Grad Coach

1000+ FREE Research Topics & Title Ideas

If you’re at the start of your research journey and are trying to figure out which research topic you want to focus on, you’ve come to the right place. Select your area of interest below to view a comprehensive collection of potential research ideas.

Research topic idea mega list

Research Topic FAQs

What (exactly) is a research topic.

A research topic is the subject of a research project or study – for example, a dissertation or thesis. A research topic typically takes the form of a problem to be solved, or a question to be answered.

A good research topic should be specific enough to allow for focused research and analysis. For example, if you are interested in studying the effects of climate change on agriculture, your research topic could focus on how rising temperatures have impacted crop yields in certain regions over time.

To learn more about the basics of developing a research topic, consider our free research topic ideation webinar.

What constitutes a good research topic?

A strong research topic comprises three important qualities : originality, value and feasibility.

  • Originality – a good topic explores an original area or takes a novel angle on an existing area of study.
  • Value – a strong research topic provides value and makes a contribution, either academically or practically.
  • Feasibility – a good research topic needs to be practical and manageable, given the resource constraints you face.

To learn more about what makes for a high-quality research topic, check out this post .

What's the difference between a research topic and research problem?

A research topic and a research problem are two distinct concepts that are often confused. A research topic is a broader label that indicates the focus of the study , while a research problem is an issue or gap in knowledge within the broader field that needs to be addressed.

To illustrate this distinction, consider a student who has chosen “teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom” as their research topic. This research topic could encompass any number of issues related to teenage pregnancy such as causes, prevention strategies, health outcomes for mothers and babies, etc.

Within this broad category (the research topic) lies potential areas of inquiry that can be explored further – these become the research problems . For example:

  • What factors contribute to higher rates of teenage pregnancy in certain communities?
  • How do different types of parenting styles affect teen pregnancy rates?
  • What interventions have been successful in reducing teenage pregnancies?

Simply put, a key difference between a research topic and a research problem is scope ; the research topic provides an umbrella under which multiple questions can be asked, while the research problem focuses on one specific question or set of questions within that larger context.

How can I find potential research topics for my project?

There are many steps involved in the process of finding and choosing a high-quality research topic for a dissertation or thesis. We cover these steps in detail in this video (also accessible below).

How can I find quality sources for my research topic?

Finding quality sources is an essential step in the topic ideation process. To do this, you should start by researching scholarly journals, books, and other academic publications related to your topic. These sources can provide reliable information on a wide range of topics. Additionally, they may contain data or statistics that can help support your argument or conclusions.

Identifying Relevant Sources

When searching for relevant sources, it’s important to look beyond just published material; try using online databases such as Google Scholar or JSTOR to find articles from reputable journals that have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field.

You can also use search engines like Google or Bing to locate websites with useful information about your topic. However, be sure to evaluate any website before citing it as a source—look for evidence of authorship (such as an “About Us” page) and make sure the content is up-to-date and accurate before relying on it.

Evaluating Sources

Once you’ve identified potential sources for your research project, take some time to evaluate them thoroughly before deciding which ones will best serve your purpose. Consider factors such as author credibility (are they an expert in their field?), publication date (is the source current?), objectivity (does the author present both sides of an issue?) and relevance (how closely does this source relate to my specific topic?).

By researching the current literature on your topic, you can identify potential sources that will help to provide quality information. Once you’ve identified these sources, it’s time to look for a gap in the research and determine what new knowledge could be gained from further study.

How can I find a good research gap?

Finding a strong gap in the literature is an essential step when looking for potential research topics. We explain what research gaps are and how to find them in this post.

How should I evaluate potential research topics/ideas?

When evaluating potential research topics, it is important to consider the factors that make for a strong topic (we discussed these earlier). Specifically:

  • Originality
  • Feasibility

So, when you have a list of potential topics or ideas, assess each of them in terms of these three criteria. A good topic should take a unique angle, provide value (either to academia or practitioners), and be practical enough for you to pull off, given your limited resources.

Finally, you should also assess whether this project could lead to potential career opportunities such as internships or job offers down the line. Make sure that you are researching something that is relevant enough so that it can benefit your professional development in some way. Additionally, consider how each research topic aligns with your career goals and interests; researching something that you are passionate about can help keep motivation high throughout the process.

How can I assess the feasibility of a research topic?

When evaluating the feasibility and practicality of a research topic, it is important to consider several factors.

First, you should assess whether or not the research topic is within your area of competence. Of course, when you start out, you are not expected to be the world’s leading expert, but do should at least have some foundational knowledge.

Time commitment

When considering a research topic, you should think about how much time will be required for completion. Depending on your field of study, some topics may require more time than others due to their complexity or scope.

Additionally, if you plan on collaborating with other researchers or institutions in order to complete your project, additional considerations must be taken into account such as coordinating schedules and ensuring that all parties involved have adequate resources available.

Resources needed

It’s also critically important to consider what type of resources are necessary in order to conduct the research successfully. This includes physical materials such as lab equipment and chemicals but can also include intangible items like access to certain databases or software programs which may be necessary depending on the nature of your work. Additionally, if there are costs associated with obtaining these materials then this must also be factored into your evaluation process.

Potential risks

It’s important to consider the inherent potential risks for each potential research topic. These can include ethical risks (challenges getting ethical approval), data risks (not being able to access the data you’ll need), technical risks relating to the equipment you’ll use and funding risks (not securing the necessary financial back to undertake the research).

If you’re looking for more information about how to find, evaluate and select research topics for your dissertation or thesis, check out our free webinar here . Alternatively, if you’d like 1:1 help with the topic ideation process, consider our private coaching services .

thesis topics in undergraduate

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to come up with a topic for your thesis

thesis topics in undergraduate

Finding a thesis topic

The easiest method to choose a thesis topic, how to choose a thesis topic that will get you a job, ask your supervisor for help, found my thesis topic, now what, further tips on finding a thesis topic, frequently asked questions about coming up with a topic for your thesis, related articles.

Depending on the level of your studies, you will be required to come up with a topic for your thesis by yourself or to choose from a list of broad topics. In either case, you will need to:

  • Choose a specific scope
  • Narrow it down as much as you can.
  • Find a topic by considering specific debates or discussions that interest you.
  • Choose a topic based on phenomenon, point of view, and context.
  • Consider the relevance of your topic in relation to job market realities.
  • Ask your supervisor for help and guidance, as needed.

Tip: Balance your own interests with what can help you grow in your field..

In any case, you can start by asking yourself if you’ve attended any lecture where you were particularly interested in a certain subject and go from there. The following questions might help you shine a light on personal topics of interest:

  • What aspect of your studies holds a particular interest for you?
  • Was something mentioned in a discussion that you found intriguing?
  • Did you read about a theory or idea that spoke to you?

Ideas for a thesis can stem from many sources, so let your mind wander and see if anything tickles your curiosity. A thesis is a chance for you to spend some quality time with a certain aspect of your studies, so you better think of a topic that not only appeals to you but will also help you grow in your field.

Tip: Use phenomenon, point of view, and context to help you choose a balanced thesis topic.

We can all agree that choosing a topic for a thesis or any paper is one, if not the most, difficult steps in writing. However, according to Sahlman's How to Write a Master Thesis Fast , choosing a topic for your thesis is rather easy if you focus on the three following areas:

  • Point of view

Focus on a specific phenomenon as the center of your thesis. For example, "queer rights" or "climate change". Next, you choose a point of view. From what perspective do you see the phenomenon? For instance, “American culture” or “legally/ financially”. Finally, you narrow it down to a particular context, such as “from 2000 to 2010” or “small German enterprises in 2017”.

By combining the examples of these three areas, we come up with two potential thesis topics:

The development of queer rights in American culture from 2000 to 2010

Emerging climate change regulations of small German enterprises in 2017

The topic doesn't need to be perfect at first. The idea is to brainstorm with the topics that most interest you in the beginning and slowly come up with with a compelling topic you can brag about at friends’ dinner parties. Here is a list of the top 100 research paper topics for some inspiration.

Tip: Think about how your potential topic can make an intervention into your field of study.

If you will be writing extensively about a specific topic it does not only have to meet the requirements of the academia but it should also expand your professional horizons. According to the article how to pick a masters thesis topic , you should be thinking beyond the completion of your degree.

The author states "use your time as a student to make yourself as attractive to employers as possible." In order to achieve this, make sure that at least one of the three components (phenomenon, point of view and context) is of interest in your desired professional field.

For example, the thesis topics mentioned above would be of great help to people interested in working in the field of human rights and climate change. By choosing a thesis topic related to your professional future, your chances of landing your desired job will be higher, as you could bring fresh and valuable knowledge to your field.

Tip: Ask your supervisor for advice early in the process.

If your topic is still not fully shaped, then take advantage of the greater wisdom of your supervisor and ask for guidance. Arm yourself with enough possible topics and pay your supervisor a visit. Explain what’s your specific point of view and/or context of interest and, luckily, they will steer you in the right direction.

It is certainly not enough to find a topic for your thesis. You also need to make sure that it is a relevant topic and that you will be able to develop it.

  • 5 Tips for selecting a thesis topic
  • How to come up with a thesis topic
  • How to pick a Masters thesis topic

Choosing a topic for your thesis is easy if you focus on the three following areas:

Focus on a specific phenomenon as the center of your thesis. From what perspective do you see the phenomenon? Finally, narrow it down to a particular context . By combining these three areas, you can come up with several possible thesis topics.

Here is a list of the top 100 research paper topics for some inspiration.

The amount of time you need to choose a thesis topic depends on you. If you use the method we explained above, it can take very short time. If you doubt yourself too much, you might end up spending many days choosing a topic.

Here's a YouTube tutorial on How To Choose A Research Topic For A Dissertation Or Thesis (7 Step Method + Examples) by the Grad Coach.

The first person to ask for help if you have trouble finding a thesis topic is your supervisor. Take advantage of their greater wisdom and ask for guidance. Explain them your interests, and, luckily, they will steer you in the right direction.

How to give a good scientific presentation

Princeton University

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Suggested Undergraduate Research Topics

thesis topics in undergraduate

How to Contact Faculty for IW/Thesis Advising

Send the professor an e-mail. When you write a professor, be clear that you want a meeting regarding a senior thesis or one-on-one IW project, and briefly describe the topic or idea that you want to work on. Check the faculty listing for email addresses.

Parastoo Abtahi, Room 419

Available for single-semester IW and senior thesis advising, 2024-2025

  • Research Areas: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Spatial Computing
  • Input techniques for on-the-go interaction (e.g., eye-gaze, microgestures, voice) with a focus on uncertainty, disambiguation, and privacy.
  • Minimal and timely multisensory output (e.g., spatial audio, haptics) that enables users to attend to their physical environment and the people around them, instead of a 2D screen.
  • Interaction with intelligent systems (e.g., IoT, robots) situated in physical spaces with a focus on updating users’ mental model despite the complexity and dynamicity of these systems.

Ryan Adams, Room 411

Research areas:

  • Machine learning driven design
  • Generative models for structured discrete objects
  • Approximate inference in probabilistic models
  • Accelerating solutions to partial differential equations
  • Innovative uses of automatic differentiation
  • Modeling and optimizing 3d printing and CNC machining

Andrew Appel, Room 209

Available for Fall 2024 IW advising, only

  • Research Areas: Formal methods, programming languages, compilers, computer security.
  • Software verification (for which taking COS 326 / COS 510 is helpful preparation)
  • Game theory of poker or other games (for which COS 217 / 226 are helpful)
  • Computer game-playing programs (for which COS 217 / 226)
  •  Risk-limiting audits of elections (for which ORF 245 or other knowledge of probability is useful)

Sanjeev Arora, Room 407

  • Theoretical machine learning, deep learning and its analysis, natural language processing. My advisees would typically have taken a course in algorithms (COS423 or COS 521 or equivalent) and a course in machine learning.
  • Show that finding approximate solutions to NP-complete problems is also NP-complete (i.e., come up with NP-completeness reductions a la COS 487). 
  • Experimental Algorithms: Implementing and Evaluating Algorithms using existing software packages. 
  • Studying/designing provable algorithms for machine learning and implementions using packages like scipy and MATLAB, including applications in Natural language processing and deep learning.
  • Any topic in theoretical computer science.

David August, Room 221

Not available for IW or thesis advising, 2024-2025

  • Research Areas: Computer Architecture, Compilers, Parallelism
  • Containment-based approaches to security:  We have designed and tested a simple hardware+software containment mechanism that stops incorrect communication resulting from faults, bugs, or exploits from leaving the system.   Let's explore ways to use containment to solve real problems.  Expect to work with corporate security and technology decision-makers.
  • Parallelism: Studies show much more parallelism than is currently realized in compilers and architectures.  Let's find ways to realize this parallelism.
  • Any other interesting topic in computer architecture or compilers. 

Mark Braverman, 194 Nassau St., Room 231

  • Research Areas: computational complexity, algorithms, applied probability, computability over the real numbers, game theory and mechanism design, information theory.
  • Topics in computational and communication complexity.
  • Applications of information theory in complexity theory.
  • Algorithms for problems under real-life assumptions.
  • Game theory, network effects
  • Mechanism design (could be on a problem proposed by the student)

Sebastian Caldas, 221 Nassau Street, Room 105

  • Research Areas: collaborative learning, machine learning for healthcare. Typically, I will work with students that have taken COS324.
  • Methods for collaborative and continual learning.
  • Machine learning for healthcare applications.

Bernard Chazelle, 194 Nassau St., Room 301

  • Research Areas: Natural Algorithms, Computational Geometry, Sublinear Algorithms. 
  • Natural algorithms (flocking, swarming, social networks, etc).
  • Sublinear algorithms
  • Self-improving algorithms
  • Markov data structures

Danqi Chen, Room 412

  • My advisees would be expected to have taken a course in machine learning and ideally have taken COS484 or an NLP graduate seminar.
  • Representation learning for text and knowledge bases
  • Pre-training and transfer learning
  • Question answering and reading comprehension
  • Information extraction
  • Text summarization
  • Any other interesting topics related to natural language understanding/generation

Marcel Dall'Agnol, Corwin 034

  • Research Areas: Theoretical computer science. (Specifically, quantum computation, sublinear algorithms, complexity theory, interactive proofs and cryptography)
  • Research Areas: Machine learning

Jia Deng, Room 423

  •  Research Areas: Computer Vision, Machine Learning.
  • Object recognition and action recognition
  • Deep Learning, autoML, meta-learning
  • Geometric reasoning, logical reasoning

Adji Bousso Dieng, Room 406

  • Research areas: Vertaix is a research lab at Princeton University led by Professor Adji Bousso Dieng. We work at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and the natural sciences. The models and algorithms we develop are motivated by problems in those domains and contribute to advancing methodological research in AI. We leverage tools in statistical machine learning and deep learning in developing methods for learning with the data, of various modalities, arising from the natural sciences.

Robert Dondero, Corwin Hall, Room 038

  • Research Areas:  Software engineering; software engineering education.
  • Develop or evaluate tools to facilitate student learning in undergraduate computer science courses at Princeton, and beyond.
  • In particular, can code critiquing tools help students learn about software quality?

Zeev Dvir, 194 Nassau St., Room 250

  • Research Areas: computational complexity, pseudo-randomness, coding theory and discrete mathematics.
  • Independent Research: I have various research problems related to Pseudorandomness, Coding theory, Complexity and Discrete mathematics - all of which require strong mathematical background. A project could also be based on writing a survey paper describing results from a few theory papers revolving around some particular subject.

Benjamin Eysenbach, Room 416

  • Research areas: reinforcement learning, machine learning. My advisees would typically have taken COS324.
  • Using RL algorithms to applications in science and engineering.
  • Emergent behavior of RL algorithms on high-fidelity robotic simulators.
  • Studying how architectures and representations can facilitate generalization.

Christiane Fellbaum, 1-S-14 Green

  • Research Areas: theoretical and computational linguistics, word sense disambiguation, lexical resource construction, English and multilingual WordNet(s), ontology
  • Anything having to do with natural language--come and see me with/for ideas suitable to your background and interests. Some topics students have worked on in the past:
  • Developing parsers, part-of-speech taggers, morphological analyzers for underrepresented languages (you don't have to know the language to develop such tools!)
  • Quantitative approaches to theoretical linguistics questions
  • Extensions and interfaces for WordNet (English and WN in other languages),
  • Applications of WordNet(s), including:
  • Foreign language tutoring systems,
  • Spelling correction software,
  • Word-finding/suggestion software for ordinary users and people with memory problems,
  • Machine Translation 
  • Sentiment and Opinion detection
  • Automatic reasoning and inferencing
  • Collaboration with professors in the social sciences and humanities ("Digital Humanities")

Adam Finkelstein, Room 424 

  • Research Areas: computer graphics, audio.

Robert S. Fish, Corwin Hall, Room 037

  • Networking and telecommunications
  • Learning, perception, and intelligence, artificial and otherwise;
  • Human-computer interaction and computer-supported cooperative work
  • Online education, especially in Computer Science Education
  • Topics in research and development innovation methodologies including standards, open-source, and entrepreneurship
  • Distributed autonomous organizations and related blockchain technologies

Michael Freedman, Room 308 

  • Research Areas: Distributed systems, security, networking
  • Projects related to streaming data analysis, datacenter systems and networks, untrusted cloud storage and applications. Please see my group website at http://sns.cs.princeton.edu/ for current research projects.

Ruth Fong, Room 032

  • Research Areas: computer vision, machine learning, deep learning, interpretability, explainable AI, fairness and bias in AI
  • Develop a technique for understanding AI models
  • Design a AI model that is interpretable by design
  • Build a paradigm for detecting and/or correcting failure points in an AI model
  • Analyze an existing AI model and/or dataset to better understand its failure points
  • Build a computer vision system for another domain (e.g., medical imaging, satellite data, etc.)
  • Develop a software package for explainable AI
  • Adapt explainable AI research to a consumer-facing problem

Note: I am happy to advise any project if there's a sufficient overlap in interest and/or expertise; please reach out via email to chat about project ideas.

Tom Griffiths, Room 405

Available for Fall 2024 single-semester IW advising, only

Research areas: computational cognitive science, computational social science, machine learning and artificial intelligence

Note: I am open to projects that apply ideas from computer science to understanding aspects of human cognition in a wide range of areas, from decision-making to cultural evolution and everything in between. For example, we have current projects analyzing chess game data and magic tricks, both of which give us clues about how human minds work. Students who have expertise or access to data related to games, magic, strategic sports like fencing, or other quantifiable domains of human behavior feel free to get in touch.

Aarti Gupta, Room 220

  • Research Areas: Formal methods, program analysis, logic decision procedures
  • Finding bugs in open source software using automatic verification tools
  • Software verification (program analysis, model checking, test generation)
  • Decision procedures for logical reasoning (SAT solvers, SMT solvers)

Elad Hazan, Room 409  

  • Research interests: machine learning methods and algorithms, efficient methods for mathematical optimization, regret minimization in games, reinforcement learning, control theory and practice
  • Machine learning, efficient methods for mathematical optimization, statistical and computational learning theory, regret minimization in games.
  • Implementation and algorithm engineering for control, reinforcement learning and robotics
  • Implementation and algorithm engineering for time series prediction

Felix Heide, Room 410

  • Research Areas: Computational Imaging, Computer Vision, Machine Learning (focus on Optimization and Approximate Inference).
  • Optical Neural Networks
  • Hardware-in-the-loop Holography
  • Zero-shot and Simulation-only Learning
  • Object recognition in extreme conditions
  • 3D Scene Representations for View Generation and Inverse Problems
  • Long-range Imaging in Scattering Media
  • Hardware-in-the-loop Illumination and Sensor Optimization
  • Inverse Lidar Design
  • Phase Retrieval Algorithms
  • Proximal Algorithms for Learning and Inference
  • Domain-Specific Language for Optics Design

Peter Henderson , 302 Sherrerd Hall

  • Research Areas: Machine learning, law, and policy

Kyle Jamieson, Room 306

  • Research areas: Wireless and mobile networking; indoor radar and indoor localization; Internet of Things
  • See other topics on my independent work  ideas page  (campus IP and CS dept. login req'd)

Alan Kaplan, 221 Nassau Street, Room 105

Research Areas:

  • Random apps of kindness - mobile application/technology frameworks used to help individuals or communities; topic areas include, but are not limited to: first response, accessibility, environment, sustainability, social activism, civic computing, tele-health, remote learning, crowdsourcing, etc.
  • Tools automating programming language interoperability - Java/C++, React Native/Java, etc.
  • Software visualization tools for education
  • Connected consumer devices, applications and protocols

Brian Kernighan, Room 311

  • Research Areas: application-specific languages, document preparation, user interfaces, software tools, programming methodology
  • Application-oriented languages, scripting languages.
  • Tools; user interfaces
  • Digital humanities

Zachary Kincaid, Room 219

  • Research areas: programming languages, program analysis, program verification, automated reasoning
  • Independent Research Topics:
  • Develop a practical algorithm for an intractable problem (e.g., by developing practical search heuristics, or by reducing to, or by identifying a tractable sub-problem, ...).
  • Design a domain-specific programming language, or prototype a new feature for an existing language.
  • Any interesting project related to programming languages or logic.

Gillat Kol, Room 316

Aleksandra korolova, 309 sherrerd hall.

  • Research areas: Societal impacts of algorithms and AI; privacy; fair and privacy-preserving machine learning; algorithm auditing.

Advisees typically have taken one or more of COS 226, COS 324, COS 423, COS 424 or COS 445.

Pravesh Kothari, Room 320

  • Research areas: Theory

Amit Levy, Room 307

  • Research Areas: Operating Systems, Distributed Systems, Embedded Systems, Internet of Things
  • Distributed hardware testing infrastructure
  • Second factor security tokens
  • Low-power wireless network protocol implementation
  • USB device driver implementation

Kai Li, Room 321

  • Research Areas: Distributed systems; storage systems; content-based search and data analysis of large datasets.
  • Fast communication mechanisms for heterogeneous clusters.
  • Approximate nearest-neighbor search for high dimensional data.
  • Data analysis and prediction of in-patient medical data.
  • Optimized implementation of classification algorithms on manycore processors.

Xiaoyan Li, 221 Nassau Street, Room 104

  • Research areas: Information retrieval, novelty detection, question answering, AI, machine learning and data analysis.
  • Explore new statistical retrieval models for document retrieval and question answering.
  • Apply AI in various fields.
  • Apply supervised or unsupervised learning in health, education, finance, and social networks, etc.
  • Any interesting project related to AI, machine learning, and data analysis.

Lydia Liu, Room 414

  • Research Areas: algorithmic decision making, machine learning and society
  • Theoretical foundations for algorithmic decision making (e.g. mathematical modeling of data-driven decision processes, societal level dynamics)
  • Societal impacts of algorithms and AI through a socio-technical lens (e.g. normative implications of worst case ML metrics, prediction and model arbitrariness)
  • Machine learning for social impact domains, especially education (e.g. responsible development and use of LLMs for education equity and access)
  • Evaluation of human-AI decision making using statistical methods (e.g. causal inference of long term impact)

Wyatt Lloyd, Room 323

  • Research areas: Distributed Systems
  • Caching algorithms and implementations
  • Storage systems
  • Distributed transaction algorithms and implementations

Alex Lombardi , Room 312

  • Research Areas: Theory

Margaret Martonosi, Room 208

  • Quantum Computing research, particularly related to architecture and compiler issues for QC.
  • Computer architectures specialized for modern workloads (e.g., graph analytics, machine learning algorithms, mobile applications
  • Investigating security and privacy vulnerabilities in computer systems, particularly IoT devices.
  • Other topics in computer architecture or mobile / IoT systems also possible.

Jonathan Mayer, Sherrerd Hall, Room 307 

Available for Spring 2025 single-semester IW, only

  • Research areas: Technology law and policy, with emphasis on national security, criminal procedure, consumer privacy, network management, and online speech.
  • Assessing the effects of government policies, both in the public and private sectors.
  • Collecting new data that relates to government decision making, including surveying current business practices and studying user behavior.
  • Developing new tools to improve government processes and offer policy alternatives.

Mae Milano, Room 307

  • Local-first / peer-to-peer systems
  • Wide-ares storage systems
  • Consistency and protocol design
  • Type-safe concurrency
  • Language design
  • Gradual typing
  • Domain-specific languages
  • Languages for distributed systems

Andrés Monroy-Hernández, Room 405

  • Research Areas: Human-Computer Interaction, Social Computing, Public-Interest Technology, Augmented Reality, Urban Computing
  • Research interests:developing public-interest socio-technical systems.  We are currently creating alternatives to gig work platforms that are more equitable for all stakeholders. For instance, we are investigating the socio-technical affordances necessary to support a co-op food delivery network owned and managed by workers and restaurants. We are exploring novel system designs that support self-governance, decentralized/federated models, community-centered data ownership, and portable reputation systems.  We have opportunities for students interested in human-centered computing, UI/UX design, full-stack software development, and qualitative/quantitative user research.
  • Beyond our core projects, we are open to working on research projects that explore the use of emerging technologies, such as AR, wearables, NFTs, and DAOs, for creative and out-of-the-box applications.

Christopher Moretti, Corwin Hall, Room 036

  • Research areas: Distributed systems, high-throughput computing, computer science/engineering education
  • Expansion, improvement, and evaluation of open-source distributed computing software.
  • Applications of distributed computing for "big science" (e.g. biometrics, data mining, bioinformatics)
  • Software and best practices for computer science education and study, especially Princeton's 126/217/226 sequence or MOOCs development
  • Sports analytics and/or crowd-sourced computing

Radhika Nagpal, F316 Engineering Quadrangle

  • Research areas: control, robotics and dynamical systems

Karthik Narasimhan, Room 422

  • Research areas: Natural Language Processing, Reinforcement Learning
  • Autonomous agents for text-based games ( https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/textworld/ )
  • Transfer learning/generalization in NLP
  • Techniques for generating natural language
  • Model-based reinforcement learning

Arvind Narayanan, 308 Sherrerd Hall 

Research Areas: fair machine learning (and AI ethics more broadly), the social impact of algorithmic systems, tech policy

Pedro Paredes, Corwin Hall, Room 041

My primary research work is in Theoretical Computer Science.

 * Research Interest: Spectral Graph theory, Pseudorandomness, Complexity theory, Coding Theory, Quantum Information Theory, Combinatorics.

The IW projects I am interested in advising can be divided into three categories:

 1. Theoretical research

I am open to advise work on research projects in any topic in one of my research areas of interest. A project could also be based on writing a survey given results from a few papers. Students should have a solid background in math (e.g., elementary combinatorics, graph theory, discrete probability, basic algebra/calculus) and theoretical computer science (226 and 240 material, like big-O/Omega/Theta, basic complexity theory, basic fundamental algorithms). Mathematical maturity is a must.

A (non exhaustive) list of topics of projects I'm interested in:   * Explicit constructions of better vertex expanders and/or unique neighbor expanders.   * Construction deterministic or random high dimensional expanders.   * Pseudorandom generators for different problems.   * Topics around the quantum PCP conjecture.   * Topics around quantum error correcting codes and locally testable codes, including constructions, encoding and decoding algorithms.

 2. Theory informed practical implementations of algorithms   Very often the great advances in theoretical research are either not tested in practice or not even feasible to be implemented in practice. Thus, I am interested in any project that consists in trying to make theoretical ideas applicable in practice. This includes coming up with new algorithms that trade some theoretical guarantees for feasible implementation yet trying to retain the soul of the original idea; implementing new algorithms in a suitable programming language; and empirically testing practical implementations and comparing them with benchmarks / theoretical expectations. A project in this area doesn't have to be in my main areas of research, any theoretical result could be suitable for such a project.

Some examples of areas of interest:   * Streaming algorithms.   * Numeric linear algebra.   * Property testing.   * Parallel / Distributed algorithms.   * Online algorithms.    3. Machine learning with a theoretical foundation

I am interested in projects in machine learning that have some mathematical/theoretical, even if most of the project is applied. This includes topics like mathematical optimization, statistical learning, fairness and privacy.

One particular area I have been recently interested in is in the area of rating systems (e.g., Chess elo) and applications of this to experts problems.

Final Note: I am also willing to advise any project with any mathematical/theoretical component, even if it's not the main one; please reach out via email to chat about project ideas.

Iasonas Petras, Corwin Hall, Room 033

  • Research Areas: Information Based Complexity, Numerical Analysis, Quantum Computation.
  • Prerequisites: Reasonable mathematical maturity. In case of a project related to Quantum Computation a certain familiarity with quantum mechanics is required (related courses: ELE 396/PHY 208).
  • Possible research topics include:

1.   Quantum algorithms and circuits:

  • i. Design or simulation quantum circuits implementing quantum algorithms.
  • ii. Design of quantum algorithms solving/approximating continuous problems (such as Eigenvalue problems for Partial Differential Equations).

2.   Information Based Complexity:

  • i. Necessary and sufficient conditions for tractability of Linear and Linear Tensor Product Problems in various settings (for example worst case or average case). 
  • ii. Necessary and sufficient conditions for tractability of Linear and Linear Tensor Product Problems under new tractability and error criteria.
  • iii. Necessary and sufficient conditions for tractability of Weighted problems.
  • iv. Necessary and sufficient conditions for tractability of Weighted Problems under new tractability and error criteria.

3. Topics in Scientific Computation:

  • i. Randomness, Pseudorandomness, MC and QMC methods and their applications (Finance, etc)

Yuri Pritykin, 245 Carl Icahn Lab

  • Research interests: Computational biology; Cancer immunology; Regulation of gene expression; Functional genomics; Single-cell technologies.
  • Potential research projects: Development, implementation, assessment and/or application of algorithms for analysis, integration, interpretation and visualization of multi-dimensional data in molecular biology, particularly single-cell and spatial genomics data.

Benjamin Raphael, Room 309  

  • Research interests: Computational biology and bioinformatics; Cancer genomics; Algorithms and machine learning approaches for analysis of large-scale datasets
  • Implementation and application of algorithms to infer evolutionary processes in cancer
  • Identifying correlations between combinations of genomic mutations in human and cancer genomes
  • Design and implementation of algorithms for genome sequencing from new DNA sequencing technologies
  • Graph clustering and network anomaly detection, particularly using diffusion processes and methods from spectral graph theory

Vikram Ramaswamy, 035 Corwin Hall

  • Research areas: Interpretability of AI systems, Fairness in AI systems, Computer vision.
  • Constructing a new method to explain a model / create an interpretable by design model
  • Analyzing a current model / dataset to understand bias within the model/dataset
  • Proposing new fairness evaluations
  • Proposing new methods to train to improve fairness
  • Developing synthetic datasets for fairness / interpretability benchmarks
  • Understanding robustness of models

Ran Raz, Room 240

  • Research Area: Computational Complexity
  • Independent Research Topics: Computational Complexity, Information Theory, Quantum Computation, Theoretical Computer Science

Szymon Rusinkiewicz, Room 406

  • Research Areas: computer graphics; computer vision; 3D scanning; 3D printing; robotics; documentation and visualization of cultural heritage artifacts
  • Research ways of incorporating rotation invariance into computer visiontasks such as feature matching and classification
  • Investigate approaches to robust 3D scan matching
  • Model and compensate for imperfections in 3D printing
  • Given a collection of small mobile robots, apply control policies learned in simulation to the real robots.

Olga Russakovsky, Room 408

  • Research Areas: computer vision, machine learning, deep learning, crowdsourcing, fairness&bias in AI
  • Design a semantic segmentation deep learning model that can operate in a zero-shot setting (i.e., recognize and segment objects not seen during training)
  • Develop a deep learning classifier that is impervious to protected attributes (such as gender or race) that may be erroneously correlated with target classes
  • Build a computer vision system for the novel task of inferring what object (or part of an object) a human is referring to when pointing to a single pixel in the image. This includes both collecting an appropriate dataset using crowdsourcing on Amazon Mechanical Turk, creating a new deep learning formulation for this task, and running extensive analysis of both the data and the model

Sebastian Seung, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Room 153

  • Research Areas: computational neuroscience, connectomics, "deep learning" neural networks, social computing, crowdsourcing, citizen science
  • Gamification of neuroscience (EyeWire  2.0)
  • Semantic segmentation and object detection in brain images from microscopy
  • Computational analysis of brain structure and function
  • Neural network theories of brain function

Jaswinder Pal Singh, Room 324

  • Research Areas: Boundary of technology and business/applications; building and scaling technology companies with special focus at that boundary; parallel computing systems and applications: parallel and distributed applications and their implications for software and architectural design; system software and programming environments for multiprocessors.
  • Develop a startup company idea, and build a plan/prototype for it.
  • Explore tradeoffs at the boundary of technology/product and business/applications in a chosen area.
  • Study and develop methods to infer insights from data in different application areas, from science to search to finance to others. 
  • Design and implement a parallel application. Possible areas include graphics, compression, biology, among many others. Analyze performance bottlenecks using existing tools, and compare programming models/languages.
  • Design and implement a scalable distributed algorithm.

Mona Singh, Room 420

  • Research Areas: computational molecular biology, as well as its interface with machine learning and algorithms.
  • Whole and cross-genome methods for predicting protein function and protein-protein interactions.
  • Analysis and prediction of biological networks.
  • Computational methods for inferring specific aspects of protein structure from protein sequence data.
  • Any other interesting project in computational molecular biology.

Robert Tarjan, 194 Nassau St., Room 308

  • Research Areas: Data structures; graph algorithms; combinatorial optimization; computational complexity; computational geometry; parallel algorithms.
  • Implement one or more data structures or combinatorial algorithms to provide insight into their empirical behavior.
  • Design and/or analyze various data structures and combinatorial algorithms.

Olga Troyanskaya, Room 320

  • Research Areas: Bioinformatics; analysis of large-scale biological data sets (genomics, gene expression, proteomics, biological networks); algorithms for integration of data from multiple data sources; visualization of biological data; machine learning methods in bioinformatics.
  • Implement and evaluate one or more gene expression analysis algorithm.
  • Develop algorithms for assessment of performance of genomic analysis methods.
  • Develop, implement, and evaluate visualization tools for heterogeneous biological data.

David Walker, Room 211

  • Research Areas: Programming languages, type systems, compilers, domain-specific languages, software-defined networking and security
  • Independent Research Topics:  Any other interesting project that involves humanitarian hacking, functional programming, domain-specific programming languages, type systems, compilers, software-defined networking, fault tolerance, language-based security, theorem proving, logic or logical frameworks.

Shengyi Wang, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Room 216

Available for Fall 2024 single-semester IW, only

  • Independent Research topics: Explore Escher-style tilings using (introductory) group theory and automata theory to produce beautiful pictures.

Kevin Wayne, Corwin Hall, Room 040

  • Research Areas: design, analysis, and implementation of algorithms; data structures; combinatorial optimization; graphs and networks.
  • Design and implement computer visualizations of algorithms or data structures.
  • Develop pedagogical tools or programming assignments for the computer science curriculum at Princeton and beyond.
  • Develop assessment infrastructure and assessments for MOOCs.

Matt Weinberg, 194 Nassau St., Room 222

  • Research Areas: algorithms, algorithmic game theory, mechanism design, game theoretical problems in {Bitcoin, networking, healthcare}.
  • Theoretical questions related to COS 445 topics such as matching theory, voting theory, auction design, etc. 
  • Theoretical questions related to incentives in applications like Bitcoin, the Internet, health care, etc. In a little bit more detail: protocols for these systems are often designed assuming that users will follow them. But often, users will actually be strictly happier to deviate from the intended protocol. How should we reason about user behavior in these protocols? How should we design protocols in these settings?

Huacheng Yu, Room 310

  • data structures
  • streaming algorithms
  • design and analyze data structures / streaming algorithms
  • prove impossibility results (lower bounds)
  • implement and evaluate data structures / streaming algorithms

Ellen Zhong, Room 314

Opportunities outside the department.

We encourage students to look in to doing interdisciplinary computer science research and to work with professors in departments other than computer science.  However, every CS independent work project must have a strong computer science element (even if it has other scientific or artistic elements as well.)  To do a project with an adviser outside of computer science you must have permission of the department.  This can be accomplished by having a second co-adviser within the computer science department or by contacting the independent work supervisor about the project and having he or she sign the independent work proposal form.

Here is a list of professors outside the computer science department who are eager to work with computer science undergraduates.

Maria Apostolaki, Engineering Quadrangle, C330

  • Research areas: Computing & Networking, Data & Information Science, Security & Privacy

Branko Glisic, Engineering Quadrangle, Room E330

  • Documentation of historic structures
  • Cyber physical systems for structural health monitoring
  • Developing virtual and augmented reality applications for documenting structures
  • Applying machine learning techniques to generate 3D models from 2D plans of buildings
  •  Contact : Rebecca Napolitano, rkn2 (@princeton.edu)

Mihir Kshirsagar, Sherrerd Hall, Room 315

Center for Information Technology Policy.

  • Consumer protection
  • Content regulation
  • Competition law
  • Economic development
  • Surveillance and discrimination

Sharad Malik, Engineering Quadrangle, Room B224

Select a Senior Thesis Adviser for the 2020-21 Academic Year.

  • Design of reliable hardware systems
  • Verifying complex software and hardware systems

Prateek Mittal, Engineering Quadrangle, Room B236

  • Internet security and privacy 
  • Social Networks
  • Privacy technologies, anonymous communication
  • Network Science
  • Internet security and privacy: The insecurity of Internet protocols and services threatens the safety of our critical network infrastructure and billions of end users. How can we defend end users as well as our critical network infrastructure from attacks?
  • Trustworthy social systems: Online social networks (OSNs) such as Facebook, Google+, and Twitter have revolutionized the way our society communicates. How can we leverage social connections between users to design the next generation of communication systems?
  • Privacy Technologies: Privacy on the Internet is eroding rapidly, with businesses and governments mining sensitive user information. How can we protect the privacy of our online communications? The Tor project (https://www.torproject.org/) is a potential application of interest.

Ken Norman,  Psychology Dept, PNI 137

  • Research Areas: Memory, the brain and computation 
  • Lab:  Princeton Computational Memory Lab

Potential research topics

  • Methods for decoding cognitive state information from neuroimaging data (fMRI and EEG) 
  • Neural network simulations of learning and memory

Caroline Savage

Office of Sustainability, Phone:(609)258-7513, Email: cs35 (@princeton.edu)

The  Campus as Lab  program supports students using the Princeton campus as a living laboratory to solve sustainability challenges. The Office of Sustainability has created a list of campus as lab research questions, filterable by discipline and topic, on its  website .

An example from Computer Science could include using  TigerEnergy , a platform which provides real-time data on campus energy generation and consumption, to study one of the many energy systems or buildings on campus. Three CS students used TigerEnergy to create a  live energy heatmap of campus .

Other potential projects include:

  • Apply game theory to sustainability challenges
  • Develop a tool to help visualize interactions between complex campus systems, e.g. energy and water use, transportation and storm water runoff, purchasing and waste, etc.
  • How can we learn (in aggregate) about individuals’ waste, energy, transportation, and other behaviors without impinging on privacy?

Janet Vertesi, Sociology Dept, Wallace Hall, Room 122

  • Research areas: Sociology of technology; Human-computer interaction; Ubiquitous computing.
  • Possible projects: At the intersection of computer science and social science, my students have built mixed reality games, produced artistic and interactive installations, and studied mixed human-robot teams, among other projects.

David Wentzlaff, Engineering Quadrangle, Room 228

Computing, Operating Systems, Sustainable Computing.

  • Instrument Princeton's Green (HPCRC) data center
  • Investigate power utilization on an processor core implemented in an FPGA
  • Dismantle and document all of the components in modern electronics. Invent new ways to build computers that can be recycled easier.
  • Other topics in parallel computer architecture or operating systems

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How to write an undergraduate university dissertation

Writing a dissertation is a daunting task, but these tips will help you prepare for all the common challenges students face before deadline day.

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Grace McCabe

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Writing a dissertation is one of the most challenging aspects of university. However, it is the chance for students to demonstrate what they have learned during their degree and to explore a topic in depth.

In this article, we look at 10 top tips for writing a successful dissertation and break down how to write each section of a dissertation in detail.

10 tips for writing an undergraduate dissertation

1. Select an engaging topic Choose a subject that aligns with your interests and allows you to showcase the skills and knowledge you have acquired through your degree.

2. Research your supervisor Undergraduate students will often be assigned a supervisor based on their research specialisms. Do some research on your supervisor and make sure that they align with your dissertation goals.

3. Understand the dissertation structure Familiarise yourself with the structure (introduction, review of existing research, methodology, findings, results and conclusion). This will vary based on your subject.

4. Write a schedule As soon as you have finalised your topic and looked over the deadline, create a rough plan of how much work you have to do and create mini-deadlines along the way to make sure don’t find yourself having to write your entire dissertation in the final few weeks.

5. Determine requirements Ensure that you know which format your dissertation should be presented in. Check the word count and the referencing style.

6. Organise references from the beginning Maintain an alphabetically arranged reference list or bibliography in the designated style as you do your reading. This will make it a lot easier to finalise your references at the end.

7. Create a detailed plan Once you have done your initial research and have an idea of the shape your dissertation will take, write a detailed essay plan outlining your research questions, SMART objectives and dissertation structure.

8. Keep a dissertation journal Track your progress, record your research and your reading, and document challenges. This will be helpful as you discuss your work with your supervisor and organise your notes.

9. Schedule regular check-ins with your supervisor Make sure you stay in touch with your supervisor throughout the process, scheduling regular meetings and keeping good notes so you can update them on your progress.

10. Employ effective proofreading techniques Ask friends and family to help you proofread your work or use different fonts to help make the text look different. This will help you check for missing sections, grammatical mistakes and typos.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is a long piece of academic writing or a research project that you have to write as part of your undergraduate university degree.

It’s usually a long essay in which you explore your chosen topic, present your ideas and show that you understand and can apply what you’ve learned during your studies. Informally, the terms “dissertation” and “thesis” are often used interchangeably.

How do I select a dissertation topic?

First, choose a topic that you find interesting. You will be working on your dissertation for several months, so finding a research topic that you are passionate about and that demonstrates your strength in your subject is best. You want your topic to show all the skills you have developed during your degree. It would be a bonus if you can link your work to your chosen career path, but it’s not necessary.

Second, begin by exploring relevant literature in your field, including academic journals, books and articles. This will help you identify gaps in existing knowledge and areas that may need further exploration. You may not be able to think of a truly original piece of research, but it’s always good to know what has already been written about your chosen topic.

Consider the practical aspects of your chosen topic, ensuring that it is possible within the time frame and available resources. Assess the availability of data, research materials and the overall practicality of conducting the research.

When picking a dissertation topic, you also want to try to choose something that adds new ideas or perspectives to what’s already known in your field. As you narrow your focus, remember that a more targeted approach usually leads to a dissertation that’s easier to manage and has a bigger impact. Be ready to change your plans based on feedback and new information you discover during your research.

How to work with your dissertation supervisor?

Your supervisor is there to provide guidance on your chosen topic, direct your research efforts, and offer assistance and suggestions when you have queries. It’s crucial to establish a comfortable and open line of communication with them throughout the process. Their knowledge can greatly benefit your work. Keep them informed about your progress, seek their advice, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

1. Keep them updated Regularly tell your supervisor how your work is going and if you’re having any problems. You can do this through emails, meetings or progress reports.

2. Plan meetings Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor. These can be in person or online. These are your time to discuss your progress and ask for help.

3. Share your writing Give your supervisor parts of your writing or an outline. This helps them see what you’re thinking so they can advise you on how to develop it.

5. Ask specific questions When you need help, ask specific questions instead of general ones. This makes it easier for your supervisor to help you.

6. Listen to feedback Be open to what your supervisor says. If they suggest changes, try to make them. It makes your dissertation better and shows you can work together.

7. Talk about problems If something is hard or you’re worried, talk to your supervisor about it. They can give you advice or tell you where to find help.

8. Take charge Be responsible for your work. Let your supervisor know if your plans change, and don’t wait if you need help urgently.

Remember, talking openly with your supervisor helps you both understand each other better, improves your dissertation and ensures that you get the support you need.

How to write a successful research piece at university How to choose a topic for your dissertation Tips for writing a convincing thesis

How do I plan my dissertation?

It’s important to start with a detailed plan that will serve as your road map throughout the entire process of writing your dissertation. As Jumana Labib, a master’s student at the University of Manchester  studying digital media, culture and society, suggests: “Pace yourself – definitely don’t leave the entire thing for the last few days or weeks.”

Decide what your research question or questions will be for your chosen topic.

Break that down into smaller SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) objectives.

Speak to your supervisor about any overlooked areas.

Create a breakdown of chapters using the structure listed below (for example, a methodology chapter).

Define objectives, key points and evidence for each chapter.

Define your research approach (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods).

Outline your research methods and analysis techniques.

Develop a timeline with regular moments for review and feedback.

Allocate time for revision, editing and breaks.

Consider any ethical considerations related to your research.

Stay organised and add to your references and bibliography throughout the process.

Remain flexible to possible reviews or changes as you go along.

A well thought-out plan not only makes the writing process more manageable but also increases the likelihood of producing a high-quality piece of research.

How to structure a dissertation?

The structure can depend on your field of study, but this is a rough outline for science and social science dissertations:

Introduce your topic.

Complete a source or literature review.

Describe your research methodology (including the methods for gathering and filtering information, analysis techniques, materials, tools or resources used, limitations of your method, and any considerations of reliability).

Summarise your findings.

Discuss the results and what they mean.

Conclude your point and explain how your work contributes to your field.

On the other hand, humanities and arts dissertations often take the form of an extended essay. This involves constructing an argument or exploring a particular theory or analysis through the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Your essay will be structured through chapters arranged around themes or case studies.

All dissertations include a title page, an abstract and a reference list. Some may also need a table of contents at the beginning. Always check with your university department for its dissertation guidelines, and check with your supervisor as you begin to plan your structure to ensure that you have the right layout.

How long is an undergraduate dissertation?

The length of an undergraduate dissertation can vary depending on the specific guidelines provided by your university and your subject department. However, in many cases, undergraduate dissertations are typically about 8,000 to 12,000 words in length.

“Eat away at it; try to write for at least 30 minutes every day, even if it feels relatively unproductive to you in the moment,” Jumana advises.

How do I add references to my dissertation?

References are the section of your dissertation where you acknowledge the sources you have quoted or referred to in your writing. It’s a way of supporting your ideas, evidencing what research you have used and avoiding plagiarism (claiming someone else’s work as your own), and giving credit to the original authors.

Referencing typically includes in-text citations and a reference list or bibliography with full source details. Different referencing styles exist, such as Harvard, APA and MLA, each favoured in specific fields. Your university will tell you the preferred style.

Using tools and guides provided by universities can make the referencing process more manageable, but be sure they are approved by your university before using any.

How do I write a bibliography or list my references for my dissertation?

The requirement of a bibliography depends on the style of referencing you need to use. Styles such as OSCOLA or Chicago may not require a separate bibliography. In these styles, full source information is often incorporated into footnotes throughout the piece, doing away with the need for a separate bibliography section.

Typically, reference lists or bibliographies are organised alphabetically based on the author’s last name. They usually include essential details about each source, providing a quick overview for readers who want more information. Some styles ask that you include references that you didn’t use in your final piece as they were still a part of the overall research.

It is important to maintain this list as soon as you start your research. As you complete your research, you can add more sources to your bibliography to ensure that you have a comprehensive list throughout the dissertation process.

How to proofread an undergraduate dissertation?

Throughout your dissertation writing, attention to detail will be your greatest asset. The best way to avoid making mistakes is to continuously proofread and edit your work.

Proofreading is a great way to catch any missing sections, grammatical errors or typos. There are many tips to help you proofread:

Ask someone to read your piece and highlight any mistakes they find.

Change the font so you notice any mistakes.

Format your piece as you go, headings and sections will make it easier to spot any problems.

Separate editing and proofreading. Editing is your chance to rewrite sections, add more detail or change any points. Proofreading should be where you get into the final touches, really polish what you have and make sure it’s ready to be submitted.

Stick to your citation style and make sure every resource listed in your dissertation is cited in the reference list or bibliography.

How to write a conclusion for my dissertation?

Writing a dissertation conclusion is your chance to leave the reader impressed by your work.

Start by summarising your findings, highlighting your key points and the outcome of your research. Refer back to the original research question or hypotheses to provide context to your conclusion.

You can then delve into whether you achieved the goals you set at the beginning and reflect on whether your research addressed the topic as expected. Make sure you link your findings to existing literature or sources you have included throughout your work and how your own research could contribute to your field.

Be honest about any limitations or issues you faced during your research and consider any questions that went unanswered that you would consider in the future. Make sure that your conclusion is clear and concise, and sum up the overall impact and importance of your work.

Remember, keep the tone confident and authoritative, avoiding the introduction of new information. This should simply be a summary of everything you have already said throughout the dissertation.

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While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

  • Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
  • Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
  • Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
  • Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
  • Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
  • picture_as_pdf Thesis

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Honors Theses

What this handout is about.

Writing a senior honors thesis, or any major research essay, can seem daunting at first. A thesis requires a reflective, multi-stage writing process. This handout will walk you through those stages. It is targeted at students in the humanities and social sciences, since their theses tend to involve more writing than projects in the hard sciences. Yet all thesis writers may find the organizational strategies helpful.

Introduction

What is an honors thesis.

That depends quite a bit on your field of study. However, all honors theses have at least two things in common:

  • They are based on students’ original research.
  • They take the form of a written manuscript, which presents the findings of that research. In the humanities, theses average 50-75 pages in length and consist of two or more chapters. In the social sciences, the manuscript may be shorter, depending on whether the project involves more quantitative than qualitative research. In the hard sciences, the manuscript may be shorter still, often taking the form of a sophisticated laboratory report.

Who can write an honors thesis?

In general, students who are at the end of their junior year, have an overall 3.2 GPA, and meet their departmental requirements can write a senior thesis. For information about your eligibility, contact:

  • UNC Honors Program
  • Your departmental administrators of undergraduate studies/honors

Why write an honors thesis?

Satisfy your intellectual curiosity This is the most compelling reason to write a thesis. Whether it’s the short stories of Flannery O’Connor or the challenges of urban poverty, you’ve studied topics in college that really piqued your interest. Now’s your chance to follow your passions, explore further, and contribute some original ideas and research in your field.

Develop transferable skills Whether you choose to stay in your field of study or not, the process of developing and crafting a feasible research project will hone skills that will serve you well in almost any future job. After all, most jobs require some form of problem solving and oral and written communication. Writing an honors thesis requires that you:

  • ask smart questions
  • acquire the investigative instincts needed to find answers
  • navigate libraries, laboratories, archives, databases, and other research venues
  • develop the flexibility to redirect your research if your initial plan flops
  • master the art of time management
  • hone your argumentation skills
  • organize a lengthy piece of writing
  • polish your oral communication skills by presenting and defending your project to faculty and peers

Work closely with faculty mentors At large research universities like Carolina, you’ve likely taken classes where you barely got to know your instructor. Writing a thesis offers the opportunity to work one-on-one with a with faculty adviser. Such mentors can enrich your intellectual development and later serve as invaluable references for graduate school and employment.

Open windows into future professions An honors thesis will give you a taste of what it’s like to do research in your field. Even if you’re a sociology major, you may not really know what it’s like to be a sociologist. Writing a sociology thesis would open a window into that world. It also might help you decide whether to pursue that field in graduate school or in your future career.

How do you write an honors thesis?

Get an idea of what’s expected.

It’s a good idea to review some of the honors theses other students have submitted to get a sense of what an honors thesis might look like and what kinds of things might be appropriate topics. Look for examples from the previous year in the Carolina Digital Repository. You may also be able to find past theses collected in your major department or at the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library. Pay special attention to theses written by students who share your major.

Choose a topic

Ideally, you should start thinking about topics early in your junior year, so you can begin your research and writing quickly during your senior year. (Many departments require that you submit a proposal for an honors thesis project during the spring of your junior year.)

How should you choose a topic?

  • Read widely in the fields that interest you. Make a habit of browsing professional journals to survey the “hot” areas of research and to familiarize yourself with your field’s stylistic conventions. (You’ll find the most recent issues of the major professional journals in the periodicals reading room on the first floor of Davis Library).
  • Set up appointments to talk with faculty in your field. This is a good idea, since you’ll eventually need to select an advisor and a second reader. Faculty also can help you start narrowing down potential topics.
  • Look at honors theses from the past. The North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library holds UNC honors theses. To get a sense of the typical scope of a thesis, take a look at a sampling from your field.

What makes a good topic?

  • It’s fascinating. Above all, choose something that grips your imagination. If you don’t, the chances are good that you’ll struggle to finish.
  • It’s doable. Even if a topic interests you, it won’t work out unless you have access to the materials you need to research it. Also be sure that your topic is narrow enough. Let’s take an example: Say you’re interested in the efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and early 1980s. That’s a big topic that probably can’t be adequately covered in a single thesis. You need to find a case study within that larger topic. For example, maybe you’re particularly interested in the states that did not ratify the ERA. Of those states, perhaps you’ll select North Carolina, since you’ll have ready access to local research materials. And maybe you want to focus primarily on the ERA’s opponents. Beyond that, maybe you’re particularly interested in female opponents of the ERA. Now you’ve got a much more manageable topic: Women in North Carolina Who Opposed the ERA in the 1970s and 1980s.
  • It contains a question. There’s a big difference between having a topic and having a guiding research question. Taking the above topic, perhaps your main question is: Why did some women in North Carolina oppose the ERA? You will, of course, generate other questions: Who were the most outspoken opponents? White women? Middle-class women? How did they oppose the ERA? Public protests? Legislative petitions? etc. etc. Yet it’s good to start with a guiding question that will focus your research.

Goal-setting and time management

The senior year is an exceptionally busy time for college students. In addition to the usual load of courses and jobs, seniors have the daunting task of applying for jobs and/or graduate school. These demands are angst producing and time consuming If that scenario sounds familiar, don’t panic! Do start strategizing about how to make a time for your thesis. You may need to take a lighter course load or eliminate extracurricular activities. Even if the thesis is the only thing on your plate, you still need to make a systematic schedule for yourself. Most departments require that you take a class that guides you through the honors project, so deadlines likely will be set for you. Still, you should set your own goals for meeting those deadlines. Here are a few suggestions for goal setting and time management:

Start early. Keep in mind that many departments will require that you turn in your thesis sometime in early April, so don’t count on having the entire spring semester to finish your work. Ideally, you’ll start the research process the semester or summer before your senior year so that the writing process can begin early in the fall. Some goal-setting will be done for you if you are taking a required class that guides you through the honors project. But any substantive research project requires a clear timetable.

Set clear goals in making a timetable. Find out the final deadline for turning in your project to your department. Working backwards from that deadline, figure out how much time you can allow for the various stages of production.

Here is a sample timetable. Use it, however, with two caveats in mind:

  • The timetable for your thesis might look very different depending on your departmental requirements.
  • You may not wish to proceed through these stages in a linear fashion. You may want to revise chapter one before you write chapter two. Or you might want to write your introduction last, not first. This sample is designed simply to help you start thinking about how to customize your own schedule.

Sample timetable

Avoid falling into the trap of procrastination. Once you’ve set goals for yourself, stick to them! For some tips on how to do this, see our handout on procrastination .

Consistent production

It’s a good idea to try to squeeze in a bit of thesis work every day—even if it’s just fifteen minutes of journaling or brainstorming about your topic. Or maybe you’ll spend that fifteen minutes taking notes on a book. The important thing is to accomplish a bit of active production (i.e., putting words on paper) for your thesis every day. That way, you develop good writing habits that will help you keep your project moving forward.

Make yourself accountable to someone other than yourself

Since most of you will be taking a required thesis seminar, you will have deadlines. Yet you might want to form a writing group or enlist a peer reader, some person or people who can help you stick to your goals. Moreover, if your advisor encourages you to work mostly independently, don’t be afraid to ask them to set up periodic meetings at which you’ll turn in installments of your project.

Brainstorming and freewriting

One of the biggest challenges of a lengthy writing project is keeping the creative juices flowing. Here’s where freewriting can help. Try keeping a small notebook handy where you jot down stray ideas that pop into your head. Or schedule time to freewrite. You may find that such exercises “free” you up to articulate your argument and generate new ideas. Here are some questions to stimulate freewriting.

Questions for basic brainstorming at the beginning of your project:

  • What do I already know about this topic?
  • Why do I care about this topic?
  • Why is this topic important to people other than myself
  • What more do I want to learn about this topic?
  • What is the main question that I am trying to answer?
  • Where can I look for additional information?
  • Who is my audience and how can I reach them?
  • How will my work inform my larger field of study?
  • What’s the main goal of my research project?

Questions for reflection throughout your project:

  • What’s my main argument? How has it changed since I began the project?
  • What’s the most important evidence that I have in support of my “big point”?
  • What questions do my sources not answer?
  • How does my case study inform or challenge my field writ large?
  • Does my project reinforce or contradict noted scholars in my field? How?
  • What is the most surprising finding of my research?
  • What is the most frustrating part of this project?
  • What is the most rewarding part of this project?
  • What will be my work’s most important contribution?

Research and note-taking

In conducting research, you will need to find both primary sources (“firsthand” sources that come directly from the period/events/people you are studying) and secondary sources (“secondhand” sources that are filtered through the interpretations of experts in your field.) The nature of your research will vary tremendously, depending on what field you’re in. For some general suggestions on finding sources, consult the UNC Libraries tutorials . Whatever the exact nature of the research you’re conducting, you’ll be taking lots of notes and should reflect critically on how you do that. Too often it’s assumed that the research phase of a project involves very little substantive writing (i.e., writing that involves thinking). We sit down with our research materials and plunder them for basic facts and useful quotations. That mechanical type of information-recording is important. But a more thoughtful type of writing and analytical thinking is also essential at this stage. Some general guidelines for note-taking:

First of all, develop a research system. There are lots of ways to take and organize your notes. Whether you choose to use note cards, computer databases, or notebooks, follow two cardinal rules:

  • Make careful distinctions between direct quotations and your paraphrasing! This is critical if you want to be sure to avoid accidentally plagiarizing someone else’s work. For more on this, see our handout on plagiarism .
  • Record full citations for each source. Don’t get lazy here! It will be far more difficult to find the proper citation later than to write it down now.

Keeping those rules in mind, here’s a template for the types of information that your note cards/legal pad sheets/computer files should include for each of your sources:

Abbreviated subject heading: Include two or three words to remind you of what this sources is about (this shorthand categorization is essential for the later sorting of your sources).

Complete bibliographic citation:

  • author, title, publisher, copyright date, and page numbers for published works
  • box and folder numbers and document descriptions for archival sources
  • complete web page title, author, address, and date accessed for online sources

Notes on facts, quotations, and arguments: Depending on the type of source you’re using, the content of your notes will vary. If, for example, you’re using US Census data, then you’ll mainly be writing down statistics and numbers. If you’re looking at someone else’s diary, you might jot down a number of quotations that illustrate the subject’s feelings and perspectives. If you’re looking at a secondary source, you’ll want to make note not just of factual information provided by the author but also of their key arguments.

Your interpretation of the source: This is the most important part of note-taking. Don’t just record facts. Go ahead and take a stab at interpreting them. As historians Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graff insist, “A note is a thought.” So what do these thoughts entail? Ask yourself questions about the context and significance of each source.

Interpreting the context of a source:

  • Who wrote/created the source?
  • When, and under what circumstances, was it written/created?
  • Why was it written/created? What was the agenda behind the source?
  • How was it written/created?
  • If using a secondary source: How does it speak to other scholarship in the field?

Interpreting the significance of a source:

  • How does this source answer (or complicate) my guiding research questions?
  • Does it pose new questions for my project? What are they?
  • Does it challenge my fundamental argument? If so, how?
  • Given the source’s context, how reliable is it?

You don’t need to answer all of these questions for each source, but you should set a goal of engaging in at least one or two sentences of thoughtful, interpretative writing for each source. If you do so, you’ll make much easier the next task that awaits you: drafting.

The dread of drafting

Why do we often dread drafting? We dread drafting because it requires synthesis, one of the more difficult forms of thinking and interpretation. If you’ve been free-writing and taking thoughtful notes during the research phase of your project, then the drafting should be far less painful. Here are some tips on how to get started:

Sort your “evidence” or research into analytical categories:

  • Some people file note cards into categories.
  • The technologically-oriented among us take notes using computer database programs that have built-in sorting mechanisms.
  • Others cut and paste evidence into detailed outlines on their computer.
  • Still others stack books, notes, and photocopies into topically-arranged piles.There is not a single right way, but this step—in some form or fashion—is essential!

If you’ve been forcing yourself to put subject headings on your notes as you go along, you’ll have generated a number of important analytical categories. Now, you need to refine those categories and sort your evidence. Everyone has a different “sorting style.”

Formulate working arguments for your entire thesis and individual chapters. Once you’ve sorted your evidence, you need to spend some time thinking about your project’s “big picture.” You need to be able to answer two questions in specific terms:

  • What is the overall argument of my thesis?
  • What are the sub-arguments of each chapter and how do they relate to my main argument?

Keep in mind that “working arguments” may change after you start writing. But a senior thesis is big and potentially unwieldy. If you leave this business of argument to chance, you may end up with a tangle of ideas. See our handout on arguments and handout on thesis statements for some general advice on formulating arguments.

Divide your thesis into manageable chunks. The surest road to frustration at this stage is getting obsessed with the big picture. What? Didn’t we just say that you needed to focus on the big picture? Yes, by all means, yes. You do need to focus on the big picture in order to get a conceptual handle on your project, but you also need to break your thesis down into manageable chunks of writing. For example, take a small stack of note cards and flesh them out on paper. Or write through one point on a chapter outline. Those small bits of prose will add up quickly.

Just start! Even if it’s not at the beginning. Are you having trouble writing those first few pages of your chapter? Sometimes the introduction is the toughest place to start. You should have a rough idea of your overall argument before you begin writing one of the main chapters, but you might find it easier to start writing in the middle of a chapter of somewhere other than word one. Grab hold where you evidence is strongest and your ideas are clearest.

Keep up the momentum! Assuming the first draft won’t be your last draft, try to get your thoughts on paper without spending too much time fussing over minor stylistic concerns. At the drafting stage, it’s all about getting those ideas on paper. Once that task is done, you can turn your attention to revising.

Peter Elbow, in Writing With Power, suggests that writing is difficult because it requires two conflicting tasks: creating and criticizing. While these two tasks are intimately intertwined, the drafting stage focuses on creating, while revising requires criticizing. If you leave your revising to the last minute, then you’ve left out a crucial stage of the writing process. See our handout for some general tips on revising . The challenges of revising an honors thesis may include:

Juggling feedback from multiple readers

A senior thesis may mark the first time that you have had to juggle feedback from a wide range of readers:

  • your adviser
  • a second (and sometimes third) faculty reader
  • the professor and students in your honors thesis seminar

You may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of incorporating all this advice. Keep in mind that some advice is better than others. You will probably want to take most seriously the advice of your adviser since they carry the most weight in giving your project a stamp of approval. But sometimes your adviser may give you more advice than you can digest. If so, don’t be afraid to approach them—in a polite and cooperative spirit, of course—and ask for some help in prioritizing that advice. See our handout for some tips on getting and receiving feedback .

Refining your argument

It’s especially easy in writing a lengthy work to lose sight of your main ideas. So spend some time after you’ve drafted to go back and clarify your overall argument and the individual chapter arguments and make sure they match the evidence you present.

Organizing and reorganizing

Again, in writing a 50-75 page thesis, things can get jumbled. You may find it particularly helpful to make a “reverse outline” of each of your chapters. That will help you to see the big sections in your work and move things around so there’s a logical flow of ideas. See our handout on  organization  for more organizational suggestions and tips on making a reverse outline

Plugging in holes in your evidence

It’s unlikely that you anticipated everything you needed to look up before you drafted your thesis. Save some time at the revising stage to plug in the holes in your research. Make sure that you have both primary and secondary evidence to support and contextualize your main ideas.

Saving time for the small stuff

Even though your argument, evidence, and organization are most important, leave plenty of time to polish your prose. At this point, you’ve spent a very long time on your thesis. Don’t let minor blemishes (misspellings and incorrect grammar) distract your readers!

Formatting and final touches

You’re almost done! You’ve researched, drafted, and revised your thesis; now you need to take care of those pesky little formatting matters. An honors thesis should replicate—on a smaller scale—the appearance of a dissertation or master’s thesis. So, you need to include the “trappings” of a formal piece of academic work. For specific questions on formatting matters, check with your department to see if it has a style guide that you should use. For general formatting guidelines, consult the Graduate School’s Guide to Dissertations and Theses . Keeping in mind the caveat that you should always check with your department first about its stylistic guidelines, here’s a brief overview of the final “finishing touches” that you’ll need to put on your honors thesis:

  • Honors Thesis
  • Name of Department
  • University of North Carolina
  • These parts of the thesis will vary in format depending on whether your discipline uses MLA, APA, CBE, or Chicago (also known in its shortened version as Turabian) style. Whichever style you’re using, stick to the rules and be consistent. It might be helpful to buy an appropriate style guide. Or consult the UNC LibrariesYear Citations/footnotes and works cited/reference pages  citation tutorial
  • In addition, in the bottom left corner, you need to leave space for your adviser and faculty readers to sign their names. For example:

Approved by: _____________________

Adviser: Prof. Jane Doe

  • This is not a required component of an honors thesis. However, if you want to thank particular librarians, archivists, interviewees, and advisers, here’s the place to do it. You should include an acknowledgments page if you received a grant from the university or an outside agency that supported your research. It’s a good idea to acknowledge folks who helped you with a major project, but do not feel the need to go overboard with copious and flowery expressions of gratitude. You can—and should—always write additional thank-you notes to people who gave you assistance.
  • Formatted much like the table of contents.
  • You’ll need to save this until the end, because it needs to reflect your final pagination. Once you’ve made all changes to the body of the thesis, then type up your table of contents with the titles of each section aligned on the left and the page numbers on which those sections begin flush right.
  • Each page of your thesis needs a number, although not all page numbers are displayed. All pages that precede the first page of the main text (i.e., your introduction or chapter one) are numbered with small roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc.). All pages thereafter use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.).
  • Your text should be double spaced (except, in some cases, long excerpts of quoted material), in a 12 point font and a standard font style (e.g., Times New Roman). An honors thesis isn’t the place to experiment with funky fonts—they won’t enhance your work, they’ll only distract your readers.
  • In general, leave a one-inch inch margin on all sides. However, for the copy of your thesis that will be bound by the library, you need to leave a 1.25-inch margin on the left.

How do I defend my honors thesis?

Graciously, enthusiastically, and confidently. The term defense is scary and misleading—it conjures up images of a military exercise or an athletic maneuver. An academic defense ideally shouldn’t be a combative scene but a congenial conversation about the work’s merits and weaknesses. That said, the defense probably won’t be like the average conversation that you have with your friends. You’ll be the center of attention. And you may get some challenging questions. Thus, it’s a good idea to spend some time preparing yourself. First of all, you’ll want to prepare 5-10 minutes of opening comments. Here’s a good time to preempt some criticisms by frankly acknowledging what you think your work’s greatest strengths and weaknesses are. Then you may be asked some typical questions:

  • What is the main argument of your thesis?
  • How does it fit in with the work of Ms. Famous Scholar?
  • Have you read the work of Mr. Important Author?

NOTE: Don’t get too flustered if you haven’t! Most scholars have their favorite authors and books and may bring one or more of them up, even if the person or book is only tangentially related to the topic at hand. Should you get this question, answer honestly and simply jot down the title or the author’s name for future reference. No one expects you to have read everything that’s out there.

  • Why did you choose this particular case study to explore your topic?
  • If you were to expand this project in graduate school, how would you do so?

Should you get some biting criticism of your work, try not to get defensive. Yes, this is a defense, but you’ll probably only fan the flames if you lose your cool. Keep in mind that all academic work has flaws or weaknesses, and you can be sure that your professors have received criticisms of their own work. It’s part of the academic enterprise. Accept criticism graciously and learn from it. If you receive criticism that is unfair, stand up for yourself confidently, but in a good spirit. Above all, try to have fun! A defense is a rare opportunity to have eminent scholars in your field focus on YOU and your ideas and work. And the defense marks the end of a long and arduous journey. You have every right to be proud of your accomplishments!

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Atchity, Kenneth. 1986. A Writer’s Time: A Guide to the Creative Process from Vision Through Revision . New York: W.W. Norton.

Barzun, Jacques, and Henry F. Graff. 2012. The Modern Researcher , 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Elbow, Peter. 1998. Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process . New York: Oxford University Press.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. 2014. “They Say/I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing , 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Lamott, Anne. 1994. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life . New York: Pantheon.

Lasch, Christopher. 2002. Plain Style: A Guide to Written English. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Turabian, Kate. 2018. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, Dissertations , 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to choose a thesis topic

  • Fear of failure
  • Perfectionism
  • Procrastination
  • Relationship with your supervisor
  • Stress Management
  • Time Management
  • Writer’s block
  • Thesis bookshelf

Criteria to help you decide

Choose a topic you like.

This may be the most important criteria. It is often not an easy decision and requires time you have to invest in order to decide on your topic. Your (quality of) life will be much better if the hours spend on your project are spent enjoyably. What’s more, the quality of your research, writing, and arguments will be much better if you feel a genuine passion for your work. Choose a topic you find both fascinating and significant.

Seek feedback

Discuss your ideas with peers and others, make your ideas explicit and seek feedback. Know that the thesis is a major project, but it isn’t your life’s research. Adequate feedback should help you narrow down your topic to realistic proportions.

Consider your future career

Select a topic that will be helpful in your career path. If your goal is an academic career, pick a topic that you can easily modify into journal articles and maybe lends itself well to future research. If you are going into industry, choose a topic that will make you more marketable.

Select a manageable topic

Use the expertise you have gained in you study and avoid exploring a completely new idea. Do your research and find a topic that fits into existing bodies of literature, but that builds upon theory and expands it. In doing so make sure this topic has not been done before. Finally; think carefully before you choose a controversial topic, think carefully about whether it might restrict your employment, tenure, or publishing opportunities.

Theoretical background

A simplified but very usable technique based on this theory consists of listing the advantages and disadvantages of each option. The list will result in a T-model in which you indicate all the positive points of an alternative on the left side and all the negative points on the right side. Subsequently, you value each aspect by grading it with a number. Eventually, you count the numbers together for the two lists and you will see directly whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Questions to ask yourself

  • What are my major interests?
  • What major personal experience relative to my discipline do I have?
  • What courses were most exciting?
  • What theories and concepts are interesting?
  • What do I want to avoid?
  • What data do I need?
  • What research methods do I like?
  • What are my career goals? (Articulate and answer your individual questions too.)

Otto Taborsky model

The following model by Otto Taborsky displays stages you should go through while choosing your thesis topic.

  • Realise you have to choose
  • Accept the uncertainty of the decision you will have to make
  • Freely explore
  • Make a decision
  • Execution of your decision

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How to Choose an Undergraduate Architecture Thesis Topic

thesis topics in undergraduate

  • Written by Suneet Zishan Langar
  • Published on September 11, 2017

As architecture students head to their final year of BArch, half-crazy from years’ worth of scraped fingers, ghastly juries, sleepless nights, and a general lack of social life, they encounter the mighty problem of choosing a thesis topic. There are many subjects to choose from, but a personal interest in a particular subject is just one of the many factors that should influence this decision. Students need to ask themselves several other questions: Is the topic significant enough? Is it expansive enough? Is the project realistically doable?

The process can be daunting, for the decision has many consequences; sometimes, the choice of topic alone can mean the difference between the success and failure of a thesis. With so many factors to consider and deadlines closing in, students easily end up making decisions that they regret later. Here are eight tips to help you make an informed choice on the matter:

1. Dare to Be Un original

thesis topics in undergraduate

Thesis work at the undergraduate level strongly differs from that at the graduate or doctoral level, and it is important to understand the rationale behind its inclusion in the curriculum. Work at the graduate or doctoral level usually asks for the identification of a “gap in existing knowledge” about a subject and an original proposal to bridge that gap, but the expectations of an undergraduate student are less demanding. This means that you don’t necessarily have to go out of your way to be innovative at the undergraduate level. Choosing a simple unoriginal topic but executing it in a way that exhibits all the knowledge you’ve acquired in college will also do the trick.

2. Choose a Topic that Personally Interests You

thesis topics in undergraduate

With your peers picking varied topics and schedules, this year will be lonesome; the most you will have for company on an average day is a drawing board, your laptop, some books, and coffee. You will find yourself routinely getting distracted by Buzzfeed ’s latest video on Youtube or the cool new Drake track. Choosing a topic that you’re passionate about will make sure that you stay inspired and motivated to work, which should ultimately result in a great final project.

3. Set Your Scope Small

thesis topics in undergraduate

Many students give in to the natural temptation to do too much by picking topics or issues that are too expansive, and therefore almost impossible to execute in a short time-frame. A tip would be to start with the simplest version of a topic and add in extra complexity later if the circumstances allow it.

4. Recognize What You’re Good at

Every student possesses a unique set of skills and abilities which they’ve acquired through their experiences and by following their interests. No one is good at everything. An unbiased understanding of your creative and technical capacities and their limits thereof will allow you to choose a topic that best employs your expertise.

5. Is There Enough Existing Literature on the Topic?

thesis topics in undergraduate

A thesis project requires an enormous amount of reading and analysis before the beginning of the design process, and the primary source of reference information for an undergraduate student is usually existing studies or research. Hence, it makes sense to choose an area of study where a substantial amount of previous work exists. The availability of such work will enable you to analyze, compare, draw conclusions, and employ the knowledge gained to suggest an informed proposal.

6. Strike a Balance Between Art and Science

thesis topics in undergraduate

Architecture students dig themselves a grave when they begin to romanticize their thesis projects. It is hard to blame them, however, when you consider that the thesis project is viewed as the culmination of a multi-year program which is rooted as deeply in art and theory as it is in building technology. But it’s imperative to find a topic that is a balance of the two. A topic that seems too abstract might make it difficult for a jury to ascertain a student’s understanding of tangible issues.

7. What Do You Want to Do in the Future?

The thesis project is the single most important part of your portfolio as a fresh architecture graduate looking for a job in the industry or applying for a graduate program. The choice of topic will reflect your interest in or experience with a particular specialized subject. Hence, when choosing a thesis topic, you should try to align it with your plans for the near future.

8. Aim to Solve a Real World Problem

thesis topics in undergraduate

While there are many wide-ranging opinions about architecture’s ideal role in society, there is a general agreement that an architect’s work does influence how a society functions and evolves. In a world that is grappling with myriad serious issues like climate change, population growth, and an inequitable distribution of resources, it benefits young architecture students to acquaint themselves with the larger picture, and to choose a topic that at least aims to solve a current socio-environmental problem through a design intervention.

thesis topics in undergraduate

  • Sustainability

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© Suneet Zishan Langar

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thesis topics in undergraduate

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Examples of honors theses written by economics undergraduate students.

Posted with permission of the author. © 2019-2022 by the individual author. All rights reserved.

  • "The Causal Effect of ACA Subsidies on Insurance Coverage Status Among California Adults"  - William Vereyken
  • "Economic Impacts of Immigration Detention Centers Built Between 1990-2016 on U.S. Commuting Zones"  - Ekaterina Yudina

Spring/Summer 2022

  • "The Impact of Indiv. Mandate on High-Income, Non-elderly Indiv. Health Insurance Coverage Rates and Racial/Ethnic Disparities"  - YeJin Ahn
  • "An Economic Analysis of the 1997 Amhara Land Redistribution in Ethiopia"  - Ezana Anley
  • "Affirmative Action's Effect on Educational and Wage Outcomes for Underrepresented Minorities"  - Vishnu G. Arul
  • "Are the Effects of Racism Really That Black and White? A Study on the Effect Racism Has on the Productivity of Black   Footballers in the Premier League"  - Advik Banerjee
  • "An Empirical Analysis of Industrial Concentration and Prices: Can We Blame Inflation on Corporate Greed?"  - Anton Bobrov
  • "Tax Revenue Cyclicality and Income Inequality: Evidence from U.S. Counties From 1989 to 2019"  - Yiyang Chen
  • "The Impact of Economic Opportunities on African American Migration Patterns in Oakland"  - Fernando Cheung
  • "Impact of Tech Companies on Wages in the Local Economy"  - Niki Collette
  • "Warm Welcome: Evidence for Weather-based Projection Bias in College Choice"  - Maria Cullen
  • "Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on Bilateral Trade with China"  - Pedro de Marcos
  • "Renaissance of the Black Homeowner: Impact Evaluation of Michigan's Renaissance Zones"  - Rupsha Debnath
  • "Lockdown Blues: The Effect of Social Norms on the Psychological Cost of Unemployment During the COVID-19 Pandemic"  - Dylan Hallahan
  • "How Education Affects Health Outcomes Across Genders"  - Jessica Li
  • "Is Increasing Diversity Inclusion Effective in Improving Companies' Performance in the Financial Services Industry?"  - Miranda Li
  • "The Future Financial Status of the Social Security Program"  - Chloe Manouchehri
  • "Does Recreational Marijuana Legalization Affect Hard-Drug Use? - Evidence from Cocaine Prevalence and Treatment Admissions"  - Arthur Weiss
  • "Relationship Between Economic Status and Money Spent on Private Education Leading to Economic Inequality in South Korea"  - Jiho Lee
  • "The Impact of Migrant Remittances on Rural Labor Supply: Evidence from Nepal"  - Amanda Wong
  • "Confirmation Bias: The Role of Messages and Messengers"  - Hongyu (Randol) Yao

Spring 2021

  • "Gender Equality and Economic Growth: Solving the Asian Puzzle"  - Zoya Ali
  • "Women in STEM: Moving Up or Falling Off the Academic Career Ladder?"  - Sophia J. Bai
  • "Time Dependence in Okun's Law at the State Level" - Sarah Baig
  • "Labor Regulation and the Impact on Firm Behavior in India" - Vatsal Bajaj
  • "Gender Representation in Academia: Evidence from the Italian Education System Reform" - Oyundari Batbayar
  • "Money & Marriage on the Elementary Mind: A High-Level Analysis of Inequitable Child Development in LA County" - Matthew J. Chang
  • "Unanticipated Unemployment Rate News on the Stock Market" - David Chi
  • "Should Physicians Be More Collaborative? Determining the Relationship Between Patient Participation and Treatment Plan Confidence Across a Spectrum of Illness Severity in the State of California" - Saif Chowdhury
  • "Modeling Optimal Investment and Greenhouse Gas Abatement in the Presence of Technology Spillovers" - Sabrina Chui
  • "Understanding the Influence of Marginal Income Tax Rates on Retirement Investment Habits"  - Daniel Cohen
  • "Infrastructure in India's Internal War: A District-Level Analysis of the Naxalite-Maoist Conflict" - Krunal Desai
  • "Do Eucalyptus Trees Increase Wildfires?"  - Lila Englander
  • "Understanding the Labor Outcomes of Hurricane Sandy" - Kevin Fang
  • "Does TikTok Show Viewers the Content Relevant to them?" - Ekaterina Fedorova
  • "The Impact of the Affordable Care Act Dependent Care Provision on Long-term Young Adult Labor Market Choices" - Anne Fogarty
  • "Orchestra Sex Disparity: Experimental Evidence from Audience Members" - Richard Gong
  • "The Big Three Medical Price Indexes: A Comparative Review and Analysis"  - Robert Hovakimyan
  • "Effect of Value-Added-Services on Customer Reviews in a Platform Marketplace" - Shankar Krishnan
  • "COVID19 Recession: Gender Layoff Gap Explodes" - Ember Lin-Sperry
  • "The Gender Wage Gap in China: Learning from Recent Longitudinal Data" - Donghe Lyu
  • "Local Graduation Policies as a Tool for Increasing College Eligibility: Evidence from Los Angeles" - Dan L. Ma
  • "Trust in Government and Lockdown Compliance in Sub-Saharan Africa" - Charles McMurry
  • "I Do (or Don't): The Impact of Same-Sex Marriage Laws on International Tourism" - Oliver McNeil
  • "International Shipping Consequences of a Navigable Arctic" - Jack Melin
  • "Investigating Dollar Invoicing Trends Using United Kingdom Export Data" - Aneesh Nathani
  • "Micro-Level Impact of Initial Public Offerings on Bay Area Housing Inflation" - Mina Nezam-Mafi
  • "Explaining EU's Oil Dependency Through the Response of the Portuguese Sector Indexes to Brent Oil Prices Fluctuations" - Pedro S. Nunes
  • "Dynamic Incentives and Effort Provision in Professional Tennis Tournaments" - Ruiwen Pan
  • "Examining the Effects of Minimum Wage Laws on Part-Time Employment" - Odysseus Pyrinis
  • "The Great Indian Identity Crisis? Exclusions & Intersectionality in the Indian Aadhaar System" - Aditi Ramakrishnan
  • "The 'Clutch Gene' Myth: An Analysis of Late-Game Shooting Performance in the NBA"  - Can Sarioz
  • "Estimating the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Jobs Within the Healthcare Industry" - Sidharth Satya
  • "Factors Influencing Telehealth Utilization: Evidence from California" - Emily Schultz
  • "Cash and Conflict: Evidence from the Indian Banknote Demonetization" - Nachiket Shah
  • "Determinants of the Number of Anti-Government Demonstrations: Evidence from OECD Countries" - Nina Singiri
  • "Hygiene Heroes: A Process Evaluation of Promoting Hygiene Practices in Tamil Nadu Schools" - Malika Sugathapala
  • "Exploring the Labour Patterns of Women and Mothers Through the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Impact of School Closures and a New Kind of Recession"  - Renee Isabel Utter
  • "How Have Socioeconomic Achievement Determinants Changed in the Past Decade for First-Generation Chinese Immigrants in the U.S." - Haolin Wang
  • "The Impact of Quarantining on School Enrollment: Evidence from the Ebola Epidemic in Sierra Leone" - David Willigrod
  • "Weeding out Needy Households and Welcoming the Better Off? Impacts of Transactional Barriers on SNAP Participation Rates" - Kevin Woo
  • "Are Soccer Teams Being Inefficient? An Analysis of Sunk Cost Fallacy and Recency Bias Using Transfer Fee" - Junru Lyu
  • "The Effects of Access to Family Planning Facilities on Female Labor Market Outcomes"  - Marcus Sander
  • "Macroeconomic Volatility at the Zero Lower Bound: Evidence from the OECD" - Anthony Swaminathan
  • "How are Society's Conditions and Demographics Related to the Popularity of Chief Executive Carrie Lam  and the Hong Kong Government"  - Peter To

Spring/Summer 2020

  • "Parental Involvement: The Differential Impacts of Consent and Notice Requirements for Minors' Abortions" - Angela Ames
  • "Examining Local Price Levels and Income Distribution Over Time" - Josh Archer
  • "Estimating the Effect of Grandparent Death on Fertility" - Jason Chen
  • "Democracy in the Face of COVID-19: Have Less Democratic Countries Been More Effective at Preventing the Spread of This Pandemic ?" - Yi Chen
  • "Understanding the Effects of Conditional Cash Transfers on Indigenous People in Mexico" - Arushi Desai
  • "Microfinance and Payday Lending: Are they Solving a Problem or Creating One?" - Sophia Faulkner
  • "The Risk-Taking Channel of Monetary Policy and Foreign Banks" - Noah Forougi
  • "Ride of Die? Metropolitan Bikeshare Systems and Pollution" - Sean Furuta
  • "Internet's Important Involvement in Information Industry Integration in Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana (and others): How the emerging internet affected the economic geography of the information industry" - Keming (Alex) Gao
  • "The Relationship between Economic Crises and Long-Run Wealth Inequality" - Renuka Garg
  • "Voter Bias in the Associated Press College Football Poll : Reconducting a 2009 study with new data in a $1 Billion-dollar industry that has seen significant changes in the past decade"  - Brent Hensley
  • "Monopsony Exploitation in Major League Baseball: Using Wins Above Replacement to Estimate Marginal Revenue Product" - Jacob C. Hyman
  • "The Relationship Between Currency Substitution and Exchange Rate Volatility" - Jewon Ju
  • "Efficiency, Bias, and Decisions: Observations from a Sports Betting Exchange" - Alexander Kan
  • "The Effect of Medicaid Expansion on Substance Use Disorder Treatment Utilization: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act" - Christy Kang
  • "Analyzing the Relationship between Personal Income Tax Progressivity and Income Inequality" - Gevorg Khandamiryan
  • "The Effects of Occupancy Taxes on the Short-Term Rental Market: Evidence from Boston" - Alan Liang
  • "Corporate Types and Bank Lending in Contractionary Era: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies" - Zishen Liu
  • "Financial Constraints on Student Learning: An Analysis of How Financial Stress Influences Cognitive Function in Children" - Simone Matecna
  • "The Effect of Workplace Inspections on Employment and Sales - A Regression Discontinuity Analysis" - Jeseo Park
  • "Lending Sociodynamics, Economic Instability, and the U.S. Farm Credit Crisis" - Erfan Samaei
  • "The Effect of Intangible Assets on Value Added: Evidence from microdata across small and large firms in Europe" - Tamara Sequeira
  • "Price Efficiency Differences Between Public and Private Utilities: An Empirical Analysis of US Electric Utilities" - Yechan Shin
  • "Effect of Campus Shootings on Academic Achievement: Examination of 2014 Isla Vista Killings" - Min Joo (Julie) Song
  • "First-Degree Price Discrimination: Evidence from Informal Markets in India" - Rishab Srivastava
  • "Who Benefits From Gentrification? A Case Study of Oregon Public High Schools" - Namrata Subramanian
  • "Estimating the Economic Impacts of Wealth Taxation in France" - Jeffrey Suzuki
  • "Transit-Oriented Development or Transit-Oriented Displacement? Evaluating the Sorting Effect of Public Transportation in Los Angeles County" - Yeeling Tse
  • "How State Abortion Policy Restrictiveness is Associated with Unintended Pregnancy Outcomes in the United States from 2014-2018" - Ruhee Wadhwania
  • "Global Food Security and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation"  - Aidan Wang
  • "The Relationship Between Pharmaceutical R&D Spending and NME Development" - Taylor Wang
  • "The Role of Individual Risk Attitude in Occupational Inheritance" - Yi Wang
  • "Labor Market Segmentation: Evidence from U.S. Janitorial Jobs Advertised in English and Spanish" - Zijun Xu
  • "Bias on the Brain: How Patient Gender Influences Use of Emergency Room Diagnostic Imaging" - Abigail Zhong
  • "Age Effects, Irrationality and Excessive Risk-Taking in Supposedly Expert Agents" - William Aldred
  • "Pricing Disparities for Minority Communities in Chicago: Rideshares and Taxis" - Matthew Cleveland
  • "Where My Negros At? Evaluating the Effects of Banning Affirmative Action on Black College Enrollment" - Ellie Koepplinger
  • "Race and Recession: How Minorities May Affect Downturns" - Alexander Szarka
  • "Understanding the Effects of Canadian International Food Aid on Production and Trade" - Patrick D. Tagari
  • "Urban Property Rights and Labor Supply in Peru: Heterogeneity Analysis by Gender and Educational Attainment" - Juan Sebastián Rozo Vásquez
  • "Effect of High-Speed Rail on City Tourism Revenue in China: A Perspective on Spatial Connectivity" - Lingyun Xiao

Archives (2009-2019)

Thesis Writing

Thesis Topics

Caleb S.

Interesting Thesis Topics & Ideas To Get Started

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Thesis Topics

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If you’re a student who’s nearing graduation and wondering, “What is the best topic for your thesis?”, you’ve come to the perfect place!

It’s a well-established fact that thesis documents require extreme levels of research and dedication. But, when it comes to choosing a topic for your thesis, it is far from being an easy task as well!

If your supervisor hasn’t assigned you a thesis topic, you can get valuable help from this blog. With thesis ideas ranging from education to diverse fields of study, you can pick the topic perfect topic for thesis writing.  

So without further ado, let’s get started!

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  • 1. Thesis Topics for Students
  • 2. Thesis Topics for Multiple Fields
  • 3. How to Choose a Good Thesis Topic?

Thesis Topics for Students

We’ll start with a comprehensive list of thesis ideas for students, then move on to topics for multiple fields. 

Thesis Topics for College Students

  • Exploring the psychological effects of student loan debt on college graduates
  • The challenges and opportunities of globalization
  • The role of education and social mobility in reducing inequality
  • The impact of immigration on the economy and society
  • The potential of new technologies to improve healthcare outcomes
  • The impact of online learning on student engagement and achievement 
  • What is the role of artificial intelligence in business decision-making?
  • High school bullying and its long-term effects on mental health and social adjustment
  • The challenges and opportunities of diversity and inclusion in education
  • The impact of early childhood education on long-term success

Senior Thesis Topics

  • The industrial revolution has increased the gap between the rich and the poor. How?
  • What are the effects of global warming on the world’s population?
  • Feminism is becoming as bad as racism. How?
  • The relationship between social media usage and perceptions of loneliness
  • The long-term effects of income inequality on economic growth
  • Placement by age vs. placement by academic ability. Which should be preferred?
  • How have viruses such as HIV-AIDS, affected the African economy?
  • What are the common sleep disorders and their treatments?
  • Using animals for sports and entertainment: Is it legal or illegal?
  • Discuss Trump’s “America First” trade and foreign policy.

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Bachelor Thesis Topics

  • The impact of E-Sports on traditional sports and the future of competitive gaming
  • The economics of renewable energy transition: Case study of Germany
  • The influence of music on cognitive performance and productivity in the workplace
  • The influence of social media on political movements and activism
  • The ethical implications of gene editing technologies: A case study on CRISPR-Cas9
  • Urban green spaces and their impact on mental health: A case study of Singapore
  • The relationship between smartphone use and sleep quality in young adults
  • Investigating the psychological factors influencing consumer brand loyalty
  • Cybersecurity threats and mitigation strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises
  • The impact of video games on cognitive skills and problem-solving abilities in children

Masters Thesis Topics

  • Discuss the relationship between literature and the political climate in the 18th century
  • Explain the relationship between rational thinking and religion
  • The Civil War is the greatest inspiration for art. Discuss the concept
  • Gun violence in the USA during the 2010s: A comparative analysis
  • Cyberbullying can lead to suicides - A case study of Australia
  • Campus shootings in the USA: Discuss the causes and risk factors
  • Labor markets in China: An in-depth analysis
  • What are the impacts of global warming on weather conditions in Iceland?
  • Explain the women's empowerment in Saudi Arabia in the 2000s
  • Write a detailed comparison of the anti-nuclear movements in Germany and Japan

MBA Thesis Topics

  • Discuss a case study of rural marketing projects.
  • What are the impacts of reducing the retirement age in America?
  • Mergers and acquisitions: Evaluating the factors contributing to success or failure
  • How can the banking sector influence the economic growth of India?
  • Analysis of global supply chain resilience in the post-pandemic business environment
  • Online marketing on social media platforms is useful for small companies. How?
  • Write a comparative study of organized trading in the USA and UK
  • How is technical knowledge essential to make wise financial decisions?
  • How can consumer purchases influence brand design?
  • Explore the positive and negative impacts of mobile banking

PhD Thesis Topics

  • What are the primary professors’ teaching patterns in China?
  • Discuss the social benefits of same-sex marriages
  • Discuss the legal issue of child labor in Third World countries.
  • What is the positive impact of music therapy on patients with brain injuries?
  • Explain the impacts of 9/11 on new policies against terrorism
  • Discuss the marketing strategies used in political campaigns
  • The US presence in Syria: Is it providing justice or violating the law?
  • Elaborate on the preventive measures to fight obesity among teenagers.
  • How to treat injuries in diabetic patients?
  • What are the political and economic effects of Brexit on the UK?

Thesis Topics for Multiple Fields

Here are some interesting and easy to write thesis topics from multiple fields of study.

Thesis Topics in Education

  • Special education policies in the USA: Are they effective or ineffective?
  • Why is studying abroad a legitimate excuse for traveling?
  • Strategies for supporting undergraduate students' transition to college life
  • Family involvement has a direct impact on a child's performance. Discuss how?
  • Why are students more likely to do the homework assigned by good-looking professors?
  • Role of Parental Involvement in early childhood education for academic readiness
  • Explain the development of emotional intelligence for modern education
  • Informal learning in rural areas through social networks. Is it possible?
  • Public school students interact at the same level as the other students. Is it true?
  • How can reality television disempower students to some extent?

Thesis Topics in Healthcare

  • How does increased physical activity promote healthy aging?
  • The impact of telemedicine on healthcare access and quality
  • Mental health stigma: Addressing barriers to seeking and receiving care
  • How do Supervised Machine Learning models help in Breast Cancer diagnosis?
  • Exploring the mental health implications of prolonged pandemic-related stress and isolation
  • Innovations in remote patient monitoring for chronic disease management
  • How can we improve the affordability of healthcare without sacrificing quality?
  • Strategies for addressing the global burden of non-communicable diseases
  • How can we use social media to promote health literacy and engagement?
  • How can we use genomics to improve disease prevention and treatment?

Thesis Topics for Computer Science

  • Quantum computing: The future of data processing and cryptography
  • How does the feedback system in personnel management work?
  • Describe the development of an automated workplace
  • How can data be analyzed by using robust AI algorithms?
  • Discuss the benefits of the development of a taxi service website
  • The dark web: Anonymity, security, and law enforcement challenges
  • Verification of webpage layouts. How is it beneficial?
  • What are the impacts of mobile computing on global development?
  • Big data analytics for predictive maintenance in IoT systems
  • How can AI-assisted surveillance systems decrease mass school shootings in the US?

Architecture Thesis Topics

  • How have religious buildings in the British Empire affected architecture?
  • Discuss the role of architects in combating the impacts of climate change
  • Why should we construct sustainable buildings for offices?
  • Discuss a case study of small houses to solve homelessness
  • Why should we develop public places in small cities?
  • How can architecture revitalize urban areas sustainably?
  • Are underwater hotels sustainable?
  • Discuss the transformation of urban design in the 21st century
  • How can we construct houses in developed countries with low income?
  • How can architectural design create healing environments in healthcare facilities?

Thesis Topics for Interior Design

  • Role of biophilic design in reducing stress and anxiety in workplaces
  • Designing interior spaces for people with dementia
  • The use of technology to create immersive and interactive interior experiences
  • Design of interior spaces for future generations
  • Impact of culture on prisons and other correctional facilities design
  • Use of universal design to create inclusive restaurants and cafés
  • Use of materials and finishes to create a sustainable and resilient built environment
  • What is the impact of interior design on human performance?
  • Creating inclusive and accessible interior spaces for people with disabilities
  • What is the future of interior design in the age of climate change?

Thesis Topics for Textile Designing

  • How to design textiles that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional?
  • Environmental impact of textile design and how to reduce it
  • How can textile design improve the performance of sportswear and activewear?
  • Design a textile collection that is accessible and affordable for people with disabilities
  • Develop a sustainable textile production process that reduces environmental impact
  • Investigate the impact of textile design on consumer behavior
  • Explore the use of sustainable materials in textile design
  • Challenges and opportunities of new technologies in textile design
  • Ethical implications of materials and production methods in textile design
  • How can textile design reduce fashion waste and promote circularity?

Psychology Thesis Topics

  • Why is emotional intelligence an important factor in professional satisfaction?
  • The notion of the self – Is it a myth or reality?
  • Evaluating the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral
  • Therapy in managing anxiety
  • Self-efficacy and academic achievement: A longitudinal study of students
  • A good IQ level can have long-term benefits for children. Discuss how?
  • How are emotional disorders directly connected to social cognition?
  • Analyze the relationship between emotional and episodic memory
  • How can rational thinking allow us to make better decisions?
  • How common is depression among homosexual teenagers?
  • What are the psychological techniques to help obese teens?

Political Science Thesis Topics

  • Compare the foreign policies of the US and the UK
  • What were the causes of the American Revolution?
  • How is religion used as a political power?
  • What is the role of social movements in politics?
  • Discuss the consequences of the Civil War
  • Immigration policies and their impact on social cohesion and diversity
  • The impact of campaign finance reform on political corruption
  • What are the negotiation methods during wartime?
  • Explain the difference between political and armed conflicts
  • Give a detailed review of the Human Rights Act 1998

Thesis Topics for Law Students

  • The role of international law in addressing global cybersecurity threats
  • Human rights and refugee law: Analyzing the legal status of stateless individuals
  • Legal aspects of intellectual property rights in the fashion industry
  • Consumer protection laws in E-Commerce: Challenges and emerging trends
  • How can we ensure that plea bargaining is used fairly and ethically?
  • Examining the legal and ethical implications of genetic testing and genetic privacy
  • The evolution of copyright law in the digital era: Balancing innovation and protection
  • How has globalization changed the landscape of international law?
  • What is the future of International Law in a world of increasing nationalism?
  • The impact of race and ethnicity on criminal sentencing

International Relations Thesis Topics

  • What is the impact of Russia’s intervention in Syria?
  • Discuss the trade relations between India and Pakistan
  • Discuss the impacts of the US sanctions on Iran
  • Explain the reasons for OIC failure
  • What is the US foreign policy towards North Korea?
  • Critically analyze the human rights violations in Kashmir
  • What is the policy of the United States toward Russia?
  • Discuss lessons learned politically since 9/11
  • Political problems in Africa have been affected by colonial rule. How?
  • Discuss how is Israel playing the victim card in the war against Palestine

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History Thesis Topics

  • How has World War II saved the world?
  • What is the impact of Buddhism on the Chinese empire?
  • Discuss the struggles of the North American colonies for independence
  • Describe the role of the monarchy in the domestic policy of Great Britain
  • Discuss the impacts of the North Korean nuclear program in Northeast Asia
  • Evaluate the American and Britain relations during the Cold War Era
  • Discuss the global impacts of the Great Depression
  • Explain the Women's rights and woman suffrage: 1848-1920.
  • Enlist the Military Innovations between WWI & WWII
  • Discuss the feminist movement from 1845 to 1920

Criminal Justice Thesis Topics

  • What are the ways to deal with domestic violence?
  • How can we reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system?
  • How is electronic monitoring an abuse of privacy rights?
  • What can be done to prevent cyber crimes?
  • What are the common child abuse crimes committed?
  • How can body cameras reduce police violence?
  • Why are men more likely to get the death penalty?
  • How can drug courts help people with addictions?
  • Discuss the strategies used to stop criminal behavior
  • Discuss the effectiveness of capital punishment in deterring crime

Thesis Topics in English Literature

  • The influence of feminist theory on the work of Margaret Atwood
  • Discuss the effectiveness of verbal communication in displaying feelings
  • How do people communicate when there is no shared language?
  • Language travels through time. Discuss the concept
  • Elaborate on the advantages of learning a second language in graduate school
  • Discuss the effectiveness of non-verbal communication for displaying emotions.
  • Shakespearean adaptations in modern literature and film
  • Narrative techniques in experimental literature and their impact on storytelling
  • What are the benefits of learning two languages at once as a child?
  • How to best communicate: Verbally or non-verbally? 

Thesis Topics in Mass Communication

  • Effects of user-generated content on news credibility and trust in online journalism
  • Impact of deep fake technology on media manipulation and trust in visual media
  • The role of media in promoting political polarization and extremism
  • The challenges of reporting on sensitive topics such as war, violence, and trauma
  • The ethics of using media to exploit or harm vulnerable populations
  • The influence of TikTok on youth culture and entertainment consumption
  • How does sports journalism respond to evolving media landscapes?
  • The role of social media influencers in shaping brand image and consumer behavior
  • The role of media in promoting corporate interests and agendas
  • What is the role of media in the surveillance state and the erosion of privacy?

Thesis Topics in Business Administration 

  • How is digital transformation changing business models and strategies?
  • What role does venture capital play in funding and supporting startups?
  • The role of data analytics in decision-making and improving business outcomes
  • The challenges and opportunities of expanding into new markets
  • What factors influence call center industry employee retention?
  • Comparing leadership structures in manufacturing and retail sectors
  • How do varying leadership styles impact worker performance?
  • Challenges and opportunities of managing supply chains in a globalized economy
  • Is a Human Resources Officer still relevant in today's businesses?
  • What is the impact of internal communications on organizational objectives?

Thesis Topics in Physical Education

  • Role of physical education in preventing childhood obesity
  • Impact of physical activity on sleep quality and overall well-being
  • Influence of physical education on self-esteem and body image in adolescents
  • What strategies promote gender equity in physical education?
  • How can cultural competency be integrated into physical education programs?
  • How does virtual physical education impact student engagement?
  • What factors contribute to successful youth sports and athlete development?
  • How does assessment and feedback improve student learning in physical education?
  • How can older adults be encouraged to maintain active lifestyles?
  • Does physical education have a measurable impact on academic performance?

Civil Engineering Thesis Topics

  • Assessing the impact of climate change on infrastructure resilience
  • Optimizing traffic flow and transportation systems for urban mobility
  • Risk assessment and management in civil engineering projects
  • Green infrastructure and stormwater management in urban environments
  • Geotechnical engineering challenges in high-rise building construction
  • Resilient infrastructure for mitigating the impact of extreme weather events
  • Smart grids and energy-efficient infrastructure for future cities
  • The role of 3D printing in construction: Feasibility and applications
  • Augmented reality and virtual reality in civil engineering education and design
  • What are the risk factors involved in building skyscrapers?

Cyber Security Thesis Topics

  • How can network security deal with cyber crimes?
  • How can an informational system protect your data?
  • How can we prevent the growth of cyber hackers?
  • What are the different types of cyber crimes?
  • How can we make network security affordable for everyone?
  • Discuss the effectiveness of malware protection software.
  • How can we improve cybersecurity in wireless networks?
  • What are the ways to prevent cyber attacks in organizations?
  • How do people become cyber criminals?
  • What are the current trends in the field of cybercrime and security?

Sociology Thesis Topics

  • What are the consequences of adopting a child?
  • Discuss the concept of female empowerment in a conservative society
  • Organ transplantation in our society. Is it ethical?
  • Explain the diffusion and innovation in European culture
  • What are the challenges that most women face at workplaces?
  • How difficult is it to be a single parent in a society?
  • The impact of economic disparities on how people Live: A sociological study
  • Technology has changed the way we eat. How?
  • Violations of social norms can be a positive act. How?
  • What is the relationship between poverty and education?

Philosophy Thesis Topics

  • What is the nature of truth and reality in a post-modern world?
  • Is there any life after death?
  • Can a person be happy without friends and family?
  • Why is there a need to engage children in physical activities?
  • Will you have eternal satisfaction if you had all the wealth in the world?
  • How morality and religion are related to each other?
  • Why do people commit crimes when they’re at the brink of poverty? 
  • How to develop a personal philosophy of life: Influences, values, and decision-making
  • Can free will exist in a deterministic universe, and what are its implications for agency and responsibility?
  • What is the nature of consciousness, and how does it relate to our perception of reality?

Economics Thesis Topics

  • Discuss the differences in commercial practices in rural and urban areas
  • Critically analyze regional divergence in Europe
  • Discuss the relationship between economic geography and the contemporary environment
  • What are the impacts of intellectual capital in growing markets?
  • Labor regulations are a way to solve the issue of unemployment. Discuss how?
  • Explain the factors that determine the market value of a business
  • What is the effect of labor force participation on the economy?
  • Discuss the impact of government expenditure on the economic growth of Australia
  • Discuss the impact of Brexit on small and middle businesses in the UK
  • Write a review of the aid and economic growth of developing economies

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Now that you have access to a wide range of thesis topics for multiple fields, you could use some tips to understand how you should pick a good thesis topic. 

How to Choose a Good Thesis Topic?

Follow the easy tips given below to choose a good topic for your thesis.

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The following is a detailed description of the tips for choosing thesis paper topics.

  • Know Your Target Audience : Understand your audience's preferences, opinions, and ideas, and always consider their feedback for better grades
  • Consider Your Strengths : Identify your skills and strengths, and focus on your areas of knowledge
  • Follow Your Interests : Select a topic that aligns with your passions and leverage your creativity for an engaging idea 
  • Combine Different Ideas : Brainstorm multiple ideas based on your interests and knowledge to create a unique idea 
  • Read and Find Gaps : Explore existing literature and research, to identify gaps or areas that require further investigation
  • Put Your Idea to the Test : Conduct small experiments or surveys to test your concept, and utilize data and human resources for a comprehensive analysis. Make sure to identify and address any flaws or weaknesses in your thesis idea.

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thesis writing

Georgetown University.

College of Arts & Sciences

Georgetown University.

Thesis Topics

You are invited to pursue any topic that falls under the English department’s purview, and the Honors Committee will assume that you will pursue it with scholarly rigor, intellectual seriousness, and artistic integrity. You should follow your own interests and commitments in defining your project, though you should avail yourself of the advice of those faculty members whose expertise will help you focus your ideas and give them depth. Again, we welcome critical, creative, interdisciplinary, mixed genre, and hybrid creative/critical projects. Most successful applicants have derived their projects from interests developed during their time as English majors at Georgetown. During the actual writing of the thesis, of course, you will work closely with a faculty mentor.

Here is a partial list of the kinds of literary and interdisciplinary topics that Honors students have pursued over the past few years:

  • Polyphony in the novels of Cormac McCarthy
  • Women in post-Stonewall gay male literature
  • Madness and skepticism in Hamlet and Don Quixote
  • Dialogism in Toni Morrison and Christa Woolf
  • The Booker Prize as post-colonial phenomenon
  • Jazz in the Harlem Renaissance
  • The scientific revolution and 18th-century narratives
  • Irvine Welsh and dialect writing
  • Sound and structure in scripts
  • Identity and memory in Maxine Hong Kingston
  • Influence of the internet on writing
  • The written legacy of oral narratives in Amerindian culture
  • Medieval women troubadours
  • African-American women writers and their Biblical heritage
  • Adult-child discourse in real-life conversation and classic children’s literature
  • The role of bible-making in the works of Blake, Wordsworth, and Hardy
  • Morality plays in the Middle Ages and the twentieth century

In addition, Honors students have written short story collections, memoirs, and collections of poetry. Students have also written hybrid creative/critical projects, such as a critique of postcolonial memoir within a postcolonial memoir. Those students who propose creative projects should have developed their skills through taking courses with the Georgetown English Department creative writing faculty or through participation in campus and professional journals and other creative venues.

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Trending Dissertation Topics & Ideas For 2024

ResearchProspect has prepared a list of trending dissertation topics and ideas in every academic subject to inspire you. In addition to the free topics available in our topics database, we offer 3 free custom dissertation topics to students of all levels. You can also review our example dissertation titles to get inspired.

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Trending Topics For Dissertation In 2024

Looking for hot dissertation topics for your research? Here is our list of top examples that will help you decide on a suitable idea for your dissertation.

Humanities Dissertation Topics

  • An Analysis of The Role of Social Media in Shaping Public Discourse.
  • The Representation of Gender in Contemporary Literature: A Comparative Study.
  • The Politics of Cultural Heritage Preservation: Case Study of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
  • A Philosophical Inquiry of The Ethics of Digital Humanities Research.
  • The Intersection of Religion and Politics in the Middle East: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.
  • An Ethnographic Study of the Impact of Globalisation on Indigenous Cultures.
  • The Aesthetics of Horror in Literature and Film: An Analysis of Contemporary Works.
  • The Philosophy of Human Rights: A Comparative Study of Eastern and Western Perspectives.
  • The Representation of Trauma in Postcolonial Literature: A Comparative Study of African and South Asian Texts.
  • The Psychology of Humor: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Laughter and Mental Health.

Environment Dissertation Topics

  • Climate Change Mitigation Strategies: A Comparative Analysis of Developed and Developing Countries.
  • The Impact of Urbanisation on Biodiversity: Case Study of Major Cities in the World.
  • The Politics of Environmental Justice: A Critical Analysis of Environmental Policies and Their Impacts on Marginalised Communities.
  • The Role of Green Technology in Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Renewable Energy Sources.
  • The Economics of Carbon Pricing: A Comparative Study of Cap and Trade Systems.
  • The Implications of Deforestation on Ecosystem Services with Respect to the Amazon Rainforests.
  • The Ethics of Animal Agriculture: An Investigation into the Impacts of Industrial Livestock Production.
  • The Role of Environmental Education in Promoting Sustainability in the United Kingdom.
  • A Study on The Intersection of Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Conservation.
  • The Politics of Water Scarcity: An Overview of the Middle East and North Africa.

Education Dissertation Topics

  • The Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning: A Comparative Study of Traditional and Online Education.
  • An Investigation on The Role of Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education.
  • A Meta-Analysis on The Effectiveness of Inquiry-Based Learning in STEM Education.
  • The Impact of Cultural Diversity on Student Learning Outcomes in the United Kingdom.
  • The Politics of Education Reform: A Comparative Analysis of Policies and Their Impacts on Student Achievement.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Teaching Quality.
  • The Impact of Globalisation on Higher Education: Case Study of Internationalisation Strategies in Universities.
  • An Analysis of The Effectiveness of Social-Emotional Learning Programs.
  • The Intersection of Education and Technology Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of EdTech Startups.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Funding and Student Outcomes in Public Schools.

Sports Dissertation Topics

  • A Study on the Role of Sports in Promoting Social Inclusion.
  • The Impact of Sports Psychology on Athletic Performance: An Investigation into Mental Training Techniques.
  • An Analysis of The Ethics of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports.
  • The Effectiveness of Injury Prevention Programs in Contact Sports.
  • The Intersection of Sports and Technology: An Analysis of Wearable Technology in Athletic Training and Performance.
  • A Comparative Study of National and International Sports Organisations.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Sponsorship and Brand Awareness.
  • The Impact of Sports on Personal Development: A Comparative Study of Sports and Non-Sports Participants.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Fan Attachment and Identity.
  • The Intersection of Sports and Social Media: A Case Study of Athlete Branding and Fan Engagement.

Psychology Dissertation Topics

  • An Investigation into the Impacts of Social Media on Anxiety and Depression.
  • The Role of Positive Psychology in Promoting Well-Being.
  • The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Treating Anxiety and Depression.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Coping Strategies and Health Outcomes.
  • The Intersection of Psychology and Neuroscience: An Analysis of Brain Imaging Techniques in Understanding Mental Health Disorders.
  • A Critical Analysis of Research Methods and Their Implications for Participants.
  • The Impact of Culture on Mental Health: Case Study of Western and Eastern Approaches to Mental Health Treatment.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Personality Traits and Addiction.
  • An Analysis of Interpersonal Relationships and Their Impacts on Psychological Well-Being.
  • A Comparative Study of Aging and Longevity in Different Cultures.

Gender Dissertation Topics

  • The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on Career Choices.
  • The Role of Gender-Based Violence in Perpetuating Gender Inequality.
  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Intersectionality on Women of Color.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Politics and Women's Access to Healthcare.
  • The Effectiveness of Gender Quotas in Promoting Gender Equality.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Masculinity and Mental Health.
  • The Role of Gender Identity in Social Justice Movements.
  • The Impact of Gender and Sexuality Education on Adolescents.
  • A Comparative Study of Gender Pay Gaps in Different Industries and Countries.
  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Ableism and Gender Discrimination on Disabled Women.

Law Dissertation Topics

  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Digitalisation on Legal Systems.
  • The Role of International Law in Addressing Global Challenges.
  • The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice in Addressing Criminal Behaviour.
  • A Comparative Study of Selection Processes and Their Impacts on Judicial Independence.
  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Intersectionality on Legal Rights and Protections.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Advocacy and Professional Responsibility.
  • The Impact of Gender and Race on Jury Decision-Making: An Analysis of Implicit Bias in Legal Proceedings.
  • The Role of Human Rights Law in Addressing Corporate Responsibility: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Business and Human Rights.
  • The Politics of Immigration Law: A Comparative Study of National Policies and Their Impacts on Migrant Rights and Protections.
  • The Effectiveness of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Addressing Civil Disputes: A Comparative Study of Mediation and Arbitration.

Business, Finance & Management Dissertation Topics

  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance.
  • The Role of Entrepreneurship in Economic Growth: An Analysis of Small Business Development and Job Creation.
  • The Impact of Financial Technology on Banking and Finance: use of Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies.
  • The Effectiveness of Corporate Governance in Preventing Corporate Scandals: A Comparative Study of Regulations and Practices.
  • The Psychology of Decision-Making in Management: An Analysis of Cognitive Biases and Their Impacts on Organisational Behaviour.
  • The Role of Leadership in Organisational Change: An Investigation into the Impacts of Leadership Styles on Change Management.
  • A Comparative Study of Trade Agreements and Their Impacts on Global Economic Relations.
  • The Impact of Organisational Culture on Employee Motivation and Performance.
  • An Investigation into the Use of Social Media Marketing and Influencer Marketing.
  • The Role of Human Resource Management in Talent Development.

Health & Nursing Dissertation Topics

  • The Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Delivery
  • The Role of Nursing in Patient Safety: An Analysis of Best Practices and Strategies for Preventing Medical Errors.
  • The Effectiveness of Health Promotion Programs in Preventing Chronic Diseases.
  • A Comparative Study of National Policies and Their Impacts on Access to Care.
  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Co-Morbidities on Patient Outcomes.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Health Knowledge and Patient Empowerment.
  • A Comparative Study of Pain Management Strategies in Different Settings.
  • An Analysis of Best Practices and Strategies for Addressing Health Disparities.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Comfort Care and Quality of Life.
  • The Effectiveness of Healthcare Teamwork in Patient-Centered Care.

Technology Dissertation Topics

  • An Investigation into the Ethical and Social Implications of AI Technologies.
  • The Impact of Cybersecurity Threats on Business and Society.
  • The Role of Blockchain Technology in the Future of Digital Transactions.
  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Digital Health Technologies on Patient Outcomes and Access to Care.
  • The Effectiveness of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Education and Training.
  • A Comparative Study of National Policies and International Agreements.
  • An Investigation into the Use of Data-Driven Decision Making.
  • The Impact of Social Media on Society and Culture: An Analysis of the Impacts of Platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.
  • The Effectiveness of User-Centered Design in Developing Technology Products.
  • The Future of Quantum Computing and its Potential Applications in Different Fields.

Geography & Politics Dissertation Topics

  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Environmental Policy and Global Climate Change.
  • An Analysis of Immigration and Refugee Settlement Patterns in Cities.
  • A Comparative Study of National Interests and Strategic Considerations.
  • A Review on The Intersection of Geography and Political Violence.
  • A Study of Different Approaches to Addressing Economic Disparities.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Resource Distribution and Political Power.
  • An Analysis of National Borders and Their Impacts on Migration, Trade, and Security.
  • An Investigation into the Use of Geospatial Technologies and Digital Mapping in Political Analysis.
  • A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Disaster Response and Preparedness.
  • An Analysis of the Use of Spatial Analysis and Geographical Information Systems in Policy Making.

Fashion & Media Dissertation Topics

  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Instagram, TikTok, and Other Platforms on Fashion Marketing and Consumption.
  • The Role of Fashion in Representing Diversity and Inclusivity in Media.
  • An Examination of the Influences of Celebrities on Fashion Trends and Consumer Behaviour.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Fashion, Power, and Identity.
  • Comparative research of Different Approaches to Ethical and Environmentally Conscious Fashion Production.
  • An Analysis of the Use of Photography in Fashion Communication.
  • A Breakdown of the Relationship Between Wearable Technologies and Fashion Trends.
  • The Effectiveness of Influencer Marketing in Fashion.
  • The Impact of Fashion and Media on Body Image.
  • A Study into the Use of Fashion as a Symbolic Representation of Political Messages and Movements.

Tourism Dissertation Topics

  • The Impact of Sustainable Tourism Practices on Local Communities.
  • An Investigation into the Use of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Tourism.
  • A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Marketing Tourism Destinations.
  • An Analysis of the Relationship Between Tourism Development and Political Power.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Tourism and Heritage Conservation.
  • A Research of Different Approaches to Tourism as a Driver of Economic Growth.
  • The Effectiveness of Tourism Policies in Addressing Overtourism: An Analysis of Different Approaches to Managing Tourist Crowds in Popular Destinations.
  • An Investigation into the Impacts of Platforms like Instagram and TikTok on Tourism Marketing and Consumption.
  • The Role of Tourism in Conflict and Post-Conflict Zones.
  • An Investigation into Emerging Trends and Innovations in Tourism.

Science & Engineering Dissertation Topics

  • An Investigation into the Use of Machine Learning and AI Techniques in Engineering Design and Optimisation.
  • The Impact of Renewable Energy Technologies on Sustainable Development: An Analysis of Different Approaches to Promoting Renewable Energy Sources.
  • An Investigation into Emerging Technologies and Innovations in Space Science and Engineering.
  • Study of Different Approaches to Green Building and Sustainable Architecture.
  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Biotechnology on Medical Diagnosis, Treatment, and Drug Development.
  • The Impact of Climate Change on Engineering Infrastructure: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Climate Change and Infrastructure Resilience.
  • The Effectiveness of Science Education Programs: A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Teaching Science in Schools.
  • A Research on the Use of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies in Engineering Applications.
  • An Investigation into Emerging Technologies and Innovations in Transportation Engineering.
  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Additive Manufacturing on Industrial Processes and Supply Chains.

Marketing Dissertation Topics

  • An Investigation into the Impacts of Influencer Marketing on Consumer Behaviour
  • An Analysis of the Use of Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in Marketing Strategies.
  • A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Targeted Marketing and Personalised Advertising.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Customer Experience and Consumer Loyalty.
  • An Analysis of the Use of Narrative Techniques in Brand Communications.
  • A Study of Different Approaches to Corporate Social Responsibility in Marketing.
  • An Investigation into the Impacts of Customer Advocacy and Word-of-Mouth Marketing.
  • A Research of the Use of Mobile Technologies in Marketing Communications.
  • A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Creating Immersive Brand Experiences.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Marketing Communications and Brand Reputation.

Management Dissertation Topics

  • A Research on the Impacts of Emotional Intelligence on Leadership Effectiveness
  • An Analysis of the Use of Digital Technologies in Business Management and Operations.
  • A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Building Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces.
  • The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Management.
  • An Analysis of the Use of AI and Machine Learning in Business Decision-Making and Strategy.
  • A Study of Different Approaches to Managing Organisational Knowledge.
  • An Investigation into the Relationship Between Organisational Culture and Performance.
  • An Analysis of the Impacts of Globalisation on International Business Operations and Management Practices.
  • A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Measuring and Evaluating Employee Performance.
  • The Role of Change Management in Organisational Transformation.

What You Get With Our Dissertation Topics Service

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When you order custom dissertation topics from Research, a subject expert suggests the most relevant ideas for you to choose from.

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We carefully select the most qualified writer for your topics’ order. This means you’ll only ever be paired with a writer who is an expert in your subject.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

Dissertation Topic Examples

Here are some dissertation topics examples for you so you know what you can expect from our experts when you order a free dissertation topic from Research Prospect

Topic 1: Management Quality and Control- Assessing the role of project length in the UK Construction sector.

Research Aim: The construction industry is one of the most significant contributors to the country’s economy. This study investigates the role of project length on management control and quality in the UK’s construction sector. Also, the research will analyse the connection between project length and quality control, considering the moderating impact of management quality control on a project’s success.

Topic 2: Investigating how the Tourism Industry has taken Green and Sustainable measures- A case study of UK

Research Aim: This study will investigate the various aspects of the UK tourism industry towards making green and sustainable measures for the environmental benefits. It will also look into the consumer’s perspective towards green tourism and its positive and negative impacts on the tourism industry and the tourists. It is also helping you develop a better understanding of the concept of a green environment and its influence on the tourism industry.

Topic 3: Assessing the role of Communication Strategies in Fashion Marketing- a case study of UK

Research Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of communication strategies in the world of UK fashion marketing. This will also give us an understanding of how new fashion remanufacturing should be communicated to the consumers. Focusing on how information and messages about the brands or products should be labelled to attract the audience.

Topic 4: Building demolition- Analyse the efficacy of destroying and ruining Big city structures and their impact on the traffic.

Research Aim: Many big cities around the world have demolished a vast number of buildings that were functional with new structures. It not only has an economic impact but also results in the loss of urban culture, harms the environment, cause pollution, and also worsen the traffic situation. This study will evaluate the merits of building demotion and will provide economic, technical and environmental input.

Topic 5: Assessing the relationship between Information Protection and Journalism, how does the Data Protection Act of 1998 affect the problem of people in Media Exposure?

Research Aim: This study will examine how the Data protection act of 1998 plays an important role in protecting information. This study will provide vital knowledge by collecting information from the directors’ of a few media associations. Discussions with media members can also help in gaining an understanding of the actual circumstances in which material obtained by journalism should be protected.

Topic 6: An investigation of the blockchain's application on the energy sector leading towards electricity production and e-mobility.

Research Aim: This study aims to investigate the applications of blockchain within the energy sector. This study will identify how blockchain can be used to produce electricity from the comfort of home. Moreover, this study aims to introduce the concept of e-mobility through blockchain, according to which blockchain can be used to share the car ride with the other commuters residing at nearby places. Another objective of this research is to develop a framework that could assess blockchain’s use for the consumers staying within a budget and letting them assess how much money they have been spending so far.

Topic 7: Increasing Bitcoin Privacy and Security- Assessing the Role and Implementation of Confidential Transactions.

Research Aim: A confidential transfer is a technology that allows users to protect their money values from the public using new crypto techniques. The study aims to determine if confidential transactions can provide secret, secure as well as financial privacy. As a result, it is crucial to examine the function of confidential transactions in order to ensure that no digital currency is lost or produced when a transaction occurs without disclosing the precise number of transfers.

Topic 8: An analysis of the novel waste management techniques- A case study of United Kingdom oil and gas sector.

Research Aim: This study analyses the novel waste management techniques and practices in the UK oil and gas sector. It will also identify the challenges facing the oil and gas sector in achieving sustainable management of all the waste from production. This study aims to determine different forms of E and P waste being generated and reduce harmful E and P waste by using technology, focusing on the policies made by the government regarding hazardous waste from the oil and gas industry.

Topic 9: Assessing the parental perceptions and attitude towards the adoption of healthy behaviour patterns to control obesity and overweight concerns in young children.

Research Aim: This study aims to analyse the parent’s perceptions and attitudes in relation to healthy behaviours practises to control obesity and overweight disorders in young children. It will also focus on the obstacles parents or caregivers experience when it comes to obesity control in young children.

Topic 10: What are the Environmental Impacts of Water Waste Treatment of Cement Industry in South Korea?

Research Aim: This study aims to find the environmental impacts of water waste treatment of the cement industry in South Korea. With the help of a comprehensive survey across the cement manufacturing companies in South Korea, this study will first scrutinize the entire waste treatment process in the cement industry in South Korea. Then it will analyze the impact of each step on the environment. And after analyzing find the environmental effects of the water waste treatment of the cement industry in South Korea, this study will recommend modern ways to reduce the adverse effects.

Topic 11: Politics in a Digital Age- Assessing the impact of Social Media on Public Participation and Political Campaigns.

Research Aim: This study aims to find how the public has utilised social media during elections or political campaigns. This study will also focus on the impact of social networking sites on popular participation in the electoral vote and political debate. This research study will also investigate the effects of new technologies and the digital era on media and political party campaigns and media activities during elections.

Topic 12: The influence of price and brand on consumer preference during an economic recession: A case of the clothing market in Greece

Research Aim: The research will aim to examine the impact of prices and brands on consumer buying behaviour during an economic recession in Greece’s clothing market. During an economic crisis, not all types of products suffer the same consequences. During a recession, people are more sensible in their buying decisions, and they frequently continue to choose known product brands that meet their demands. The study will look at the impact of the recession on consumer purchasing preferences, taking into account variations in spending on various apparel brands based on price.

Topic 13: An investigation of the reasons for the Merger's failure outcomes and acquisition of Islamic Banks in gulf countries.

Research Aim: It is also evident from various studies that most Islamic banks in the Gulf countries, which put their efforts into Mergers and acquisitions to other know and well-established banking sectors, encountered some severe failures. Therefore, this study aims to develop an understanding of failure outcomes for the Islamic banks while going towards Merger’s decision and acquisition with other well-known banks in the Gulf countries.

Topic 14: The Role of International Criminal Laws in Reducing Global Genocide

Research Aim: This study aims to find the role of international criminal laws in reducing global genocide. It will be an exploratory study identifying the explicit and implicit effects of international criminal laws on the worldwide genocide. It will analyse different incidents of international genocide and find out how international criminal laws played a positive role to reduce these incidents. Lastly, it will recommend possible changes in the international criminal laws to effectively mitigate global genocide. And it will be done by comparing criminal laws of world-leading powers to reduce genocide.

Topic 15: How do our genes influence our lifestyle and behavior?

Research Aim: Inherited genetic predispositions largely determine individual differences in intellectual ability, personality, and mental health. Behavior also displays indicators of genetic influence; for example, how somebody reacts to stressful circumstances reflects some genetic influence. This research aims to find the impact of genes on a person’s lifestyle and behavior. The study will also examine the ratio of people likely to be affected by genetics.

Topic 16: An assessment of the Influence of Parents' Divorce or Separation on Adolescent Children in terms of long-term psychological impact.

Research Aim: This study aims to investigate the level of traumas experienced by the children of divorced or separated parents. The principal aim of this study is to explore the long-term psychological impacts of parents’ divorce on the life of children regardless of their gender and age in terms of mental wellbeing, academic performance, and self-worth.

Topic 17: Russia-Israel relationship and its impact on Syria and the Middle East.

Research Aim: Russia and Israel share significant aspects of their strategic cultures. Both countries have a siege mentality and are led by a security-first mindset and a predominantly military view of authority. p Russia’s relationship with Israel has grown in importance in the context of Russia’s military operation in Syria. This study aims to examine the relations between Russia and Israel and how they have impacted Syria and the middle east—focusing on different policies, agreements, and military interventions.

Topic 18: Assessing the Role of Social Media in Raising Awareness about Environmental Issues- A case study of Snapchat.

Research Aim: The main aim of this study is to find the role of social media platforms in raising awareness about environmental issues. This study will focus on the social media app Snapchat which is currently very popular among the youth, and millions of people use Snapchat daily and send each other snaps. Furthermore, this study will focus on how this platform plays a vital role in spreading awareness regarding environmental issues.

Topic 19: Is Cybercrime a Threat to Banking Sector in Developing Countries? A Case Study of Banking Sector in Pakistan

Research Aim: This study aims to analyze the impact of cybercrime on the banking sector in developing countries. It will identify the possible threats faced by the banking sector due to increasing cybercrimes. These threats are related to the information security of the banks in developing countries. This research will be using Pakistan as a case study to find the threats posed by cybercrime to fragile banking. And after identifying the threats, the study will try to recommend possible solutions to ensure information security.

Topic 20: Examining Multi-dimension in facial emotion detection.

Research Aim: When it comes to communications, human expressions are extraordinary. Humans can identify it very easily and accurately. Getting the same outcome from a 3D machine is a difficult task. This is because of the present challenges in 3D face data scanning. This study will examine the facial emotion identification in humans using different multi-point for 3D face landmarks.

Why You Might Need Dissertation Topic and Proposal Help?

Submission of your dissertation is the crux of your academic life, and it starts by first cracking your dissertation topic. Refrain from plucking out a topic from thin air because that’s not how it works. Before you start your journey into the world of research, you need to do a bit of self-exploration. And by such, we don’t mean meditating over your dissertation ideas in your yoga class or during the soul cycle, if that’s what you would love to do.

It means taking the time to truly understand your academic goals, which may overlap with your professional goals. Maybe you’re thinking about becoming a leading expert/scholar in, let’s say…The Beatles (yes, there is an actual degree program, check out Liverpool Hope University) or professionally pursuing a career in the music industry. Then it would be best if you defined that goal before you jump into your dissertation.

For some students, a dissertation at the Master’s level lays the foundation for their PhD studies. For others, a dissertation may be the only requirement stopping them from achieving a graduate degree to improve their prospects in the job market. Whatever your academic or professional goal may be, it is essential to incorporate it into your dissertation proposal as it lays the foundation for the pursuance of your goals.

We genuinely hope by reading this, the task of making a dissertation topic no longer seems daunting, but instead rewarding. Now before you embark on your Herculean adventures of writing your dissertation always remember – this dissertation is you. It’s an accumulation of everything you studied so far and where your interests lie!

For sparking your creative side in developing an idea, you can always run through our dissertation samples to get an idea of how to go about writing your dissertation. Your topic should be an idea of what you are passionate about learning more about. As an academic researcher, you never stop learning. Therefore, you should always choose a topic that brings out your expertise and strength.

Remember: There is no need to go down the path of trying to impress your supervisor with some topic that is way beyond your comfort zone. You can still be impressed with your original idea that plays to your strengths.

That’s why you need to take the time out for some brainstorming and jotting down ideas that may randomly pop up in your head. If only you can see our writer’s desk, they have ideas written down on post-its, my desk calendar, all over random notebooks; it looks like the work of a madman, but it’s just the brainstorming process in action. And remember, throughout this time, your supervisor and those on your committee are your best friends from now until you make your final defence.

There is no conspiracy of trying to fail you and/or make your life miserable. Be sure to take the time and have a chat with your supervisor about your dissertation ideas. Talk to them about what outcomes you want to see from your research or how you would like to contribute to the academic literature present. Also, read, read, read, and read some more! These thousands of academic journals you have access to will help you in constructing a balanced dissertation topic. Read through what previously has been accomplished in your field of study and some limitations in current research. Also, these academics provide us with suggestions for further research in their body of work.

Dissertation Help

Now for some of you thinking: I’ve already done the deep dive into my inner soul but am still stuck and need dissertation topic help, well then look no further. If you are still struggling with your dissertation ideas ResearchProspect can help you every step of the way.

We’re a band of super nerds who are experts in their fields, from biochemistry to rococo art history and everything in between (and hold PhD degrees!). So if you are unsure about what topic to write about, you can stop Googling ‘how to find dissertation topic’ and start contacting our customer service reps. All you have to do is fill out a simple form online here on our website. We’ll get back to you with quotes within 30 minutes. Once you place the order, our super-nerd writer will start working on your dissertation immediately once you’ve made the necessary payment transactions. And like magic, your dissertation, along with a free plagiarism report, will be in your email address well before your deadline. It would be best to get some colour back in your face knowing that you have unlimited options in developing a first-class dissertation. So buckle up and enjoy the ride. It’s going to come with lots of ups and downs, but in the end, it will have a reward most worth it!

How To Choose The Best Dissertation Topic

It can be a demanding task for many students to choose a suitable topic for their dissertation. These tips will help you choose the best dissertation topic.

  • Start by identifying areas of study that you find interesting and exciting. You should consider the topic you have enjoyed studying and think about how to apply that knowledge to a new research project.
  • Conduct a literature review of your chosen field of study to identify gaps in knowledge or areas that require further research. Try looking for topics that are currently trending and in demand in your field of study.
  • Consult with your advisor to get their opinion on potential research topics. They can suggest areas of study that have not been explored or provide insight into what is currently being researched in your field.
  • Narrow your focus to a specific area of study or research question. A well-defined topic will make your research more manageable and focused.
  • Consider the feasibility of your topic regarding the availability of resources, access to data, and the time frame for completion.
  • Brainstorm a list of potential topics and evaluate each based on feasibility, relevance, and interests.
  • Once you have identified potential topics, test them by conducting preliminary research to determine the data availability and the research project’s feasibility.

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Why is a Dissertation Topic Outline or a Proposal Important?

A dissertation topic outline plan or a research proposal sets the stage for your dissertation project. It provides the necessary framework for you to conduct your research and write an authentic paper that will add value to your area of study. A dissertation outline provides topic background information, a justification of your choice of topic, the hypothesis you are testing, your proposed methodology and a brief literature review. It ends with a project timeline and a list of references. To be honest, that is what you need to get started with your dissertation.

In creating a worthy research topic, it is important to be manageable, interesting, and add value to the body of knowledge in its respective field. To help students narrow their search for a research topic, ResearchProspect writers have brainstormed new dissertation topics that are innovative and relevant to the current body of knowledge available and can aid in the brainstorming process.

Our band of super nerds have designed the latest dissertation topics across a variety of subjects that are intriguing and look to fill research gaps present in their respective academic literature. These free dissertation topics are great for starting the process of writing your dissertation , thesis or proposal . So take a breather, ResearchProspects has got you covered with our dissertation writing services.

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The Importance Of Dissertation Topics

Dissertation topics are of utmost importance in academic research because they can greatly impact the quality of research and the project’s ultimate success. Coming up with the right ideas for dissertation topics can be complicated for a few students. Here are some reasons why choosing the right dissertation title is significant for your research:

  • Sets the tone for the research: Your dissertation topic is the starting point for your research project. It sets the tone for the entire research and determines the scope and direction of the study.
  • Demonstrates knowledge and expertise: A good dissertation topic also helps demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in your particular study area. It is an opportunity to showcase your mastery of the topic and your ability to engage in independent research.
  • Significance: The right dissertation topic is significant and relevant in the field of study. It addresses a knowledge gap or a research question that has not been adequately answered.
  • Feasibility: The topic should be feasible and realistic. It should be possible to conduct research on the chosen topic within the given time frame and with resources.
  • Interest and motivation: The dissertation topic should interest the student and motivate them to conduct the research. This will make the research process more enjoyable and increase the likelihood of success.

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Defining thesis topics for undergraduate students

thesis topics in undergraduate

Depending on the requirements of your institution, undergraduate students may need a thesis to graduate. In some institutions, the thesis is optional, and students can chose between an exam or a thesis.

If you are a new university professor, you may give overly ambitious topics to your undergraduate thesis students. Try to place yourself in their shoes before you try to simply plug a student in one of your research projects. While I do think including undergraduate these students in research projects can be very beneficial (for the project as well as for the student), you cannot simply shove off part of your research to an undergraduate student.

I have, by now, directed a number of undergraduate thesis projects at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (12 students have graduated under my supervision), and I can share my best advice with you here on how to define  a good thesis topic  for an undergraduate student.

1. Case study

Given the short duration of an undergraduate thesis, a case study can be an excellent topic for a thesis. If your student is  planning to go to the industry  after graduation, then a case study may serve his/her needs more than a research topic. You can identify a case that fits within your current research projects to keep the outcome related to your work, but it's not a must. Again, not every student should do / wants to do / needs to do a research project for their undergraduate thesis.

2. Well-defined research project

If you do want to venture into research with an undergraduate student, and you have talked through the options very well and clearly with your student, then you may find yourself in a enjoyable position. Nothing makes me as happy as seeing how students get a first taste of research when working on their undergraduate thesis. And for some students who continue in research, they may also have forever fond memories of working on research with you for the first time in their life.

So, if your students decides to take on a research-related topic for the undergraduate thesis, then you should keep in mind that the research question should be limited. When you come fresh out of your postdoc, give your student a research topic that does not require much additional skills beyond what he/she has learned so far, and work that you could finish in about 1 month if your student has a year to work on the undergraduate thesis.

3. Consider planning

Depending on your institution, the time period available for the undergraduate thesis project ranges between a few weeks and a year. Make sure you know the requirements well before you talk with your student about your planning. Know when your student will be defending (if there is a defense), and when preliminary and final documents need to be submitted.

Then, invite your student to identify the required tasks during the thesis period, and to make a planning. When he/she has a draft list of tasks and planning, sit together, and discuss the options and feasibility of the planning -  your student does not know how to plan research yet.

4. Start writing early

As the undergraduate thesis report may be one of the first pieces of academic writing of your student, make sure he/she starts writing early. Request document at the beginning of the second half of the time period for the research, and give constructive feedback to the work of your student and his/her writing. Of course, you should already have a good idea of the work itself (I meet weekly for 30' with my thesis students to discuss progress), but it is in writing that certain things may capture your attention, and where you may find parts of the work that need strengthening.

5. Involve students in research before the final semester

If your institution only gives one semester or quarter for the undergraduate research project, you can invite students to work with you on a research-related topic already before the final semester. For some of the more extensive projects that I have worked on with my students, I have worked with them for up to 1,5 years. I invite them to see if they are interested in research in the first place, and if so, I try to work with them for a slightly longer amount of time. My goal here is not to overload students in terms of workload, but if we want to do experimental work, for example, the time it takes to import instrumentation is often very long, so that experiments are simply not an option for a 1-semester project. If we start to work earlier, we may be able to do something fun in the lab.

6. Consider their career plans

I've mentioned this advice already before:  always talk with your student about their interests and their career plans . Our work as university professors is not to have a battalion of minions doing our research work for us. Our work is to guide young people on their career path: finding their interest and helping them sort out what they want to do after graduation. Don't limit your possible topics to elements of your research. Try to broaden your horizon and open up to a larger variety of topics.

7. Publishing?

I have published with my undergraduate students: conference papers, and I have a few papers in review of which the first author is a former undergraduate student. Publishing certainly is not a must. But if your student is interested in continuing studies after the undergrad years, then why not? Again, make sure your student understands the expectation and the extra workload this implies. And on your side, make sure you understand that you will need to teach your students how to write a paper. If both are clear on the expectations, then you can discuss if you should pursue this option.

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134 Economics Thesis Topics: Ideas for Outstanding Writing

thesis topics in undergraduate

Writing a thesis is not an easy task. For most of the students, it can be even intimidating, especially when you do not know where to start your research.

Here, we have provided an economics thesis topics list. After all, everyone knows that choosing the right idea is crucial when writing an academic paper. In economics, it can combine history, math, social studies, politics, and numerous other subjects. You should also have solid foundations and a sound factual basis for a thesis. Without these elements, you won’t be able to master your research paper.

The issue is:

It is not always clear what could be seen as an excellent economics thesis topic. Our experts can assist you with this challenge. This list contains some outstanding examples to get you started.

  • ⭐ Thesis in Economics
  • 🔥 Supreme Thesis Topics
  • 👍 Bachelor’s Thesis
  • 😲 Master’s Thesis

📊 Microeconomics

📈 macroeconomics.

  • 🤔 Developmental
  • 👨‍💼 Behavioral
  • 💼 Financial
  • 🌱 Agricultural
  • 🤝‍ Sociology
  • 📚 Ph.D. Topics
  • 📝 How to Pick a Topic

⭐ What Does a Thesis in Economics Look Like?

A good thesis in economics is a blend between an empirical paper and a theoretical one. One of the essential steps in choosing a topic in economics is to decide which one you will write.

You may write, research, analyze statistical data and other information. Or build and study a specific economic model.

Or why not both!

Here are some questions you can ask when deciding what topic to choose:

  • What has already been written on this topic?
  • What economic variables will my paper study?
  • Where should I look for the data?
  • What econometrics techniques should I use?
  • What type of model will I study?

The best way to understand what type of research you have to do is to write a thesis proposal. You will most probably be required to submit it anyway. Your thesis supervisor will examine your ideas, methods, list of secondary and primary sources. At some universities, the proposal will be graded.

Master’s thesis and Bachelor’s thesis have three main differences.

After you get the initial feedback, you will have a clear idea of what to adjust before writing your thesis. Only then, you’ll be able to start.

🔥 Supreme Economics Thesis Topics List

  • Fast fashion in India.
  • The UK housing prices.
  • Brexit and European trade.
  • Behavioral economics.
  • Healthcare macroeconomics.
  • COVID-19’s economic impact.
  • Global gender wage gap.
  • Commodity dependence in Africa.
  • International trade – developing countries.
  • Climate change and business development.

👍 Economics Bachelor’s Thesis Topics

At the U.S. Universities, an undergraduate thesis is very uncommon. However, it depends on the Department Policy.

The biggest challenge with the Bachelor’s Thesis in economics concerns its originality. Even though you are not required to conduct entirely unique research, you have to lack redundant ideas.

You can easily avoid making this mistake by simply choosing one of these topics. Also, consider visiting IvyPanda essays database. It’s a perfect palce to conduct a brainstorming session and come up with fresh ideas for a paper, as well as get tons of inspiration.

  • The impact of the oil industry on the economic development of Nigeria. The oil industry is vital for the economic development of Nigeria. In this thesis, students can discuss the notion of the resource curse. Analyze the reasons why general people are not benefiting from the oil industry. Why did it produce very little change in the social and economic growth of the country?
  • Sports Marketing and Advertising: the impact it has on the consumers.
  • Economic opportunities and challenges of investing in Kenya .
  • Economic Development in the Tourism Industry in Africa. Since the early 1990s, tourism significantly contributed to the economic growth of African countries. In this thesis, students can talk about the characteristics of the tourist sector in Africa. Or elaborate on specific countries and how their national development plans look like.
  • Globalization and its significance to business worldwide .
  • Economic risks connected to investing in Turkey .
  • The decline in employment rates as the biggest American economy challenge .
  • The economics of alcohol abuse problems. In this thesis, students can develop several essential issues. First, they can examine how poverty is connected to alcohol abuse. Second, they can see the link between alcohol consumption and productivity. To sum up, students can elaborate on the economic costs of alcohol abuse.
  • Causes and solutions for unemployment in Great Britain.
  • Parallel perspective on Global Economic Order: China and America. This thesis can bring a comparative analysis of the economies to a new level. China and The US are the world’s two largest economies. These two countries have a significant impact on the global economic order. So, looking at the set of institutions, policies, rules can be constructive.
  • The new international economic order after COVID-19
  • Financial stability of the banking sector in China.
  • New Electronic Payment Services in Russia.
  • The influence of culture on different entrepreneurial behaviors.
  • The impact of natural cultural practices on entrepreneurial activity.
  • The relationships between national culture and individual behavior.
  • The main reasons for salary inequalities in different parts of the U.S.

😲 Economics Master’s Thesis Topics

Student life can be fascinating, but it comes with its challenges. One of which is selecting your Master’s thesis topic.

Here is a list of topics for a Master’s thesis in economics. Are you pursuing MPhil in Economics and writing a thesis? Use the following ideas as an inspiration for that. They can also be helpful if you are working on a Master’s thesis in financial economics.

  • The impact of visual aid in teaching home economics.
  • The effect of income changes in consumer behaviors in America.
  • Forces behind socio-economic inequalities in the United States. This thesis can explore three critical factors for socio-economic differences in the United States. In the past 30 years, social disparities increased in the United States. Some of the main reasons are technology, trade, and institutions.
  • The relationships between economic growth and international development.
  • Technological innovations and their influence on green and environmental products.
  • The economics of non-solar renewable energy .

Renewable energy is beneficial for various economic reasons.

  • The economic consequences of terrorism . Terrorism not only takes away lives and destroys property but also widely affects the economy. It creates uncertainty in the market, increases insurance claims, slows down investment projects, and tourism. This thesis can address all of the ways in which terrorism can affect economies.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation in the Oil and Gas Industry in Africa.
  • Use of incentives in behavioral economics.
  • Economic opportunities and challenges of sustainable communities .
  • Economics of nuclear power plants.
  • Aid and financial help for emerging markets. This topic is very versatile. Students can look at both the positive and the adverse effects that funding has on the development. There are plenty of excellent examples. Besides, some theories call international help a form of neocolonialism.
  • Multinational firms impact on economic growth in America .
  • The effect of natural disasters on economic development in Asia.
  • The influence of globalization on emerging markets and economic development.

📑 More Economics Thesis Topics: Theme

For some students, it makes more sense to center their search around a certain subject. Sometimes you have an econ area that interests you. You may have an idea about what you want to write, but you did not decide what it will be.

If that’s the case with you, then these economics thesis topics ideas are for you.

  • An analysis of the energy market in Russia.
  • The impact of game theory on economic development.
  • The connection between minimum wage and market equilibrium.
  • Gender differences in the labor market in the United States. This topic can shed light on gender differences in the labor market in the United States. In the past years, the overall inequality in labor in the markets decreased. However, there is still a lot of work that can be done.
  • Economic reasons that influence the prices of oil .
  • Relationship between the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient.
  • Challenges of small businesses in the market economy.
  • The changes in oil prices: causes and solutions . Universal economic principles do not always apply to the sale and purchase of the oil. The same happens with its cost. In the thesis, talk about what affects the prices. What are the solutions that can be implemented?
  • The economic analysis of the impact of immigration on the American economy.

Immigration has a little long-run effect on Americans’ wages.

  • Economic inequality as a result of globalization . Economic inequality becomes even more apparent on the global level. There is a common belief that globalization is the cause of that. Discuss what can be the solutions to these problems. This topic is vital to minimize the gap between the rich and the poor.
  • The economic explanation of political dishonesty .
  • Effect of Increasing Interest rates costs in Africa .
  • The connection between game theory and microeconomics.
  • Marketing uses in microeconomics.
  • Financial liability in human-made environmental disasters.
  • Banks and their role in the economy. Banks are crucial elements of any economy, and this topic covers why. You can explain how banks allow the goods and services to be exchanged. Talk about why banks are so essential for economic growth and stability.
  • Inflation in the US and ways to reduce its impact.
  • The connection between politics and economics.
  • Income Dynamics and demographic economics.
  • US Market Liquidity and macroeconomics.
  • Macroeconomics and self-correction of the economy .
  • The American economy, monetary policy, and monopolies .
  • The importance of control in macroeconomics. One of the central topics in macroeconomics is grouped around the issue of control. It is quite reasonable that control over money and resources should become a topic of discussion.
  • Analysis of Africa’s macroeconomics and its performance.
  • Economics of education in developing markets.
  • Problems and possible solutions for Japan macroeconomics .
  • Comparative analysis of British macroeconomics concerning the US .
  • Public policies and socio-economic disparities.
  • The world problems through macroeconomic analysis. Indeed, macroeconomics is very complicated. There are many influences, details, and intricacies in it. However, it allows economists to use this complex set of tools to examine the world’s leading problems today.

There are four main problems in macroeconomics.

  • The connection between employment interest and money.

🤔 Development Economics

  • Economics of development . This topic is very rich in content. First, explain what it is. Then pay particular attention to domestic and international policies that affect development, income distribution, and economic growth.
  • The relation between development and incentive for migration.
  • The impact of natural disasters on the economy and political stability of emerging markets.
  • The economic consequences of population growth in developing countries.
  • The role of industrialization in developing countries . The industrialization has been connected with the development. It promotes capital formation and catalyzes economic growth in emerging markets. In this thesis, you can talk about this correlation.
  • Latin American economic development.
  • Gender inequality and socio-economic development .
  • Problems of tax and taxation in connection with economic growth.
  • The economic impact of terrorism on developing markets.
  • Religious decline as a key to economic development. Not everyone knows, but a lot of research has been done in the past years on the topic. It argues that decreased religious activity is connected with increased economic growth. This topic is quite controversial. Students who decide to write about it should be extra careful and polite.

👨‍💼 Behavioral Economics

  • Risk Preferences in Rural South Africa.
  • Behavioral Economics and Finance .
  • Applied behavioral economics in marketing strategies. If you want to focus your attention on marketing, this topic is for you. Behavioral economics provides a peculiar lens to look at marketing strategies. It allows marketers to identify common behaviors and adapt their marketing strategies.
  • The impact of behavioral finance on investment decisions.
  • Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs in North Texas.
  • Guidelines for Behavioral Economics in Healthcare Sector.
  • Cognitive and behavioral theories in economics .
  • Cross-cultural consumer behavior and marketing communication. Consumers are not only affected by personal characteristics, but also by the culture they are living in. This topic focuses on the extent it should determine marketing strategy and communication.
  • Behavior implications of wealth and inequality.

The richest population holds a huge portion of the national income.

  • Optimism and pessimism for future behavior.

💼 Financial Economics

  • Financial Economics for Infrastructure and Fiscal Policy .
  • The use of the economic concept of human capital. Students can focus on the dichotomy between human and nonhuman capital. Many economists believe that human capital is the most crucial of all. Some approach this issue differently. Therefore, students should do their research and find where they stand on this issue.
  • The analysis of the global financial crisis of 2020s. Share your thoughts, predictions, ideas. Analyze the economic situation that affects almost everyone in the world. This thesis topic will be fresh and original. It can help to start a good and fruitful conversation.
  • The big data economic challenges for Volvo car.
  • The connection between finance, economics, and accounting.
  • Financial economics: Banks competition in the UK .
  • Risk-Taking by mutual funds as a response to incentives.
  • Managerial economics and financial accounting as a basis for business decisions.
  • Stock market overreaction.

🌱 Agricultural Economics

  • Agricultural economics and agribusiness.
  • The vulnerability of agricultural business in African countries.
  • Agricultural economics and environmental considerations of biofuels .
  • Farmer’s contribution to agricultural social capital.
  • Agricultural and resource economics. Agricultural and resource economics plays a huge role in development. They are subdivided into four main characteristics which in this topic, students can talk about: – mineral and energy resources; – soil resources, water resources; – biological resources. One or even all of them can be a focus of the thesis.
  • Water as an economic good in irrigated agriculture.
  • Agriculture in the economic development of Iran.
  • The US Agricultural Food Policy and Production .
  • Pesticides usage on agricultural products in California.

The region of greatest pesticide use was San Joaquin Valley.

  • An analysis of economic efficiency in agriculture. A lot of research has been done on the question of economic efficiency in agriculture. However, it does not mean there is no place for your study. You have to read a lot of secondary sources to see where your arguments can fit.

🤝‍Economic Sociology

  • Theory, approach, and method in economics sociology.
  • Economic sociology of capitalism. While economists believe in the positive effect capitalism has on the economy, the social effect is quite different. The “economic” part of the issue has been studied a lot. However, the sociology of it has been not. This thesis can be very intriguing to read.
  • Political Economy and Economic Sociology.
  • Gender and economic sociology .
  • Progress, sociology, and economics.
  • Data analysis in economics, sociology, environment .
  • Economic sociology as a way to understand the human mind.
  • Economic sociology of money.
  • Economics, sociology, and psychology of security.
  • Major principles of economic sociology. In the past decade, economic sociology became an increasingly popular field. Mainly due to it giving a new view on economics, human mind, and behavior. Besides, it explores relationships between politics, law, culture, and gender.

📚 The List of Ph.D. Topics in Economics

If you decide to go to grad school to do your Masters, you will likely end up getting a Ph.D. as well. So, with this plan in mind, think about a field that interests you enough during your Masters. Working with the same topic for both graduate degrees is easier and more effective.

This list of Ph.D. Topics in Economics can help you identify the areas you can work on.

  • Occupational injuries in Pakistan and its effect on the economy. Injuries are the leading cause of the global burden of disability. Globally, Pakistan was ranked 9th populated country with a large number of unskilled workers. In this dissertation, consider the link between occupational injuries and their effects on the economy.
  • The study of the Philippines’ economic development.

The Philippine economy is projected to continue on its expansionary path.

  • Financial derivatives and climate change .
  • Econometric Analysis of Financial Markets.
  • Islamic Banking and Financial Markets .
  • Health economics and policy in the UK.
  • Health insurance: rationale and economic justification. In this dissertation, students can find different ways to explain and justify health insurance. Starting to philosophical to purely economic grounds. In the past years, there was a lot of discussion regarding the healthcare system for all. What are some of the economic benefits of that?
  • Colombian economy, economic growth, and inequality.
  • Benefits of mergers and acquisitions in agribusiness.
  • Methods to measure financial risks when investing in Africa.
  • The significance of financial economics in understanding the relationship between a country’s GDP and NDP.
  • Network effects in cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrencies are not new anymore. However, it is still an original subject for a dissertation. Students can decide to choose several crypto coins and evaluate the importance of the network effect. This effect is particularly significant for Bitcoin. Explain why.
  • The comparison of the Chinese growth model with the American growth model.
  • An economic justification versus political expediency.
  • Pollution Externalities Role in Management Economics .

📝 How to Select an Economics Thesis Topic

As your academic journey is coming to an end, it’s time to pick the right topic for your thesis. The whole academic life you were preparing to undertake this challenge.

Here is the list of six points that will help you to select an economics thesis topic:

  • Make sure it is something you are genuinely interested in. It is incredibly challenging to write something engaging if you are not interested in the topic. So, choose wisely and chose what excites you.
  • Draw inspiration from the previous student’s projects. A great place to start is by looking at what the previous students wrote. You can find some fresh ideas and a general direction.
  • Ask your thesis advisor for his feedback. Most probably, your thesis advisor supervised many students before. They can be a great help too because they know how to assess papers. Before meeting with your professor, do some basic research, and understand what topic is about.
  • Be original, but not too much. You do not want to spend your time writing about a project that many people wrote about. Your readers will not be interested in reading it, but your professors as well. However, make sure you do not pick anything too obscure. It will leave you with no secondary sources.
  • Choose a narrow and specific topic. Not only will it allow you to be more original, but also to master a topic. When the issue is too broad, there is just too much information to cover in one thesis.
  • Go interdisciplinary. If you find yourself interested in history, philosophy, or any other related topic, it can help you write an exceptional thesis in economics. Most of your peers may work on pure economics. Then, the interdisciplinary approach can help you to stand out among them.

Some universities ask their students to focus on topics from one discipline.

Thank you for reading the article to the end! We hope this list of economics thesis topics ideas could help you to gather your thoughts and get inspired. Share it with those who may find it useful. Let us know what you think about it in the comment section below.

🔗 References

  • Economics Thesis Topics List: Seminars Only
  • How To Pick A Topic For Your Economics Research Project Or Master’s Thesis: INOMICS, The Site for Economists
  • What Do Theses and Dissertations Look Like: KU Writing Center, the University of Kansas
  • Writing Economics: Robert Neugeboren with Mireille Jacobson, University of Harvard
  • Economics Ph.D. Theses: Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School, IDEAS_RePEc
  • World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018: United Nations
  • Undergraduate Honors Theses: Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley
  • Economics Department Dissertations Collection: Economics Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Topics for Master Theses: Department of Economics, NHH, Norwegian School of Economics
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The dilemma I faced in getting Thesis proposal for my M Phil programme is taken away. Your article would be a useful guide to many more students.Thank you for your guidance.

Thanks for the feedback, John! Your opinion is very important for us!

I wants it for msc thesis

These are very helpful and concise research topics which I have spent days surfing the internet to get all this while. Thanks for making research life experience easier for me. Keep this good work up.

Thank you, Idris!

Glad to hear that! Thank you for your feedback, Idris!

Excellent research

For research

A very well written, clear and easy-to-read article. It was highly helpful. Thank you!

Thanks for your kind words! We look forward to seeing you again!

Suggestions or feedback?

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New major crosses disciplines to address climate change

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Lauren Aguilar knew she wanted to study energy systems at MIT, but before Course 1-12 (Climate System Science and Engineering) became a new undergraduate major, she didn't see an obvious path to study the systems aspects of energy, policy, and climate associated with the energy transition.

Aguilar was drawn to the new major that was jointly launched by the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) in 2023. She could take engineering systems classes and gain knowledge in climate.

“Having climate knowledge enriches my understanding of how to build reliable and resilient energy systems for climate change mitigation. Understanding upon what scale we can forecast and predict climate change is crucial to build the appropriate level of energy infrastructure,” says Aguilar.

The interdisciplinary structure of the 1-12 major has students engaging with and learning from professors in different disciplines across the Institute. The blended major was designed to provide a foundational understanding of the Earth system and engineering principles — as well as an understanding of human and institutional behavior as it relates to the climate challenge . Students learn the fundamental sciences through subjects like an atmospheric chemistry class focused on the global carbon cycle or a physics class on low-carbon energy systems. The major also covers topics in data science and machine learning as they relate to forecasting climate risks and building resilience, in addition to policy, economics, and environmental justice studies.

Junior Ananda Figueiredo was one of the first students to declare the 1-12 major. Her decision to change majors stemmed from a motivation to improve people’s lives, especially when it comes to equality. “I like to look at things from a systems perspective, and climate change is such a complicated issue connected to many different pieces of our society,” says Figueiredo.

A multifaceted field of study

The 1-12 major prepares students with the necessary foundational expertise across disciplines to confront climate change. Andrew Babbin, an academic advisor in the new degree program and the Cecil and Ida Green Career Development Associate Professor in EAPS, says the new major harnesses rigorous training encompassing science, engineering, and policy to design and execute a way forward for society.

Within its first year, Course 1-12 has attracted students with a diverse set of interests, ranging from machine learning for sustainability to nature-based solutions for carbon management to developing the next renewable energy technology and integrating it into the power system.

Academic advisor Michael Howland, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says the best part of this degree is the students, and the enthusiasm and optimism they bring to the climate challenge.

“We have students seeking to impact policy and students double-majoring in computer science. For this generation, climate change is a challenge for today, not for the future. Their actions inside and outside the classroom speak to the urgency of the challenge and the promise that we can solve it,” Howland says.

The degree program also leaves plenty of space for students to develop and follow their interests. Sophomore Katherine Kempff began this spring semester as a 1-12 major interested in sustainability and renewable energy. Kempff was worried she wouldn’t be able to finish 1-12 once she made the switch to a different set of classes, but Howland assured her there would be no problems, based on the structure of 1-12.

“I really like how flexible 1-12 is. There's a lot of classes that satisfy the requirements, and you are not pigeonholed. I feel like I'm going to be able to do what I'm interested in, rather than just following a set path of a major,” says Kempff.

Kempff is leveraging her skills she developed this semester and exploring different career interests. She is interviewing for sustainability and energy-sector internships in Boston and MIT this summer, and is particularly interested in assisting MIT in meeting its new sustainability goals.

Engineering a sustainable future

The new major dovetail’s MIT’s commitment to address climate change with its steps in prioritizing and enhancing climate education. As the Institute continues making strides to accelerate solutions, students can play a leading role in changing the future.   

“Climate awareness is critical to all MIT students, most of whom will face the consequences of the projection models for the end of the century,” says Babbin. “One-12 will be a focal point of the climate education mission to train the brightest and most creative students to engineer a better world and understand the complex science necessary to design and verify any solutions they invent."

Justin Cole, who transferred to MIT in January from the University of Colorado, served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years. Over the course of his service, he had a front row seat to the changing climate. From helping with the wildfire cleanup in Black Forest, Colorado — after the state's most destructive fire at the time — to witnessing two category 5 typhoons in Japan in 2018, Cole's experiences of these natural disasters impressed upon him that climate security was a prerequisite to international security. 

Cole was recently accepted into the  MIT Energy and Climate Club  Launchpad initiative where he will work to solve real-world climate and energy problems with professionals in industry.

“All of the dots are connecting so far in my classes, and all the hopes that I have for studying the climate crisis and the solutions to it at MIT are coming true,” says Cole.

With a career path that is increasingly growing, there is a rising demand for scientists and engineers who have both deep knowledge of environmental and climate systems and expertise in methods for climate change mitigation.

“Climate science must be coupled with climate solutions. As we experience worsening climate change, the environmental system will increasingly behave in new ways that we haven’t seen in the past,” says Howland. “Solutions to climate change must go beyond good engineering of small-scale components. We need to ensure that our system-scale solutions are maximally effective in reducing climate change, but are also resilient to climate change. And there is no time to waste,” he says.

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  • Course 1-12: Climate System Science and Engineering
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IMAGES

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  1. Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples

    Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on July 18, 2023. It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation.One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer's block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.

  2. 1000+ Research Topics & Research Title Examples For Students

    1000+ FREE Research Topics & Title Ideas. If you're at the start of your research journey and are trying to figure out which research topic you want to focus on, you've come to the right place. Select your area of interest below to view a comprehensive collection of potential research ideas. AI & Machine Learning. Blockchain & Cryptocurrency.

  3. How to come up with a topic for your thesis

    Thesis topic quick guide. Find a topic by considering specific debates or discussions that interest you. Choose a topic based on phenomenon, point of view, and context. Consider the relevance of your topic in relation to job market realities. Ask your supervisor for help and guidance, as needed.

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    Suggested Undergraduate Research Topics . How to Contact Faculty for IW/Thesis Advising. Send the professor an e-mail. When you write a professor, be clear that you want a meeting regarding a senior thesis or one-on-one IW project, and briefly describe the topic or idea that you want to work on.

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    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.

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  7. Thesis

    Thesis. Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic. Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore ...

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  9. How to choose a thesis topic

    Select a manageable topic. Use the expertise you have gained in you study and avoid exploring a completely new idea. Do your research and find a topic that fits into existing bodies of literature, but that builds upon theory and expands it. In doing so make sure this topic has not been done before. Finally; think carefully before you choose a ...

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    The search for a thesis topic is a time for self-examination. Look over your past work at Harvard and find the themes that run through the choices you have made. Indeed, each time you have made a decision about what course to take, what book or article to read, or what paper topic to pursue, you have left a

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    Thesis Topics for College Students. Exploring the psychological effects of student loan debt on college graduates. The challenges and opportunities of globalization. The role of education and social mobility in reducing inequality. The impact of immigration on the economy and society. The potential of new technologies to improve healthcare ...

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    1. Case study. Given the short duration of an undergraduate thesis, a case study can be an excellent topic for a thesis. If your student is planning to go to the industry after graduation, then a case study may serve his/her needs more than a research topic. You can identify a case that fits within your current research projects to keep the ...

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    The economics of alcohol abuse problems. In this thesis, students can develop several essential issues. First, they can examine how poverty is connected to alcohol abuse. Second, they can see the link between alcohol consumption and productivity. To sum up, students can elaborate on the economic costs of alcohol abuse.

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