In some graduate programs at the Master’s level there are two options to complete a degree, 1) thesis option and, 2) a non thesis option.
- The thesis option. In this option, students take a certain number of credit hours towards degree completion and they must also enroll in thesis hours and complete a research topic with their research adviser. Typically the student takes about 24 credit hours which means that there are about 8 classes. Out of these 8 classes, two or three may be core courses and the remaining are optional courses to help build the knowledge/skill base of the student to complete their research. There may be other seminar type courses that you may have to take as well. In addition, the student must take about 6 credit hours – typically spread over two semesters to conduct research. Most Universities require the student to be enrolled in thesis credits the semester that they plan to graduate. In the thesis option students can be funded in several ways. The first option is the graduate research assistantship (GRA) where the student works on a research topic provided by the research adviser over a two year period. Depending upon the University, the GRA may pay for all (or part) of the tuition, health insurance and a monthly stipend. These GRAs are competitive and are usually awarded to the student before the start of the first semester. Check out my course material and book on the genesis of a GRA. At the end of two years, the student is required to 1) either write a formal thesis, select a committee, defend the thesis in front of an audience and the committee, or 2) In other departments students are expected to publish a peer reviewed journal paper that serves as the thesis. The second option – an expensive one – is where the student funds their own graduate degree and completes a thesis option. Since the student is paying their own way to complete their research the students can work with the department chair and identify a research adviser who can help the student through the process. The third option is for the student to win a competitive NSF or NASA proposal (again check my book on how to write and win a competitive proposal) and fund the graduate school. Remember that in the thesis option the final thesis defense and the closed door session with the committee members serves as the final examination for the thesis. At the end of the exam the committee will vote to pass/fail/conditional pass and set further requirements (for fail/conditional pass options). Most students who select the thesis/paper option for obtaining a graduate degree are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. or a career in research that gives them the experience while in graduate school.
- The non-thesis option. In the non-thesis option students are not expected to conduct a formal research that leads to a formal thesis or a journal paper. These students also take the required 24 credit hours including the core and optional courses but instead of the 6 hours of thesis they are required to take two other courses of their choice to complete the degree requirements. There are many variations of the non thesis option and it depends upon the University. Even though a formal thesis is not required, some departments will still require the student to work on a capstone project of some sort (with a faculty member) that has less stringent requirements than a thesis. The student may still have to present their work to a larger audience. As a final examination, for the non thesis option, the department may require a written test or a oral examination as well. Students who select the non thesis option usually have limited mechanisms for funding their gradate degree. The first option is obviously to self fund yourself and obtain the degree to seek employment. The second option is the Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA). Depending upon the department, a GTA is awarded to a student to help the instructor teach lab sections, grade certain portions of the course, help UG students with course work and other related responsibilities. Whether you are a GRA or a GTA you will be typically hired to work 20 hours per week on either your research responsibilities or teaching responsibilities. While the funding for a GRA comes from federal grants/contracts, the GTA funds are typically provided through University funds. In some departments to maintain equity both GRAs and GTAs receive the same package (same stipend and tuition/health insurance). In other departments, GTAs are offered a smaller package with reduced tuition. In worse case scenarios a GTA may be a split between two students with half of the stipend and tuition. Students in the non thesis option typically do not expect to enter into a PhD program immediately. They want to obtain the knowledge/skill sets necessary to enter into the work force that does not emphasize research.
Depending upon the career goals of the student, both the thesis and a non thesis option can be a rewarding and successful experience. However if a student is in doubt I always suggest the thesis option because it provides experience in research, written and oral communication and whether you choose to use that skill set or not at your next job it is up to you. But if you choose the non thesis option and change your mind after you graduate you will be at a disadvantage with the students whom you are competing with who completed a thesis option.
Before I wrap up this section let me highlight a few items that will help you position yourself for a GRA or a GTA.
To compete for a GRA in graduate school, there are certain things that you could do while you are working on an undergraduate degree. If you know the types of things you want to do in graduate school and the University you would like to attend, then develop the skill sets needed that will be required for the job of a GRA. For example some advisers look for students with strong programming skills, others look for laboratory skills etc. However just about every research adviser that I know is looking for strong students with high GPAs, strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to work hard and persevere through problems with critical thinking. It is also quite possible that high scores in exams like GRE or GMAT are needed. If you can develop these types of skills then landing a GRA should be a lot easier.
Departments who are selecting a GTA pay close attention to the GPA in your undergraduate degree, scores in GRE/GMAT, communication skills and the ability to work with undergraduate students. This means that activities that show your involvement in UG organizations may be important.
I wrote this blog in response to a request from a student (in my 2022 professional Development course) who wanted to know more about GTAs and non thesis option.
Navigating Graduate School and Beyond 
This information is really thoroughly detailed well. I believe that whether or not students choose the thesis option are capable of finding employment in their careers. I do not think it would be a disadvantage if the non-thesis option was chosen. Some students would even assumed that they must do a thesis when they do not even express any interest in research at all. When competing against those with a thesis, non-thesis students can still stand out by having good amount of work experiences such as internships, volunteering, anything related to the job they want while gaining the necessary skills they need.
Getting a non-thesis degree is not bad at all, in my opinion. There are many students who does not want to work in the research field or get a PhD right now. They can still position themselves for success by taking up a skill for their dream job like programming or radar, completing a research project for research and oral experiences in collaboration with professors or on your own, doing some internships/volunteering work, work study in your department or under your professor(s)/advisor(s) and among others. At the end of the day, I believe that thesis or non-thesis degree seeking students will have great future careers as long as they all know what to do and how to do it.
The choice to take either the thesis or non-thesis option can be aided using SWOT by assessing your weaknesses. If you feel that you are lacking in the field of research, then the thesis option would be a good idea. Conversely, if you feel that your research skills are strong but your knowledge needs improvement, then you could determine that the non-thesis option is more beneficial.
For a non-thesis student to set up for success, they should seek a GTA to gain experience as they work towards their degree. Any amount of experience is worthwhile when seeking a job, as many job positions desire applicants with experience. If the GTA is not attainable, then doing volunteer work would also be beneficial, especially if it is in the organization that they wish to be a part of in their career.
For me, I know I am pursing the 1st option. I hope to just use one of my publications as my thesis. I am interested in learning more about how to do this.
Determining whether you will go the thesis or non-thesis route is a critical step in your pursuit of a master’s degree. I think nine times out of ten, the thesis route is the way to go. Even if you have career plans to jump into the private sector after completing your degree, the skills you obtain when conducting the research for your thesis can be valuable down the road. That being said, it is more than reasonable to go the non-thesis and GTA route if the skills developed by conducting research are not applicable at all to the career path you want to pursue.
Students who choose the non-thesis option can set themselves up for success through a variety of methods. Most importantly, if they know what career path they want to go down, they can be intentional about learning the skills necessary to succeed in that field while they are in graduate school. They can also pursue internships and volunteer positions with groups at the university, or other organizations that may be closely tied to the field they want to make their way into after graduation.
Students that are seeking a non-thesis route may want to position themselves to obtain a GTA. A GTA can help them to fund either all or part of their degree. As a result, these students need to focus on maintaining a good academic standing whilst in their undergraduate degree. Studying regularly, going to offer hours, building and preserving relationships with fellow students, and maintaining high grades can aid them in landing a GTA. Furthermore, honing their technical skills can help them improve their success during graduate school by better positioning them for success in their classes and their capstone research. Lastly, students seeking a non-thesis track should research potential advisors to align themselves with someone that has similar interests and a similar background to themselves.
This is a nice overview of the potential paths to a Masters degree. Ultimately it seems very dependent on what path you want to take post graduation. Having completed a masters thesis I feel that the value and experience of having gone through a major undertaking such as a thesis will really help you decide if research is really what you want to do. The flexibility of the thesis option is also a really important point as the non-thesis option is in some cases looked down upon. However, if you would rather focus on coursework and know that you want to prepare yourself for a more operational job or setting it may actually be more beneficial to go through a non-thesis option as the extra coursework could help diversify your knowledge base if the program or school has enough of a course variety to support it.
I have been trying to decide between the two options and this post was very informative. I’m leaning towards the non-thesis option since my primary goal is to gain knowledge and experience rather than research skills. There is some good advice in the comments about setting oneself up for success when pursuing the non-thesis option, which I will definitely look further into. It’s good to know that a non-thesis student still has the opportunity to receive funding through getting a GTA.