What is a thesis for developmental disabilities?

M.A Thesis or Non-Thesis in Sociology?

• I am trying to figure out if i should do a masters thesis or non-thesis. Do they hold the same value when you graduate or does your diploma say non-thesis? Or is it just fo publication purposes that it really matters, like i know a thesis is published and a non-thesis is more like a big paper, any ideas???

• Answer:

  Your diploma will not make a distinction between thesis or non-thesis; both carry equal weight in the view of academia. If you plan to finish with your MA and enter the workforce, I recommend the thesis option. If you're a good writer and you can churn out 80-100 pages of material, once you turn in the thesis to your committee you can just do your oral defense and call it a day. Full-length theses are generally too long to be published in most journals, and it's a huge pain trying to shorten them into something more concise. If you plan to go on to pursue your PhD, I recommend the non-thesis option. It's much easier to convert a non-thesis research paper (typically 30 pages) into an article for publication, and if you stay in academia you will want to publish as many articles as you can. Your written exam will also help you to ask more probing questions and deeper analysis in your research, which means you will have a better quality paper when it is finally time to submit for publication. The best advice will probably come from your graduate adviser. Stop by during office hours and put the same question to him/her.