Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Does my History undergraduate dissertation have to be something I want to pursue.....

for my Masters degree? I really like several topic areas and don't want to be confined to my undergrad dissertation topic.

Thank you! :smile:

Reply 1

Klix88

It would be helpful, as it would give you a research track record in your Masters subject. However it isn't vital. You can use your undergrad diss to "try out" one area of research and it would be perfectly acceptable to discover that you don't want to take it further.

Reply 2

beautifulbigmacs

You'll never be confined to a topic just because you write about it for dissertation.

In terms of masters degree applications, you can express and justify your areas of interest without having to have written your previous dissertation in line with that.

Write a dissertation on something because you want to rather than because you feel you have to; you're going to be dealing with the subject matter for a good few months at minimum. Also think about the mileage of the project in terms of how much literature there is out there for when it comes to your literature review.

But as for whether your dissertation topic will colour your masters opportunities, I'd suggest that it would not be influential to the extent that it could make or break a masters course application.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 3

gutenberg

I wrote my History undergraduate dissertation topic on something completely different to what I wrote my Master's (and now, my PhD) on. No one had any problem with it- in fact, I think many people thought it was good that I had in-depth knowledge of another topic. People also recognise that often students have to choose topics relatively early (at the end of second year for example) and ultimately what they choose may not end up reflecting their true interests, especially if they take a much-loved course in third year. My Master's thesis arose from a course I took in my final year of undergrad. But when I had to choose my dissertation topic, I hadn't even taken that course yet so naturally it wouldn't have occurred to me to do that topic for my undergrad dissertation.

Reply 4

beautifulbigmacs

There's also the argument in favour of not wanting to write about a topic extensively more than once. I would really struggle to write a second piece of work on a similar topic. I'd worry I was repeating myself or getting confused with a previous project and omitting things from the second thinking I'd written them already even if I hadn't.

Reply 5

returnmigrant

I did a Politics undergrad degree, a Geography Masters and a History PhD.

Does that answer your question?

Reply 6

Nathanielle

At undergraduate level the aim is more to show that you know how to write scientifically than to get an indepth knowledge about one particular field. Hence it won't hinder you, just show that you are able to work properly and you are fine.