How Long Does It Take To Write A Master's Thesis: Tips For Students?

A master’s thesis can seem like a daunting task, especially for students who have never needed to tackle such a long piece of continuous text before. It not only requires a lot of hours poured into the actually writing of it, but also requires many more hours of research and study, regardless of the subject. The time it takes to complete a master’s thesis can vary. Here are some tips to follow regarding the length of time it should take.

• Set up a timetable

Different theses take different amounts of time. Some last for just six months, others for a whole year. Sometimes you will have longer. Regardless of the amount of time you are allotted to complete your work, you need to set up a schedule to give yourself an idea of how long things like research and writing are actually going to take you. Really, this ought to be your first step. Remember to be realistic: research is going to take you a long time, whether that means conducting experiments or reading and reading and reading books.

• Research and reading first

Research - whether that is experimentation or reading - has to come before you write anything. This is the most time-consuming part of the process of writing a thesis, and you need to be careful to plan exactly how long it needs to take you and stick to it. If you tell yourself that you will complete the research in three months, for example, then it needs to be done in that amount of time. Otherwise everything else you have planned will be thrown off. Perhaps the best way, especially for theses in subjects like English and history, is to do most of the research before writing anything, and then continue reading and researching as you tackle the text.

• Set yourself goals

Once you get to the actual writing of the text, you need to be strict about how much you need to complete every day. Be realistic, of course, but set yourself to get 500 words a day, perhaps (depending on the length of the dissertation and the amount of time you have to do it). Also remember that after everything is done you will need to read through and edit it and perhaps even complete a bibliography. Just make sure that you use your time wisely: start as soon as possible so that you’re not rushing towards the end!