Choosing a Powerful Dissertation Topic: A Good Manual

Before you get started, you must ask yourself what the word powerful means to you. What kind of feeling or emotion do you want to get out of the academic committee grading your thesis? Do you want them to be shocked at your audacity? Do you want them to be intrigued by your proposal? Or do you want them to be pleased with your approach? This is a vital process when selecting a topic, as it will determine the direction of your entire thesis, not just the topic.

One of the most important rules is that you remember to choose a topic within your major. This might seem like common sense to some people, but it needs to be reiterated. In the search for something impactful, one might tend to stray; your major may be Finance, but you might think about writing a dissertation entitled “Stem Cell: Why Not if the Pregnancy will be terminated?” As much as this topic is sure to cause some of the feelings mentioned earlier in the article, it does not relate to your major. How will the board members who are supposed to be reading or listening to a Finance-related paper or presentation going to react to and grade a paper with that title?

The following three approaches can be used when trying to select a compelling dissertation topic:

• Choose something in the history or past, of your field that has had a major impact or has forever changed the course of that of that study. A finance example would be “The Wall Street Crash of 1929: What Could Have Been Done to Stop It”. Of course, this will get the attention of the person reading it right away, but remember that it has to be backed up by facts and evidence, not your opinions.


• Choose something that has not happened or been approved yet; something that has yet to be complete or finalized but make sure that there are numerous sources of reputable information on it. An example would for a Theology major would be “Cryopreservation: Why are we Playing God?” This topic would require some research but can you see how this would interest people in both the medical and theological fields?


• Choose something controversial. This last option is particularly risky, but it should be considered safe as long as no derogatory comments are made about any of the subjects involved. Topics, of course, will vary depending on your major, but there are many subject that people normally shy away from, that are readily available such as Racism.

Keep in mind that what you choose should be something that you believe in or are passionate about. You will have to do a presentation after your thesis is submitted where a committee of academics will question you. You may not know what these questions may be, so it’s best to be knowledgeable about all aspects of your presentation.