This article is about the thesis in dialectics and academia. For the 1996 Spanish film Thesis, see Thesis (film).

A thesis (literally: 'position' from the Greek θέσις) is an intellectual proposition. In dialectics, its combination with an antithesis produces a synthesis.

An academic thesis is a treatise written upon either a student's original research or a review of literature produced by others upon a topic. Either one is typically written to fulfill requirements for a higher degree, though usually the term refers to a graduate degree.

At some universities, the doctoral thesis is officially called dissertation. In many US and similar degree programs, a doctoral dissertation is a major part of the student's total time spent (along with 2-3 years of classes), and may take well over a year of full-time work to complete. In most UK doctoral degree programs, the thesis is often the only formally assessed part and three years or more is devoted to its research and production. Other nations will vary, and some universities even in the US have a thesis as the major (though generally not sole) requirement.

See also

• college
• graduate student
• thesis committee
• university

Famous theses

• Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences (1517). Otherwise known as Dr. Luther's Ninety-Five Theses

External links

• electronic theses and dissertations
• Examples of Various Theses and Dissertations
• The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is a digital archive for thesises and dissertations