asked questions, are the sample proposals real.

Yes. The proposals are real and were approved by the respective universities.

Can I copy one of these proposals for my own research?

As we discuss in the video, every research proposal will be slightly different, depending on the university’s unique requirements, as well as the nature of the research itself. Therefore, you’ll need to tailor your research proposal to suit your specific context.

You can learn more about the basics of writing a research proposal here .

How do I get the research proposal template?

You can access our free proposal template here .

Is the proposal template really free?

Yes. There is no cost for the proposal template and you are free to use it as a foundation for your research proposal.

Where can I learn more about proposal writing?

For self-directed learners, our Research Proposal Bootcamp is a great starting point.

For students that want hands-on guidance, our private coaching service is recommended.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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A love of marine biology and data analysis

Thursday, May 09, 2024 • Katherine Egan Bennett : contact

Kelsey Beavers’ love of the ocean started at a young age. Coming from a family of avid scuba divers, she became a certified junior diver at age 11.

“It was a different world,” Beavers said. “I loved everything about the ocean.”

After graduating from high school, the Austin native moved to Fort Worth to study environmental science at Texas Christian University. One of her professors at TCU knew University of Texas at Arlington biology Professor Laura Mydlarz and encouraged Beavers to continue her studies in Arlington.

“Kelsey came to UTA to pursue a Ph.D. and study coral disease, and she quickly got involved in a large project studying stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) , a rapidly spreading disease that has been killing coral all along Florida’s coast and in 22 Caribbean countries,” Mydlarz said. “She has been a real asset to our team, including being the lead author on a paper we published in Nature Communications last year on the disease.”

As part of her doctoral program, Beavers completed original research studying the gene expression of coral reefs affected by SCTLD. Her research involved scuba diving off the coast of the U.S. Virgin Islands to collect coral tissue samples before returning to the lab for data analysis.

“What we found was that the symbiotic algae living within coral are also affected by SCTLD,” Beavers said. “Our current hypothesis is that when algae move from reef to reef, they may be spreading the disease that has been devastating coral reefs since it first appeared in 2014.”

A large part of Beavers’ dissertation project involved crunching large sets of gene expression data extracted from the coral samples and analyzing it in the context of disease susceptibility and severity.

“The analysis part of the project was so much larger than just using a regular Mac, so I worked with the Texas Advanced Computer Center (TACC) in Austin, which is part of the UT System, using their supercomputers,” Beavers said.

Beavers enjoyed the data analysis part of her project so much that when she saw an opening at TACC for a full-time position, she jumped at the chance. She’s now working there part-time until graduation, when she plans to move to Austin for her new role.

“I’m really looking forward to my new position, as I’ll be able to work on research projects other than my own,” she said. “It will be interesting to be a specialist in data analysis and help other scientists use the TACC supercomputers to solve complex questions.”

As part of the job, she’ll travel to other UT System campuses to educate researchers on how they can use the tools available at TACC.

“I’m really proud of the work Kelsey did in our lab these past few years, and I’m excited to see her thrive after graduation,” Mydlarz said. “Seeing my students succeed is one of the best parts of this job.”

DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES

• The Potential of Palimpsest Conference

Revolution or Reformation? The Potential of Palimpsest Conference

About the Conference

Annie Bourneuf’s recent book, Behind the Angel of History: The Angelus Novus and Its Interleaf (2022), documents how American artist R.H. Quaytman carefully unearthed a nineteenth-century print of the German Reformer Martin Luther on which the artist Paul Klee had superimposed his image of the angelus novus in 1920. The philosopher Walter Benjamin owned this print, making it famous in a letter exchange he had with Gershom Scholem. The angelus novus is a palimpsest, documenting distinct historical layers by a technique of concealing and revealing them. Benjamin’s reflections on this image further reveal how palimpsest became significant in his own understanding of “catastrophe,” as Benjamin formulated his understanding of historical rupture during Nazi Germany.

Bourneuf’s book on Quaytman’s discovery provides an exciting opportunity for an interdisciplinary consideration of palimpsest, and how the ruptures identified by the superimposed layers orient crisis to an “otherwise.” We are currently in a moment of crisis, indeed of many crises. The climate crisis, which is posing the most drastic threat to human and planetary life, and current wars in the Middle East and Europe/Asia, can be seen analogously to crises in the past that too, although in different ways, resulted in world-changing upheavals. Klee’s own angelus novus is a palimpsest hinting at different layers of crisis—the Protestant Reformation, World War I, and 1920 Weimar Germany that was a prelude to yet another crisis, Nazi Germany’s aspirations of world domination that included the enslavement of peoples, and the murder of homosexuals, Sinti and Roma, persons with disabilities, political dissidents, and six million Jews.

This conference’s aim is to explore the transformative implications of palimpsest using Klee’s angelus novus as focal point. Benjamin’s idea of “layers of history” inspires the question concerning the reformatory or revolutionary potential of the ruptures inscribed by palimpsest. How is crisis mapped by palimpsest, which, as a cultural technique, is marked by or born from a moment of crisis? How are ruptures created and what do they document? How do they orient to an “otherwise,” such as a new political era, hope, or even the transcendent?

The conference explores the ways in which palimpsest can be understood as productive for ideas about and action in our contemporary moment of crisis, or “polycrisis.” Palimpsest will be creatively interrogated from interdisciplinary perspective, with scholars in art history, religious studies, philosophy, anthropology, literature, and Black studies addressing the crisis conditions under which palimpsest is produced and recognized, and how palimpsest discloses places of rupture that open to possibilities that orient ethical, affective, religious, and political attitudes and activity.

Conference Speakers

Featuring Annie Bourneuf (School of the Art Institute of Chicago); Mark Haxthausen (Williams College); Jacqueline Mariña (Purdue University); Isabel von Holt (Hamburg University); Michael Puett (Harvard University); Jason Springs (Notre Dame University); Christopher Wild (University of Chicago); Robert Orsi (Northwestern University); Christine Helmer (Northwestern University). Read more about the speakers here .

Schedule of Events

The conference will run May 22-24, 2024. Events will be held in 555 Clark Street, Kresge Centennial Hall, and University Hall. See the full schedule of events here .

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