why should i do a dissertation

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How to Create an Effective Thesis Statement in 5 Easy Steps

Creating a thesis statement can be a daunting task. It’s one of the most important sentences in your paper, and it needs to be done right. But don’t worry — with these five easy steps, you’ll be able to create an effective thesis statement in no time.

Step 1: Brainstorm Ideas

The first step is to brainstorm ideas for your paper. Think about what you want to say and write down any ideas that come to mind. This will help you narrow down your focus and make it easier to create your thesis statement.

Step 2: Research Your Topic

Once you have some ideas, it’s time to do some research on your topic. Look for sources that support your ideas and provide evidence for the points you want to make. This will help you refine your argument and make it more convincing.

Step 3: Formulate Your Argument

Now that you have done some research, it’s time to formulate your argument. Take the points you want to make and put them into one or two sentences that clearly state what your paper is about. This will be the basis of your thesis statement.

Step 4: Refine Your Thesis Statement

Once you have formulated your argument, it’s time to refine your thesis statement. Make sure that it is clear, concise, and specific. It should also be arguable so that readers can disagree with it if they choose.

Step 5: Test Your Thesis Statement

The last step is to test your thesis statement. Does it accurately reflect the points you want to make? Is it clear and concise? Does it make an arguable point? If not, go back and refine it until it meets all of these criteria.

Creating an effective thesis statement doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With these five easy steps, you can create a strong thesis statement in no time at all.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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Why Write A Dissertation? Top 10 Reasons

Why write a dissertation? Here are the top ten reasons why it could be your most rewarding college experience.

Dissertations are long academic essays based on independent research, usually due at the end of university courses. You need to write and complete a dissertation to achieve a passing grade in your final year of college. Dissertations require the student to deep-dive into a specific subject while thoroughly answering a question or preposition relating to a topic related to their college course. 

According to TopUniversities , the steps to completing a dissertation are as follows: 

• Defining and outlining a research area with a straightforward question;
• Identifying the leading issues;
• Sourcing the relevant information;
• Assessing its reliability and legitimacy;
• Evaluating the evidence on all sides of a debate;
• Coming to a well-argued conclusion;
• Organizing and presenting the outcomes of your work critically, convincingly, and articulately, following all the guidelines on how to format your essay.

Often, this is the most prolonged, arduous task of a student’s academic life. However, it can also be one of the most rewarding. 

1. Ignite Creativity 

2. prepare for your career , 3. put your skills into action, 4. become a better writer, 5. learn project management skills, 6. grow your passion, 7. become calm under pressure, 8. enjoy the editing process , 9. launchpad to a career, 10. complete your final task, top 10 reasons your dissertation could be your most rewarding college experience.

Dissertations allow you to deep-dive into a subject you are genuinely interested in and find a solution to a problem within that area. The challenge of the task also requires you to ignite your creativity while doing so. You can even be creative in terms of what you choose to do your dissertation on. 

This point was echoed within this graduate blog from Queen’s University Belfast . It reads:

“ People… forget that dissertations are a chance for you to explore something that you are really interested in or a problem that you want to solve. You can be really creative and study whatever you would like within your subject. If you think of dissertations in this way, they are less intimidating and can actually be rewarding and even fun .”

When completing a dissertation, you use several valuable skills within the professional world. This can help build confidence and help you decide whether or not you are on the right career path.

Academic research certainly had that effect on Xavier Laurent of Oxford University . On his bio page for the university, he said: 

“(Research) prepared me for work in the various fields I am interested in, e.g. teaching and learning, experimental psychology, social sciences and physics.”

Dissertations are usually due at the end of an academic course; it also gives you a chance to use the skills you have gained during your time at university. This is reassuring as it shows you that your work within the college was worthwhile and helped you finish a more significant project. 

Siobhán McDermott, who did her dissertation at Trinity College, Dublin , discussed this point of view when writing for the university’s website. She wrote:

“The final year dissertation acted as a fantastic opportunity to put into practice the various research skills I had developed throughout the programme.”

The nature of dissertations means that you are required to write about a given subject for many hours. In doing so, there is a good chance that you will become a better writer. Tegan Farrell is one writer who picked up on this occurrence. 

She even wrote a blog about it, entitled ‘How My Thesis Made Me a Better Writer .’ Here, she discusses how this long-form piece of writing taught her to listen to editors, not procrastinate and be more efficient with her language. In addition, she distills the value of dissertation writing here:

“A 100-page academic thesis sounds like the opposite of short-form online writing, but I was surprised to find the nine months spent crafting mine made me a better writer in every form.”

After you complete your degree or Ph.D., you will probably be looking to take the next step in your professional career. Thankfully, your dissertation has left you with plenty of skills that you will be able to transfer to the next step on your career path. 

One invaluable talent that you will have is the ability to manage projects. This point is discussed in a blog by the London School of Economics .  It reads:

“If you’ve managed… a large piece of work like a dissertation, then you can manage a project at work… Project management is shorthand for a huge range of skills, including time management, working alone, team work, communication, and perseverance”. 

You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you love what you do, you will never work a day.” Of course, the sentiment behind this is that if you are working on a passion project , it won’t feel like work. This is as true in academia as it is anywhere else. That is one of the key reasons your dissertation must focus on an area you are genuinely interested in. 

This point is made on Academics.com , where they state:

“Find a topic that you can get excited about. After all, it will be a constant companion during lonely hours in the archive or lab, on your desk or in the classroom. The topic of your dissertation will probably occupy your mind on the weekends as well. Good dissertations develop over the years and are written by people who burn for whatever it is they are writing about.”

If you focus on an area you care about, there is a strong chance that your passion for this topic will grow over the time it takes to write your piece. 

Let’s go into this with open eyes: there will be times when you are under pressure while writing your dissertation. For example, there will be an impending deadline, you will have writer’s block, or you won’t know where to go next.  

However, if you complete your dissertation, you will know that you can deal with that pressure, which will stand for you. This blog from the London School of Economics summarizes this point. It reads:

“Completing your dissertation means that you can work under pressure and stay calm while managing multiple deadlines. Whether or not you were in the library at 4am sobbing into your notes the day before it due is irrelevant: you completed a large project once, and so that shows you can absolutely do it again!”

Anybody who has ever worked as a writer knows that actual writing is only a portion of your work. It could indeed be argued that editing is just as important .  And that is a point you will understand entirely after writing a dissertation. If you don’t believe us, just look at this article in The Guardian . It reads:

“Be prepared to work through two or three drafts, refining your work each time, before you are happy with the end result.” 

A dissertation doesn’t necessarily have to sit unopened after it’s completed and graded. It can be the ticket you need to progress to the next stage of your life or career.  

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill captures this sentiment well in a piece about dissertations. It reads: “If you take some care in developing your dissertation, the document can be transformed, after graduation, into a book or series of articles to help launch your academic career. Unlike earlier course papers that just received a grade and were shuttled off to a filing cabinet or trash bin, your dissertation can be used and revised for years to come.”

The satisfaction from completing your final task at college will be immeasurable, and you need to finish it to pass. Completing a dissertation is often an economic requirement for a university course. That means you will not qualify if you do not complete the dissertation. 

So, you might as well enjoy the process and get the most out of it. The question doesn’t necessarily have to be “Why do a dissertation?” but rather, “What can I gain from doing a dissertation?”. Take a positive outlook and relish in the achievements you have completed. Look to the future and be proud of what you have accomplished.

When editing for grammar, we also recommend taking the time to improve the readability score of a piece of writing before publishing or submitting

If you still need help, our guide to grammar and punctuation explains more.

Cian Murray is an experienced writer and editor, who graduated from Cardiff University’s esteemed School of Journalism, Media and Culture. His work has been featured in both local and national media, and he has also produced content for multinational brands and agencies.

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August 27th, 2022

To choose a dissertation course or not.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

If you’re one of the lucky ones like me who have an option of whether you want to undertake a dissertation as part of a master’s programme, you, nevertheless, have a big decision to make. For some, it may be done within a snap of the finger but for others, it may require a long in-depth weighing up of the pros and cons. Having experienced the process, let me dissect it for you and hopefully make it a bit easier.

Pros of doing a dissertation

The most obvious and important reason that should guide your decision on whether to undertake a dissertation or not is that it offers you the chance to dive into something you’re passionate about. If you will see it as one more thing to tick away for the sake of doing so or just because it looks impressive then I strongly advise you to choose against it as it will not be worth your time and effort.

If you’re not a big exam person like me or if you want to spread out your assignment deadline calendar a bit more (the data collection and writing up process of a dissertation is typically done over the summer months from June to August although meetings with your supervisor and proposal writing occurs throughout the year) this is the perfect opportunity for you to potentially help elevate your grades as it typically will consist of one whole unit of your programme.

You will gain a range of skills from project management to critical thinking and adaptability in overcoming struggles that arise throughout your research process. Moreover, you can use existing ones, for instance, if you already take modules in the Department of Methodology: the quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods approach can be leveraged in your dissertation. In fact, for the dissertation, you can re-use 1,500 words from a methodology summative assignment you have already submitted albeit you must clearly state that it has been taken from your previous piece of work and it will be permitted as per the plagiarism guidelines in your programme’s MSc handbook.

With an increased skill-set, comes better career prospects, some careers demand that you have a sound grasp of specialist information particularly if you’re thinking of working in international organisations or government agencies so it’s pretty much a given that you choose to do a dissertation. Another handy aspect you can market to potential employers is your communication skills whether written or spoken as a dissertation may involve speaking with many senior stakeholders such as your supervisor(s), previous colleagues of yours, senior officials or experts on your chosen topic or even consumers and members of the general public which will help if you’re thinking of pursuing a client-facing role in the future.

Cons of doing a dissertation

While everyone else is on summer vacation, you will be slaving away on your dissertation, just remember that. If you’d much rather be doing an internship, travelling, volunteering or whatever it is you’d want to besides a dissertation then I’d say this is an obvious sign to turn down the option of doing one.

If you’re not planning to go into research or want to enter a more practical field, then the experience is less important and giving yourself more room to take optional courses within your programme may be more useful for your needs.

Research can be an extremely challenging and at times frustrating pursuit even more so as the answers are almost always unclear or unknown. You have to be prepared to work hard. Slacking is simply not an option. If you know you cannot commit to such a big task, then decide against it straight away. Either that or you’ll have to run the risk of regretting this decision for the rest of your time at LSE. Not a great end to your academic journey!

Ultimately, whether you decide to do a dissertation course is up to you and remember that nobody should pressure you into doing one!

About the author

A Malaysian Borneo native studying MSc Environment and Development. Given my multicultural upbringing, I speak 6 languages which is partly why I chose the LSE and its very international student body! I'm also a R'n'B/soul/jazz fanatic.

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Importance of Dissertation

Writing dissertation help students understand the topics much better and enhance their writing skills, dissertation: a step towards better future.

A Dissertation is the most important aspect of a student's life. A structured and authentic piece of writing which develops a logical argument about the selected research topic is called a dissertation. It is a major part of the final assessment in an undergraduate, postgraduate. or doctoral degree. It is often interchangeably used with the term ‘thesis’ in different countries and institutions. A dissertation is an extensive and complex piece of work presented by a student for the successful completion of his degree or doctoral program.

Writing a dissertation expands your subject knowledge along with your rational and reasoning skills. A clear, structured, concise, and well-planned dissertation captures the attention of the readers across various platforms. At the end of a dissertation, you need to present your findings to professors for assessment.

Qualities of a well-written dissertation

A good dissertation should be a well-versed and independent project which provides answers to the raised research questions. It should be

• Easy to comprehend
• Appropriately structured and formatted
• Appealing in content

A properly written dissertation should be like a storyline, creating directions as it moves from one chapter to another. The quality of your dissertation portrays your intellectual and sophistication level to the readers.

Significance of writing a dissertation

Dissertation benefits both your academic as well as professional life. The process might be tedious but it is definitely fruitful in the end. You will need to read numerous books and other material while writing your dissertation, which will enhance your knowledge in the area of interest. The rewards of writing a dissertation are not limited to a final grade in the university. You can also opt for better career prospects and competitiveness in the working sector.

Here are some of the benefits associated with writing a dissertation:

• Opens new doors for future research : A well-researched dissertation is a representation of mature and independent thinking. It allows a student to push the limits of a subject and open new ground for research. If your dissertation is well written, it can introduce multiple new concepts in the mind of others for future researches.
• Enhances Research Ability : Dissertation is all about research work. Research plays a vital part in the academic life of a student and dissertation improves this ability to another level. While writing a dissertation for any discipline a student is exposed to multiple methodologies of research work, hence enhancing his research capabilities.
• Contribution to the final grade : Dissertation plays an important role in contributing to the final grades of a scholar. It is one of the concluding works submitted by a student in the final year of his degree program. The overall performance of a student is marked by the quality of his dissertation. With appropriate guidance from your supervisors, you can produce a compelling paper with strong arguments that demonstrate the knowledge you acquired during the entire program.
• Better employment opportunities : An individual is exposed to various stages and conducts of research process while writing a dissertation. These research methodologies assist in the development of a particular industry. By dedicating your dissertation to a particular field, you can gain an upper hand while looking for an employment opportunity in the same area. Employers will favor your interest and industry knowledge while considering your application for a relevant position.

The entire procedure of creating a successful dissertation creates the mindset of an entrepreneur in an individual. You can portray skills of being able to focus on a long-term project, which is highly appreciated by the employers. Also, while collecting primary data for your dissertation you might create networks that will prove to be beneficial at the time of your job hunt.

Time Management : Dissertation is a part of your university program. You have to balance other subjects and assessments with this major project. Thus, it can be said that the dissertation indirectly allows you to learn time management by mastering the skills of prioritizing one work over the other depending upon the schedule and deadlines.

Effective Communication : Many times you have to convey the concept of your dissertation to professors or peers in layman terms rather than using complex jargon. This involves communicating with the audience in a way suitable for them. Also, while collecting the primary data you come across and communicate with multiple people in the society that your communication skills are to be improved guaranteed.

Your dissertation project will become one of the most important concerns of your final year. You will get to know that there are many others who have similar interests and questions like you. This can lead you to share thoughts and exchange directions provided by your respective supervisors. It will strengthen the sense of belonging and communication between your batch mates.

Adaptability : The process of presenting a well-versed dissertation is tedious and often becomes frustrating as well. Thus, you essentially learn the skill of adapting to the situations and acting calm and patient which pays off well in the future endeavors as well.

Mastering multiple skills for the future : Dissertation is not a one-time deal. It allows you to develop a set of valuable skills like research and writing, analyzing skills and synthesizing complex information which will serve you well regardless of the career path you select. For example, in the academic sector these qualities can help you to write a book, lectures, and articles for many years to come.

The first step towards your career : If you develop your dissertation with utmost care, it can be transformed into a book or article which can launch your career in the future.

Self-transformation: Dissertation is often defined as a self-directed procedure. No regular updates, no deadlines, and no assignments. Basically, you are on own. This independence is a completely new experience for any student and transforms them from a student to a scholar with increased self-confidence.

Writing a dissertation will also provide you with a feeling of satisfaction as you will conduct your research independently, gather and analyze your own data, and you will be proud of your achievements. It will be an honor for you if your research exponentially contributes to your study area.

Organized and Systematic: A successful dissertation is the result of effective planning. It gets tricky to determine what to include and what to leave out while writing for a dissertation topic. It involves having clarity of ideas before you start writing the paper. It allows a student to gain understanding of the necessity of having a solid foundation in any process to maximize the end results.

Enhances Coherency : Coherency and clarity are the two main components of a well-accepted dissertation. This quality empowers the students to produce a valuable piece of content that appeals the audience. They will learn to produce hassle-free and smooth writeups or reports in their careers.

How to enjoy the benefits of a successful dissertation

Writing a dissertation can be stressful for many students and they might give up on the project in the early stages itself. But in order to enjoy the above-mentioned merits of writing a dissertation you need to hang in there and follow these steps.

• Begin as early as you can . Do not procrastinate on your research project. It is an extensive and long paper that will take a considerable amount of time to complete.
• Work on it frequently . It is important to consistently work on your dissertation as this will prevent any stressful all-nighters.
• Prepare the first draft . Do not bother too much about the quality in the first draft of your paper. Let it flow freely and naturally. It is just a baseline for your major project, and can always be refined.
• Be in touch with your advisor . Do not think too highly of yourself and seek the guidance and help of your advisor to oversee your dissertation project.
• Edit the final draft . Always edit your final draft for accuracy and clarity in terms of grammar and spellings. Read each line closely and carefully.

Writing a dissertation shouldn't cause panic in the mind of a student. By planning ahead and proper structuring you can achieve fantastic results. Who knows you might even enjoy the procedure as the area is what fascinates you? It is advised to share your dissertation with your supervisor for feedback and review. They are highly educated about the subject area and are thus able to help the scholars to improve their research manuscript for successful publication. They can also ensure that the formatting and references adhere to the guidelines of the institution with precision.

A well-received and skilfully presented dissertation make a high impact on the committee members as it demonstrates the intellectual level of an individual in broad light. The process of writing, presentation, formatting, researching, and structuring defines and polishes your analytical and logical skills.

An easy to read dissertation is not only pleasing to the mind of the readers but it also displays command and expertise in the data presented. There is little to no scope for ambiguity in a properly written dissertation. It is clear that a dissertation project not only progresses your self-motivation drive but also puts you in a better place for approaching life in the future.

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Graduate view: Why a dissertation can boost your employability

Can a good undergraduate dissertation still make a difference? I'd like to think so.

Imagine you are a student. You go to a respectable university, it's not a world beater but it does the job. Your parents are definitely still proud of you, at least.

But one night, halfway through the summer between your second and final year, you wake up in a cold sweat, with the rather unnerving epiphany that you have a negligible amount of relevant work experience and the saddening realisation that you are not, unfortunately, an Oxbridge superstar with an army of industry contacts, who is a shoe in to the world of high-flying graduate employment.

How then, are you going to pull that all important acceptance email to a grad scheme out the bag (while keeping your mum proud)? How much can you really pack in to those last nine-ish months to turn your fortunes around? Especially in a climate where, if conventional wisdom is to be believed, most of us are up the proverbial. Well, over the course of this year, I intend to find out myself.

In fact, I refuse to bow my head to such scaremongering. If this sounds like you, console yourself with the fact that you are not the only one. In the eyes of academia, I'm considered average too! But fear not, we can dazzle those prospective employers yet with the stalwart of our degrees. The almighty spearhead of our academic arsenal, the dissertation. Honestly.

I am not belittling other extra-curricular methods of attaining that first step on the career ladder. Most of the research I have done personally points to a placement year or a summer internship being the stairways to graduate heaven. But as many of you may well know by now, such placements are like gold dust where similar processes are implemented for internship applications to actual grad scheme applications, and you sometimes need a degree just to fill one out.

It may be obvious, but I'd like to think, as I start to undertake my own dissertation, that in a few years time I can look back on it and think, yes, that counted for something.

When I asked a friend of mine, who had already secured a job as a trainee at one of the Big Four accountancy firms, what he thought of the value of a dissertation when it comes to employability, the answer was not what I hoped. He seemed to think that in cold light of the day it would make a minimal impact on my chances.

We agreed to disagree. Maybe a mediocre piece of half-baked research wasn't going to get any HR manager salivating. But the same cannot be said for a first class piece of innovative and clinical analysis, can it?

Prior to attending university I had no idea that it was not compulsory to undertake a dissertation and, although I personally have persevered to write one, many of my friends have opted not to do so. In my mind, I have always thought a dissertation was the pinnacle of any undergraduate degree, where you finally get to research a topic of sincere personal interest to you, hopefully, with the additional outcome of proving to be of some passable academic merit in the process.

Reassuringly, I have been led to believe, by my own dissertation supervisor, that a well-researched piece of "quantitative analysis" shows commitment, perseverance, self motivation, independent study, initiative and critical thinking; surely all the essential elements to establishing your competency as a viable candidate for any graduate position? Although, maybe he was just being nice.

Surely a well-written postgraduate thesis, with a topic relevant to a prospective employer, could be the deal-maker; potentially placing you ahead other candidates.

Similarly, it may not be as dense as a masters dissertation, but there can't be any harm in gearing your research topic towards the vocation you are interested in taking up in the future. Wouldn't this clearly demonstrate that you have shown a serious interest in a prospective sector prior to undertaking the graduate job search?

Let me know what you think, I'd like to get a wider perspective on the collective chances of this years graduate hopefuls.

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The merits of doing a dissertation, james shaw discusses trinity’s unique position of offering undergraduates the chance to do a dissertation and outlines what students can expect from the experience..

Of the universities in Ireland, Trinity is unique in offering a dissertation to final-year students at undergraduate level. For certain courses, such as French, it is a mandatory component of the degree, whereas for English and European studies, students can choose to do a dissertation or take an extra taught module. Though I would recommend doing it, students who have that choice should consider what they will have to put into a dissertation and what they can expect to gain from it. It may seem like a lot of work, and it is. However, there are also many benefits.

Taken in final year, the dissertation allows you to specialise in an area that you have previously covered in class, providing the opportunity to delve deeper into an area that interests you. The freedom to fully tailor your dissertation and direct your own research distinguishes the dissertation from taught modules. You determine the content, rather than the lecturer. Despite that, you do need to pick an academic supervisor who will guide your work. And so it is important to choose someone whom you get on with and who will be able to make time for you during the year.

Although a lecturer will supervise the dissertation, the student becomes an active researcher, which is valuable experience in the practice of academic inquiry. This very freedom is exciting to some and daunting to others, but taking it in final year ensures that students are already at a high standard. Nonetheless, it typically requires more work than would be needed for taught modules. This is in spite of the varying European Credit Transfers (ECTs) that it counts for, which varies between departments. My own dissertation counts for 10 ECTs, while it counts for 20 in the School of English. Regardless, the workload demands significantly more time than an equivalent module. This is through having to read extensive background material in order to complete the literature review, in some cases apply for research ethics and conduct research, as well as writing 9,000 to 12,000 words.

The freedom to fully tailor your dissertation and direct your own research distinguishes the dissertation from taught modules

Given that the dissertation takes up more work and more time than equally weighted modules, you might ask: why bother? Indeed, the time factor should be considered, but the workload is manageable if you spread it throughout the year. Despite the extra workload, crucially the dissertation ensures you have a piece of work that you can stand over after you graduate. For arts students, the project provides an example of practical application of your knowledge. Added to that, the dissertation shows that you can work independently, manage your time efficiently and communicate effectively. All skills that come in handy once you graduate and employers ask you to prove your competency. If graduate programmes aren’t your thing and you wish to pursue further study, the practice of compiling, condensing and analysing data will help you at master’s degree level.

While taught modules involve similar skills, the extent of reading, writing and self-direction is a different level of academic rigour. With this in mind, it will involve many moments of caffeinated stress and last-minute tweaks before the due date in early March. By that time I expect to feel a mixture of pride to have it done and relief to have it over. But as an exercise, it distinguishes a Trinity degree from other qualifications, since even some master’s degrees do not include a dissertation. In view of that, who could begrudge Trinity graduates their honorary “MA”?

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Why you should be writing a dissertation

• Thursday, April 23, 2020
• Undergraduate

Catalina Vlad

• minute read

This blog is dedicated to incoming 3rd year students that are browsing through the module options, trying to get the best of their final year at university.

I am an ITMB Student and for my cohort dissertations are compulsory, but for most Alliance MBS courses, dissertations are optional.

After having been through this experience, I would like to highlight to you why I think writing a dissertation is good for you.

It challenges you to ask questions

When choosing your topic, it is important to be open-minded and observe. Trying to come up with a concept makes you ask questions and helps you to think outside the box.

You will become great at writing

A dissertation is a pretty long piece of writing. Such commitment will power up your writing skills and it will definitely help you in the future. Imagine writing that important email to your colleague in less than 5 minutes because you are a master when it comes to wording.

You will be great at finding answers and information

After finishing your dissertation you will find how great you have become when it comes to searching and summarizing information based on what you have searched for online. I know coursework is meant to bring the same skill, but trust me, searching a particular topic for almost a year will make you nail these researching skills

It powers up your LinkedIn

Final-year students are most likely looking for jobs. Having a dissertation based on the sector you are most likely hoping to get employed in, can be a great kick-off for the recruitment process and your findings might be very useful for the interviews. I think it is a great advantage.

You get more insights into a particular sector

If you are fascinated by an area, or you would like to get familiarised with a new sector, writing a dissertation is a good opportunity to discover more about an industry. Keep yourself curious and this can help you achieve a good thesis and it could also give you great insights into your favourite sector.

Hi everyone! I am Catalina and I am a final year ITMB student here at AMBS. Follow the events I have been to and all the countries I have visited.

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