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Master Thesis or Master’s Thesis – Which Is Correct?

When an individual pursues a degree, they frequently have to produce a thesis, as part of the requirements to graduate. What is the correct form to talk about it? Should we say “Master Thesis” or “Master’s Thesis”?

We want to know the correct form and appropriate way to use it.

“Master’s Thesis”, with an apostrophe, is the correct and acceptable form because the idea behind this phrase is “the thesis of a master”. The meaning of the expression “Master’s Thesis” requires the appropriate use of the possessive form to complement it. Consequently, “Master Thesis” is incorrect and should be avoided.

Take a look at the examples below:

• Matthew has an unpublished master thesis. (incorrect)
• Matthew has an unpublished master’s thesis.
• Christina’s goal is to finish her master thesis by the end of the year. (incorrect)
• Christina’s goal is to finish her master’s thesis by the end of the year.

“Master Thesis” without the possessive form is incorrect and should never be used. For the proper meaning to be conveyed, it must be clear that the thesis belongs to a master. Consequently, the possessive form must be adequately present in the phrase.

“Master’s Thesis” is the complete, correct form we should use, in any circumstance, to talk about the thesis a graduate must prepare to meet the requirements to graduate.

Master Thesis

“Master Thesis” is a common incorrect form for the phrase “Master’s Thesis”. It’s a misspelling that lacks the apostrophe – which would be what indicates to whom the thesis belongs. It’s simply incorrect and incomplete, and should always be avoided.

Take a look at the examples below, that show “Master Thesis” being used incorrectly, followed by a corrected version of the same sentence:

• Have you completed your master thesis? (incorrect)
• Have you completed your master’s thesis?
• The master thesis turned out to be more difficult than I thought. (incorrect)
• The master’s thesis turned out to be more difficult than I thought.
• John feels like his master thesis is missing something. (incorrect)
• John feels like his master’s thesis is missing something.

“Master Thesis” is an incomplete form. It’s not an awful grammatical mistake, but it makes an immense difference in how a message sent by an expression is perceived.

“Master Thesis” is meant to indicate who’s the master of the thesis, and without the appropriate possessive form, it’s not possible to be accomplished. You should always avoid using “Master Thesis”.

Master’s Thesis

“Master’s Thesis”, with the apostrophe, is the correct form for this phrase. Because it contains the appropriate possessive form, it makes it clear to whom the thesis belongs. It’s complete and acceptable. You should always use this form to talk about any “Master’s Thesis”, in any scenario.

• What’s your master’s thesis on?
• The master’s thesis Howard defended was incredible.
• How long should a master’s thesis be?
• Claire’s master’s thesis was clear and concise.
• What are the guidelines for writing a master’s thesis?
• I need to choose what my master’s thesis will be about.

Masters Thesis

“Masters Thesis”, with an “s” after “Master” is just another incorrect form for the phrase “Master’s Thesis”. By adding the “s” without an apostrophe, this expression fails to indicate to whom the thesis belongs. It’s incorrect and should always be avoided.

Let’s go over some examples that show “Masters Thesis” being used incorrectly, followed by a corrected version of the same sentence:

• Jonathan’s masters thesis was messy. (incorrect)
• Jonathan’s master’s thesis was messy.
• Carolina’s masters thesis was perfect. (incorrect)
• Carolinas master’s thesis was perfect.
•  I asked the professor to review my masters thesis. (incorrect)
•  I asked the professor to review my master’s thesis.

“Masters Thesis”, just like “Master Thesis”, is incomplete. The lack of an apostrophe between “r” and “s” makes this phrase lose its purpose, which is to convey to who the thesis belongs. You should always avoid it.

Which Is Used the Most?

Which one of those forms is used more often, “Master Thesis”, “Masters Thesis”, or “Master’s thesis”? Take a look at the graph from Google Ngram Viewer below.

The correct form “Master’s Thesis”, with the appropriate possessive form, is the prevalent phrase, which people use more frequently.

The two incorrect phrases, which are “Master Thesis” and “Masters Thesis” are used much less and seem to be fighting for the lowest position on the graph. As you can see, they are very close together and have already swapped places at the bottom of the graph.

Always avoid using “Master Thesis” and “Masters Thesis”, because they are incorrect, unacceptable forms.

Final Thoughts

“Master’s Thesis” is an expression that means “the thesis of a master”. Because of the strong sense of belonging it presents, it’s important to use it with the correct possessive form, including an apostrophe. “Master’s Thesis” is the correct form. “Master Thesis” is incorrect and should always be avoided.

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List of Master´s Theses Topics

Dear students:

At the end of your studies you will have to write a thesis (master's thesis). To help you find a topic, you will find some general suggestions below, which you can modify or specify according to your interests.

• Sprachkontraste zwischen dem Deutschen und einer oder mehrerer anderer Sprachen: Sprachliche Unterschiede auf allen linguistischen Beschreibungsebenen (Phonetik/Phonologie, Wortschatz, Morphologie und Syntax, Text und Stilistik) und in allen sprachlichen Bereichen (gesprochene oder geschriebene Sprache, Standardsprache, Fachsprachen usw.).
• Analysen zu (deutschen und anderen) Fachsprachen: Qualitative und quantitative Analysen zu Fachsprachen aus verschiedenen horizontalen Bereichen, vertikalen Ebenen oder Textsorten (ggf. können solche Arbeiten an die Entwicklung und Auswertung eines fachsprachlichen Korpus an der Technischen Universität Berlin angeschlossen werden).
• Beurteilung und Entwicklung von Lehr‐/Lernmaterialien und ‐konzeptionen: Berücksichtigung von linguistischen, didaktischen, methodischen, politischen oder historischen Gesichtspunkten, darunter auch Fragen der Fachsprachenlinguistik und ‐didaktik, von Gender oder Landeskunde bzw. Inter‐/Transkulturalität.
• Reflexion von Sprache und Kultur in Kunst und Literatur: Thematisierung von Sprache sowie inter‐ bzw. transkultureller Erfahrungen in Filmen, Dramen, Romanen, Erzählungen, Gedichten, Liedern – Analyse und Interpretation unter systematischen oder historischen Gesichtspunkten (weiterer Teilbereich: Stereotypenforschung).
• Bedarfs‐ und Motivationsanalysen für Deutschen als (fachliche) Fremdsprache: Qualitative und quantitative Analysen von Materialien und Ordnungen, Fragebogenaktionen bei verschiedenen (sprachlichen oder fachlichen) Gruppen oder Sprachkompetenztests.
• Geschichte des Deutschen als fremder Sprache: Historische Untersuchungen zur Entstehung und Entwicklung, letztlich auch zur Zukunft von Deutsch als Fremd‐ oder Zweitsprache, ggf. als Tertiärsprache und als fachlicher Fremdsprache – auch im Vergleich zu anderen Fremdsprachen.
• Erforschung konzeptioneller und methodischer Grundlagen: Diskussion von Grundbegriffen neuer Modellierungen zentraler Konzepte (wie unter anderem Konzepte wie Fremdsprache, Landeskunde, Transkulturalität, Fachkommunikation, Optimierung usw.).
• Fragen der Landeskunde: Lehr‐ und Lerninhalte, Verhältnis zum Sprachunterricht, Wissen vs. Kompetenz, Inter‐ und Transkulturalität usw. AKTUELL: Sprachliche, berufliche und kulturelle Integration von Flüchtlingen und Asylsuchenden, Unterstützung der heimischen Bevölkerung.
• Individuelle Lernerfaktoren: Qualitative und quantitative Untersuchungen zum Einfluss und Zusammenspiel verschiedener Lernervariablen wie Motivation, Sprachlerneignung, Alter, Geschlecht, Lernstile und Persönlichkeitsfaktoren auf den Sprachlernerfolg (unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener Konstrukte und Operationalisierungen von ‚Lernerfolg‘).
• Testen          und        Evaluieren:        Zweckorientiertes           Erstellen              und        Bewerten            von        Test‐         und Aufgabenformaten zur Messung fremd‐ und fachsprachlicher Kompetenzen und Fertigkeiten (unter Bezug auf den Gemeinsamen europäischen Referenzrahmen), Varianten (kumulativer) Evaluation von Unterricht, etc.

Feel free to add more ideas to this small list of topics. So please do not hesitate to contact us with more ideas: Please contact the examiners in good time and remember that you have six months to write the master´s thesis after submitting the topic and that it must not exceed 80 pages. Please note that final theses can be handed in at the earliest after half of the processing time. This period begins with the deadline set by the Examinations Office. Early submission dates that deviate from this require a written request from the student stating the reasons and a statement from the first examiner. Early deadlines that differ from this require a written request from the student stating the reasons and an explanation from the primary examiner.

Master’s Theses at Our Chair (a selection)