master thesis oder master's thesis

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• Matthew has an unpublished master thesis.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• Matthew has an unpublished master’s thesis.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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Master Thesis or Master’s Thesis?

The correct term to refer to a thesis produced for a master’s degree is master’s thesis . E.g., “His master’s thesis focused on mosquito biting patterns.” The term master thesis is less common, and some regard it as incorrect. However, you can also interpret it as the primary thesis .

The correct grammatical version is master’s thesis . Furthermore, this version is far more common than the version without an apostrophe.

• I wrote a master’s thesis in less than a month

You need the apostrophe to show that the thesis belongs to the master in the same way you need the apostrophe to say that the student belongs to the master’s program when you write:

• Master’s student

Furthermore, you will see people using the term master thesis , which is incorrect if you want to say the thesis belongs to the student.

However, the problem with the term master thesis is that it can be grammatically correct , but only if you interpret the word master as an adjective describing the thesis .

Therefore, instead of being a thesis belonging to the master’s program , it becomes the master , as in main, primary, or principal.

• He wrote a master thesis on the social impacts of inflation.

Now you have learned the basics regarding the correct version of master’s thesis . Keep reading the rest of the page to learn more about how you can avoid making mistakes with master’s thesis and master thesis .

Master’s Thesis

The term master’s thesis is the correct version to state the thesis belongs to the master’s student.

To indicate possession of the thesis by the student, you need to include an apostrophe to create a singular possessive.

Take a look at these examples to see how to correctly use master’s thesis :

• Her master’s thesis helped her secure a job with the government.
• His master’s thesis focused on the impacts of climate change in coastal regions.
• She received high praise from her professors for the originality of her master’s thesis .
• The research he conducted for his master’s thesis was later published in a renowned scientific journal.
• After months of hard work, she finally submitted her master’s thesis to the university’s review committee.

Furthermore, you do not need to use a capital letter for master’s or thesis .

Master Thesis

The term master thesis is a little tricky because it can be correct and incorrect.

Firstly, to indicate that the thesis belongs to the master’s student , which is a noun, using master thesis is grammatically incorrect. You need to use the apostrophe in the sentence to indicate ownership.

However, although this is the case, some people still use the version without an apostrophe for the same purpose.

• Incorrect: She is presenting her master thesis this afternoon.
• Correct: She is presenting her master’s thesis this afternoon.

Secondly, if you interpret the word master as an adjective, then you could, in theory, say:

• She just finished writing a master thesis on pollution.

In the example above, you can interpret the word master as a synonym for primary.

Finally, if you write the full name of a degree program , you need to use Master with no apostrophe and a capital letter.

• He wrote a Master of Science thesis on bacterial infections.

You will see in the above example that Master has a capital letter and thesis does not. This is because we are referring to the master’s program in full, but we refer to the thesis in a general sense.

However, in some cases, such as on the front cover, you also need to capitalize thesis .

• The front cover of my thesis says Master of Arts Thesis in big, bold letters.

Masters Thesis

The term masters thesis is incorrect because it is missing the apostrophe that shows that the thesis belongs to the master’s student.

• Incorrect: The masters thesis was written extremely badly.
• Correct: The master’s thesis was written extremely badly.

Without the “s” at the end of master , there are some circumstances in which it can be correct without an apostrophe. However, with the “s” included, it is wrong to omit the apostrophe.

Masters’ Thesis

The term masters’ thesis is wrong because the thesis belongs to either a master’s student or a master’s degree. Therefore, using the plural possessive form rather than the singular possessive is incorrect.

• Incorrect: Her masters’ thesis was the best I have ever read.
• Correct: Her master’s thesis was the best I have ever read.

In addition, if you want to mention multiple theses , you should use the plural form of thesis:

• I have to grade four master’s theses this weekend.
• The university library has copies of all the master’s theses from the past decade.
• Among the master’s theses I’ve read, hers had the most compelling arguments.
• The department will showcase excerpts from this year’s top master’s theses during the annual seminar.

That’s all we have for you today! By the end of this article, all your doubts about how to use the word master’s thesis correctly should be cleared out.

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Master Thesis vs Master's Thesis

• Thread starter Mister_De
• Start date Aug 30, 2015
• Aug 30, 2015

Hello everybody, could anyone please tell me how it is correctly spelled this piece of work? Master Thesis or Master's Thesis? Or are they both correct? Thanks! ^^U  

Moderator Emeritus

FinnLorenzini

• Nov 5, 2021

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master's thesis vs master's dissertation

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 672 views

master's thesis

This phrase is correct and commonly used to refer to the final research project completed by a student pursuing a master's degree.

• She is currently working on her master's thesis in economics.
• The defense of my master's thesis is scheduled for next month.
• I did a master's thesis on native mating rituals.
• What is your master's thesis about?
• And if you think that's not true, I'd be happy to lend you my master's thesis .
• I need you to sign off on my master's thesis .
• Mr. Shepherdson, I wrote my Master's thesis on Cassius.
• I had myself committed in here as I'm working on a Master's thesis .
• She was doing her master's thesis .
• If you were to read my master's thesis ,
• Spectrophobia, while... while an interesting subject, might not be taken seriously as a topic for a master's thesis .
• A master's thesis on mooing strikes me as a lowering of the bar and I, for one, will not be the first person to give you an easy ride because of your autism.

Alternatives:

• thesis for master's degree
• master's research project

master's dissertation

• He received high praise for his master's dissertation on environmental sustainability.
• The submission deadline for my master's dissertation is approaching.
• And now my master's coming home...
• I need my master's love.
• You murdered our master's martial arts teacher.
• Scout Master's log, September 2nd.
• I am my Master's vision of the future.
• A master's in education, Kim.
• Holds a master's degree in Philosophy.
• The Old Master's skill is too great.
• Mirror Master's robbing the new maglev train from Keystone City.
• Mirror Master's not that careful.
• I have a master's in school counseling.
• I'm getting my master's at Hunter.
• Master's asked for a goose.
• Leah, go and light the fire in the master's bedroom.
• The master's in no mood for any more mistakes.
• I collected the burnt linen from the master's room.
• I reckon master's taken a fancy to that Miss Ingram.
• Mm. Maybe get a master's , study abroad, publish.
• Do you but take my master's place.
• Going for my master's in psychology.
• dissertation for master's degree
• master's research dissertation

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