How Long Does it (Really) Take to Write a Dissertation? | Beyond PhD Coaching (2024)
Last Updated on: 30th August 2022, 04:34 am
How long does it take to write a dissertation? The most accurate (and least helpful) answer is, it depends. Since that’s probably not the answer you’re looking for, I’ll use the rest of the article to address the realities of how long it takes to write a dissertation.
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How Long Does It Take to Write a Dissertation?
Based on my experience, writing your dissertation should take somewhere between 13-20 months. These are average numbers based upon the scores of doctoral students that I have worked with over the years, and they generally hold true.
I have seen people take less time and more time, but I believe that with concerted effort, the 13-20 month timeframe is reasonable.
“Based on my experience, writing your dissertation should take somewhere between 13-20 months.”
University Requirements
Once you hit the dissertation stage, some schools require a minimum number of hours in the dissertation area before you can graduate. Many schools require the equivalent of one year of dissertation credits to graduate.
So, even if you can finish your dissertation in three months, you will still have to pay for nine more months of dissertation credits before you can graduate. However, unless research and writing is your superpower, I wouldn’t worry about having to pay extra tuition.
But this requirement does offer some insight into how long it takes to write a dissertation. Based on this requirement, it’s reasonable to expect that writing your dissertation will take a year of more. This is consistent with my experience.
Caveat
However, this timeframe is based on several assumptions. First, I am assuming that you are continually working towards finishing your dissertation. This means that no family emergencies, funding conundrums, or work issues get in the way of completing. Second, there are no major changes in your dissertation committee. Third, you will have access to the data that you need.
Assuming these assumptions hold true, this article should give you a general idea of how long it might take to write your dissertation.
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How Long Does it Take to Write A Dissertation? Stage-By-Stage
Let’s break down each stage of the dissertation writing process and how long it takes.
Prospectus
This is the hardest one to judge, as this is where you lay the groundwork for the rest of your dissertation and get buy-in from committee members. Normally this takes from 3-6 months. Not all of this is writing time, though–much of it is spent refining your topic and your approach.
Why does this stage take so long? For many people, starting to express themselves using an academic voice can take time. This can hold up the review process as your committee members ask for writing-related revisions before they even get to evaluating the content. Don’t worry, once you learn the academic language things will start to flow more easily.
One common mistake students make is lack of specificity, both in their writing in general and in their topic focus.
Proposal (Chapters 1-3)
Chapter 1 is often an expansion of your Prospectus. However, you’ll be expected to develop your ideas more and have even more specificity on things like your research question and methodology, so don’t underestimate how long this chapter will take.
Chapter 2 can take some time as you will be digging deep into the literature but I think this can be done in 3-4 months. One caution, some people, and committees, like to start with Chapter 2 so that you are immersed in the literature before completing Chapters 1 and 3. Regardless of where you start, 3-4 months is a good estimate.
Chapter 3 requires an in-depth explanation of your methodology. I suggest working closely with your Chair on this one to avoid multiple submissions and revisions. Get clear on your methodology and make sure you and your chair are on the same page before you write, and continue to check in with your chair, if possible, throughout the process.
IRB Approval
While this step can be full of details and require several iterations it seems that allowing 2 months is sufficient. Most schools have an IRB form that must be submitted. To save time you can usually start filling out the form while your committee is reviewing your Proposal.
Collecting Data
This step varies a great deal. If you are using readily available secondary data this can take a week but if you are interviewing hard to get individuals or have trouble finding a sufficient number of people for your sample this can take 4 months or more. I think 1-4 months should be appropriate
Chapters 4 and 5
These two chapters are the easiest to write as in Chapter 4 you are reporting your results and in Chapter 5 you explain what the results mean. I believe that these two chapters can be written in 2 months.
Defense and Completion
You will need to defend your dissertation and then go through all of the university requirements to finalize the completion of your dissertation. I would allow 2 months for this process.
Variables That Affect How Long It Takes to Write A Dissertation
When students say something like, “I’m going to finish my dissertation in three months,” they likely aren’t considering all of the variables besides the actual writing. Even if you’re a fast writer, you’ll have to wait on your committee’s comments,
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Many schools have response times for committee members. This is important when looking at how long it takes to finish a dissertation. For example, it you have two committee members and they each get up to 2 weeks for a review, it can take up to a month to get a document reviewed, each time you submit. So, plan for these periods of time when thinking about how long that it will take you.
Addressing Comments
How long it takes to write your dissertation also depends on your ability to address your committee’s comments thoroughly. It’s not uncommon for a committee member to send a draft back several times, even if their comments were addressed adequately, because they notice new issues each time they read it. Save yourself considerable time by making sure you address their comments fully, thus avoiding unnecessary time waiting to hear the same feedback.
You
This is the biggest variable in the dissertation model. How dedicated are you to the process? How much actual time do you have? How many outside interests/requirements do you have? Are you easily distracted? How clean does your workspace need to be? (This may seem like a strange thing to discuss, but many people need to work in a clean space and can get very interested in cleaning if they have to write). Are you in a full-time program or in a part time program? Are you holding down a job? Do you have children?
All of these things will affect how much time you have to put into writing–or rather, how disciplined you need to be about making time to write.
Committee
One of the things that can influence how long it takes to write your dissertation is your committee. Choose your committee wisely. If you work under the assumption that the only good dissertation is a done dissertation, then you want a committee that will be helpful and not trying to prove themselves on your back. When you find a Chair that you can work with ask her/him which of their colleagues they work well with (it’s also worth finding out who they don’t work well with).
Find out how they like to receive material to review. Some members like to see pieces of chapters and some like to see completed documents. Once you know their preferences, you can efficiently submit what they want when they want it.
How Long Does it Take to Write a Dissertation? Summary
Barring unforeseen events, the normal time range for finishing a dissertation seems to be 13-19 months, which can be rounded to one to one and a half years. If you are proactive and efficient, you can usually be at the shorter end of the time range.
That means using downtime to do things like changing the tense of your approved Proposal from future tense to past tense and completing things like you Abstract and Acknowledgement sections before final approval.
I hope that you can be efficient in this process and finish as quickly as possible. Remember, “the only good dissertation is a done dissertation.”
On that note, I offer coaching services to help students through the dissertation writing process, as well as editing services for those who need help with their writing.
It takes longer than a year for most PhD students to complete a first draft of a dissertation. Students typically spend one to two years conducting research and reviewing literature while they complete doctoral courses before tackling a dissertation draft. The writing process typically takes a year or two beyond that.
It takes longer than a year for most PhD students to complete a first draft of a dissertation. Students typically spend one to two years conducting research and reviewing literature while they complete doctoral courses before tackling a dissertation draft. The writing process typically takes a year or two beyond that.
To make sure that you don't bite off more than you can chew, give yourself at least 2 months for a short dissertation and 3 months for a longer one. Get into a habit of writing a certain amount of words each day or every second day. Give yourself reading days and days off - but only one at a time.
As a rough guide, undergraduate dissertations take between 6 and 12 months to write, including researching and editing drafts. Postgraduate dissertations take longer – anywhere from 13 to 24 months. It can be helpful to plan a timetable, setting a realistic amount of work for yourself each week.
If you have been organised (see below), it should not take 3 months to write a PhD thesis. It certainly shouldn't involve leaving the lab 3 months before your hand-in date to write up. Theses can have one results chapter or they can have more. How many chapters depends on your project, and your results.
It's doable. Even make it 500 words a day. If you start with three weeks to go, you can write 10,000 words in twenty days. But some days you will write more than others and your word count will be more like 15,000 by deadline day.
You can write and complete a dissertation in two weeks if you dedicate yourself to working on it every day. Provided you've done your research and you already know what you want to talk about, it should be easy to put the words down. You don't have to fret if you seem already late with the project.
The answer to this question is yes!You absolutely can write a thesis in 30 days. And you can write your thesis, from start to finish, without the emotional distress that often comes with such a monumental task.
But with careful planning, smart organization, and motivation, you don't have to be one of those people. You can finish your dissertation in as little as a few weeks – and it may not even take any all-nighters. DISCLAIMER: This advice isn't going to apply to everyone in every PhD program in every discipline – obvi.
PhD dissertations are often over 200 pages long. One of the primary reasons they are so long is that it is a single document that summarises many years of hard work.
Yes, it is possible to write a dissertation in 2 weeks. Generally speaking, students take about a month or so, to complete the entire researching and writing process. However, if you concentrate well, you can accomplish the task within 2 weeks.
That being said, it is important to consider how much time you will need to dedicate to your studies, as well as other commitments such as work and family. If you feel like you can manage both, then 30 and above is absolutely not too old for a PhD!
“The world record for the shortest doctoral dissertation is held by a mathematician: nine pages for a PhD obtained from MIT in 1966.” Mr. Roy also discovered that titles have become longer over time. “This would suggest that we are losing our capacity for abridgement,” he notes.
The longest doctoral thesis, written by historian Joachim Schuhmacher, deals with the development of rowing. His thesis, originally 2,654 pages long, was shortened to 2,200 pages and was even mentioned in the Guinness World Records. The thesis was submitted at the University of Konstanz in Germany.
Writing 8,000 words will take about 3.3 hours for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 6.7 hours for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 26.7 hours.
Some people plan to spend at least two hours on their dissertation each day; others make sure to write two pages each day. Figure out a plan that works for you. For at least part of the time that I wrote my dissertation, I made sure to work on the writing and research aspects for at least three to four hours per day.
Writing a thesis or dissertation in two months can be a daunting task, but it is certainly possible. This assumes that you have all of the data analysis done and you are literally just writing up what you have found.
1. Boarded Medical Doctor: After spending about eight years to earn your first degree, you are faced with between three and six years of residency. This is the most competitive field in education which means you must have passed through a very rigorous process to earn this certificate.
If you ever faced this kind of thoughts, you are not alone. Not at all. In the research literature about students dropping out of doctoral programs (or “attrition”, as they call it), very often the ballpark of 40–60% attrition rate is mentioned 1. Imagine you are in a classroom with your peer Ph.
Most students' fates are decided long before, their dissertations having been gone over with a fine-tooth comb by their research supervisors. According to the national Council on Graduate Schools, less than 1 percent of doctoral candidates fail their dissertation defense.
80-100% (Outstanding) Structure and organisation is coherent, polished and fluent. Knowledge displayed is comprehensive, coherent, polished and fluent. Application of knowledge and understanding is comprehensive, coherent, polished and fluent. Analysis is comprehensive, coherent, polished and fluent.
Achieving a First Class mark on a dissertation is slightly more difficult than it is for shorter assignments. This is simply due to the complexity of the dissertation compared to most types of coursework.
Can I work full time while writing up my thesis or dissertation? If you are writing up your thesis or dissertation, then this period of study is considered to be term-time. You should not work full time until you have completed academically.
Students must obtain a pass grade on the dissertation to pass the MSc degree. The examiners give up to 100 points where the points translate to the following categories:85−100: An exceptionally high level of understanding and outstanding research potential.
If you fail your undergraduate dissertation, you can still graduate as long as you have enough credits, although this may be with an ordinary degree. However, if you fail your master's dissertation or PhD thesis resubmission, you will not be allowed to graduate. The topic of failure is quite daunting for most students.
A good dissertation will conclude with a worthwhile answer to its research question. There should be a sense that the dissertation satisfactorily answers the questions it posed. It should also offer a discussion of the implications of the dissertation's findings for policy, theory and/or practice where appropriate.
Writing 15,000 words will take about 6.3 hours for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 12.5 hours for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 50 hours.
Getting a doctorate could be one of your biggest life achievements—provided you can make it to the finish line. Drop out rates vary by discipline, but as many as 50 percent of students don't complete their doctorate.
Writing a thesis or a dissertation can be a challenging process for many graduate students. There are so many chapters to complete, and writing each individual chapter requires an immense amount of hard work and a strong motivation.
Polished presentation and referencing. 75-79: Shows unquestioned mastery of the topic and confidence in the exposition. 70-74: Consistently well-crafted, independent and enterprising.
These two chapters are the easiest to write as in Chapter 4 you are reporting your results and in Chapter 5 you explain what the results mean. I believe that these two chapters can be written in 2 months.
At undergraduate level, a dissertation will normally range from 30 to 40 credits in your final year. As you typically need to take 120 credits each year, this means that your dissertation will be worth 25% to 33.33% of your final year.
For most dissertation writers, the inability to develop and maintain a daily writing practice is due to one of three things: 1) technical errors, 2) psychological obstacles or 3) external realities.
The point is you don't have to write 4000 words a day, but if you are trying to reach a goal of more than 10,000 words in a week, there has to be a plan. It does not always mean you need to be a fast writer. It means you need to organise yourself better, and stick to a process. Writing isn't the same as any other task.
Writing 9,000 words will take about 3.8 hours for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 7.5 hours for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 30 hours.
PhD programs do not have age caps for eligibility (nor do master's programs), and most universities welcome qualified applicants of all ages who will benefit from the program's academic training mission.
Others were past middle age, looking for a career change. In either case, the answer is ultimately no, it's not too late to get a PhD. However, there are some important things to keep in mind if this is something you're considering.
In 2021 in the United States, 44.7 percent of doctorate recipients fell within the age bracket of 26 to 30 years old. A further 30.9 percent of doctorate recipients were between the ages of 31 and 35 years old.
The length of time required to complete a PhD or master's degree varies. Unsurprisingly, PhDs take much longer, usually between 3–7 years. Master's degrees are usually only 1–2 years.
Nash earned a PhD in 1950 with a 28-page dissertation on non-cooperative games. The thesis, written under the supervision of doctoral advisor Albert W. Tucker, contained the definition and properties of the Nash equilibrium, a crucial concept in non-cooperative games.
Most dissertations are 100 to 300 pages in length. All dissertations should be divided into appropriate sections, and long dissertations may need chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions.
PhD by thesis only: It is possible nowadays to acquire a PhD by submitting only a thesis. You may research to find out which institutes offer such a program. While this might be more suited to your present circ*mstances, note that there may be some disadvantages to this compared with a PhD by coursework.
In reality, a PhD increases salary because it opens up more career opportunities. If you want to enter the academic world and pursue a PhD, that's fantastic. You will likely be able to earn a higher salary than you would with a master's degree.
“The world record for the shortest doctoral dissertation is held by a mathematician: nine pages for a PhD obtained from MIT in 1966.” Mr. Roy also discovered that titles have become longer over time. “This would suggest that we are losing our capacity for abridgement,” he notes.
Writing a thesis or dissertation in two months can be a daunting task, but it is certainly possible. This assumes that you have all of the data analysis done and you are literally just writing up what you have found.
You will get your doctoral degree if your thesis gets approved. However, getting your research thesis approved is not a cakewalk. In the PhD programme, you might face rejection at two stages: first, if your research proposal is not appropriate, and second, if your developed thesis is not right on certain parameters.
ABD simply means you have completed all required doctorate coursework, but have not written and defended your dissertation. While ABD brings you one step closer to completing your doctorate, achieving ABD status doesn't mean you can take your foot off the gas.
Writing a thesis or a dissertation can be a challenging process for many graduate students. There are so many chapters to complete, and writing each individual chapter requires an immense amount of hard work and a strong motivation.
A master's degree program provides students with industry-specific knowledge, and earning one may be a requirement in some industries, including mental health social work. A Ph.D.may earn you a higher salary and make you a more competitive candidate since fewer people have them.
The average annual stipend in the United States ranges between about $23,000 and $33,000 per year. You're not going to get rich as a PhD student on one of these stipends, but you can survive.
A select group of students complete their PhDs in two years, while a tiny number of elite students can get it done in 12 months. It's hard to overstate how rare and impressive this is, but it is always a possibility. The key to a fast-track PhD is building up a strong academic CV before you even start.
A student has finally been awarded his doctorate more than 50 years after starting his PhD. Dr Nick Axten, 76, started his thesis on mathematical sociology at the University of Pittsburgh in the US in 1970.
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