Thesis

If your future career goal is in the academic area, research experience at university is a crucial period. Doing a thesis will demonstrate to PhD admissions committees that you are able to plan and complete a thesis research project. This will be invaluable to your application and most PhD programs today expect applicants to have demonstrated research ability.

Even if you only want to work in industry after your graduation, research in the form of thesis, or to a lesser degree either the capstone projects or independent studies, will provide invaluable experience for you. Regular lecture and lab-type courses do not simulate a true working research environment. In traditional classes, assignment specifications are well defined and their scopes are limited so that they can be completed within the class time.

In the real world, the higher the career level you are in, the less defined the problems (and opportunities) you will face. Frequently, high level (and high paid) jobs are about (1) identifying problems (and thus challenges and opportunities), and (2) solving problems (through research and experimentation). Regular courses are good at equipping students with basic knowledge of a subject. However, they are relatively passive and thus do not provide training and experiment in identifying problems and researching solutions. This is where research experience may be very helpful is necessary.

Another great advantage of doing research is the opportunity to interact deeply with a faculty member on a given subject. During your thesis or other research project, you will be mentored by a graduate faculty member. Much can be learnt through frequent and direct interaction with your supervising faculty. You don’t get this kind of close guidance in regular courses. Many have argued that the apprentice system, where a student learns closely with the master, is one of the most effective ways of learning. Doing a thesis is closest to this system.

• A more competitive resume
• Opportunity to publish good technical reports and papers in peer-reviewed journals
• Develop deep expertise in a subject. Depth is what many companies are looking for in hiring.
• Mostly importantly, with enough dedication, research can be a lot of fun and excitement!
• Most highly successful persons will tell you that the keen love of what you are doing is a key ingredient of a highly successful career. Even though a highly successful career may not be your number one priority, it is difficult to imagine spending eight hours every day in work that you do not truly enjoy. What is not obvious is that it is necessary to learn to love one's work, just like learning to appreciate art. Research is one great way to cultivate such enjoyment.

Finally, students that choose to do thesis must pay close attention to the schedule and deadlines for their thesis proposal defense, the deadline to turn in the thesis to library and to the Dean’s office for approval, etc. Students missing one of these deadlines may result in the delay of their graduation.