Choosing Topics for an Undergraduate Dissertation

How to Settle on Subjects for Undergraduate Dissertations Topics

You may think that writing a thesis or dissertation is something reserved for graduate level writing, but that is not the case at all. At certain universities and for certain majors, an undergraduate dissertation is required for students before they receive their degree in a particular subject. That can be a bit overwhelming, not in the least because choosing an undergraduate dissertation topic is hard, so in the ensuing post, we are going to make picking a topic a bit easier.

Now, when faced with the requirement of writing an undergraduate dissertation, you will likely start feeling overwhelmed almost immediately. After all, this is probably the first time that you have been given such a large assignment. Large research papers and term papers are often seen in undergraduate studies, but an undergraduate dissertation topic is something else all together. So, the first step towards picking a topic is a simple one: calm down! Your adviser is not going to let you tackle this assignment with no help, nor is the professor responsible for assigning it in the first place. You will have a veritable wealth of help at your disposal.

Once you are relatively calm, only then should you start thinking about possible dissertation ideas. You will want to narrow down the list of potential subjects as much as you possibly can. Whether you are a Literature major or Biology major, there has to be something that interests you more than anything else. Remember, if you do not find the subject interesting, then you will not find the writing process interesting either, which will make completing your undergraduate dissertation that much more difficult. For that matter, even if you do manage to finish without getting hopelessly stuck, your lack of interest and your boredom will both show up in the finished dissertation.

Once you have reached the point where you have settled on a properly narrow topic, you may want to consider drafting a dissertation proposal. In fact, this may be required anyway. If so, do not freak out about it; writing up the first draft and then submitting it to your adviser or your tutor will actually do you a world of good, because he or she will be able to help you hone your topic even further.

A key part of drafting this dissertation will involve making sure that it contains a challenging and thought provoking question — which you are able to answer throughout the course of your research. This is another area where you adviser will be able to help you. Once you get down to the actual research, you need to make sure that you are collected. True, this is a large undertaking, but there is no reason in the world that you cannot kill it. You simply need to take things one step at a time, and make sure that you do not overwhelm yourself.

Your undergraduate dissertation topic will be monumental in receiving your degree. As such, naturally you need to make sure you need to do your very best. Understandably, choosing the right topic is imperative, as it will affect the entire dissertation writing process.