The Difference Between An Undergraduate And Postgraduate Dissertation


A postgraduate course is a more in-depth preparation in a given field of study. The search for a more specialized qualification is the reason behind signing up for a Master degree or any similar credentials. Any postgraduate dissertation has much more demanding requirements than an undergraduate thesis as a general rule.

Some of the instructions may differ from one level to the next one but this is not the general case. There are a few guidelines that remain unchanged. As a general rule, a postgraduate article contains more information that an undergraduate’s one. Below, we discuss come of the main differences between both types of academic documents.


  • Chapters. The requirements are similar because the sections are usually the following:

    • Abstract
    • Introduction
    • Literature review
    • Methodology description
    • Data and analysis
    • Discussion of results
    • Conclusion

  • Topics. This requirement remains the same in both levels of education, what matters is the relevance of the subjects. The student may have a mandatory topic to address in the dissertation.

  • Proposal. Whereas for undergraduate dissertations there may be no need for a proposal, in a master’s dissertation this section should be more thorough and exhaustive.

  • Research. As expected, in a postgraduate thesis you will require a more extensive amount of research. This is a key difference with an undergraduate thesis, given that a master’s article has to present more detailed data and further analysis.

  • Writing. This requirement does not vary from one level to the other. In both of them, what matters is the correct use of the language, spelling, abbreviations and hyphenation.

  • Length. Undergraduate dissertations tend to be shorter than postgraduate’s. However, this requisite may not vary. Length is fixed in advance as a prerequisite of the assignment.

  • Instructions. The overall directions may be more demanding and detailed in a master’s thesis. The postgraduate student has to show the more advance mastery in the field of study.

The guidelines of the dissertation depend on the topic, the deadline and the tutor’s criteria. Obviously, how thorough the requirements are fulfilled depend only on the student’s effort. The more time you dedicate to the job, the more it will comply with the prerequisites. A university level dissertation always demands a long-term effort by the student. Organization is key to succeed when processing a larger amount of data.