For some reason, I always thought that a doctoral thesis was around 100,000 words (and I also took that number as a reference for my book). However, I wanted to test this hypothesis, so I launched a survey on the subject. From the comments I learned that word count limits are common in the UK (mostly) and vary by topic.
You will find the survey and awakening here:
What is a master’s thesis?
A master’s thesis is an academic research dissertation that requires a higher level of research than an undergraduate thesis or dissertation. It is characterized by a higher level of writing and students must demonstrate proficiency, literacy, and mastery of a subject. It usually takes two to three years to complete. Finally, a master’s thesis is usually written for a research title and is not intended for a separate publication.
A doctoral dissertation is a large part of the independent research required of all students seeking a doctorate. It is original work that has not been published elsewhere, and more importantly, it makes a significant contribution to the field.
This contribution can be a new way of thinking about an existing topic or even a new theory. Research conducted for a thesis typically spans several years to half a decade.
Differences in word count between universities
For any PhD student writing a thesis, you will find that your paper will be subject to a word limit set by the university that has In Almost In In any case, the limit applies only to the maximum number of words and does not place any restrictions on the minimum word limit. The reason for this is that the student will have to write the thesis with the aim of clearly explaining their research, so it is up to the student to determine what is best for them.
That being said, it is well accepted among doctoral students and thesis supervisors that the absence of a lower limit does not mean that a thesis can be “light”. Your thesis will focus on several years of original research and will explore new ideas, theories or concepts. In addition to this, your thesis should cover a wide range of topics such as literature review, research methodology, findings, and conclusion. Therefore, your examiners will expect the length of your thesis to be proportionate in order to bring all this information to a proper level.