50 research proposal topics for dissertation or master’s thesis

Here are a few ideas for the graduate student in need of proposal topics for their Ph.D. dissertation or Master’s Thesis; they are categorized by several of the more popular departments (English, Political Science, History, etc.) and by difficulty, the more simplistic topics most appropriate for a Master’s Thesis.

English/literature

Fairly simple:

• The Lasting Influence of the Beat Generation: How Their Literature Speaks to Posterity
• Decadence in American Literature
• The Macabre of Edgar Allen Poe

Moderate:

• How the English Language Has Evolved Over the Last 20 Years Due to Improvements in Technology
• Masochism and Sadism in British Gothic Literature
• The Pointlessness of Poetry in the 21st Century

Difficult:

• The Long-Lasting Effects of Individualism in British Romantic Literature
• Environmental Ethics in American and American Indian Literature from the 17th Century to the Present
• The Pretentiousness of British Literature and its Exclusion of the American Reader

History

Fairly simple:

• How History Helps Humanity Avoid Making the Mistakes of Old
• Women’s Rights and Women’s Suffrage

Moderate:

• Imperialism Through Asian Eyes
• The Geographical Limitations of the Roman Empire

Difficult:

• The Fall of the Roman Empire
• Eastern Europe Before, During and After Communism

Political science

Fairly simple:

• Inner-Workings of the European Union

Moderate:

• Changes in Diplomacy After World War II
• The History of Diplomacy Since the Middle Ages

Difficult:

• Malaysian Foreign Policy in the Post-Mahathir Era (2003-Present)
• The Haitian Crisis of 1991-1994: Constraints and Asymmetry in United States-Latin American Relations

Religion/theology

Fairly simple:

• Christianity in the American South
• Buddhism in the 21st Century

Moderate:

• Spirituality of the Native American Indian
• Interpreting the Bible in the 21st Century

Difficult:

• The Diverging Views of Christianity in Europe

Education

Fairly simple:

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Standardized Testing in the United States
• 21st Century Approaches to Education

Moderate:

• Job-embedded Learning: How Teachers Learn from One Another During the Workday

Difficult:

• A Review and Analysis of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Philosophy

Fairly simple:

• Applications and the Relevance of Existentialism in the 21st Century
• Deficient Causation in Leibniz

Moderate:

• Rational Hope in Kant’s Moral Religion
• Heidegger’s Critique of the Cartesian Problem of Skepticism

Difficult:

• The Prescriptivity of Conscious Belief
• Aristotle on Modality and Determinism

Psychology

Fairly simple:

• The Effect of Positive Thinking on Life Success
• Identifying Predictors of Aggression in Children

Moderate:

• Anger, Aggression, and Irrational Beliefs in Adolescents
• Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Victimization Among Adolescent Males

Difficult:

• Rational Emotive Behavior Play Therapy vs. Client-Centered Therapy
• Utilizing a Psycho-Educational Intervention to Reduce the Effects of Exposure to Media Images of Body Image in Young Adolescent Girls

Criminal justice

Fairly simple:

• Adolescent Deviance Within Families and Neighborhoods
• Procedural Justice During Police-Citizen Encounters

Moderate:

• Meta-Analysis of Early Life Influences on Behavior in Criminals

Difficult:

• The Effects of Individual Vulnerability and Lifestyle/Routine Activities on Fear of Crime and Perceptions of Risk in the School Setting
• The Adoption of Crime Prevention Technologies in Public Schools

Journalism

Fairly simple:

• A Look at How Objective Journalism and Free Speech Sustains Democracy – and How the Absence of Both Promotes Autocracy

Moderate:

• Publicity Matters: How Promotional Journalism and Public-Relations Marketing Can Go Hand in Hand
• New Journalism: How the Incorporation of Narrative and Fiction Techniques Brought Forth an Innovative Approach to Conveying the News and News-Worthy Topics

Difficult:

• The Transition from Print Media to Online/Digital Media and the Role of Both Moving Forward