By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: I’m at the point of choosing a dissertation topic—and panicked. How do I pick the right one?

—Top(ic)less

A: No need to panic, but it is a big decision. And with more implications than you might think.

I recall my client Dan. He sat in the library, dissertation materials spread out before him. On the table, his laptop was open, ready to go, and papers, open books, and note cards were strewn across the table. He had promised himself that today he’d actually start writing. But all he could do was to stare at the wall clock. Dan had made the mistake of choosing his topic without enough forethought or real passion.

It’s undeniable. The dissertation engenders a love-hate relationship, with huge helpings of exasperations, frustrations, teeth-clenching, and eye-rolling, and occasionally all the affection, elation, and fulfillment (eventually) of a primary human relationship. So your topic should be one that initially excites you, carries you throughout the inevitable peaks and gulleys, and eventually morphs into a satisfying career.

Topic Considerations

I’ve seen many doctoral students, in the heat of first passion, bite off a topic that would take 40 monks without tablets 60 years to complete. I’ve seen other candidates take on topics because their chairs suggested them. Or the students think the topic is “hot” and they’ll have a better chance of publishing. Or the cousin they look up to who’s now a full professor did her dissertation on that topic. None of these reasons are the right ones.

Right Topic Considerations

It’s almost axiomatic that many people choose concentrations and careers because of early personal experiences. A man becomes an oncologist because he couldn’t save his mother from Stage 4 cancer. A woman becomes a social worker specializing in cases of battered women because in childhood every night, terrified and from a crack in the closet door, she watched her father beat her mother. A man raised in poverty becomes a financial counselor to help merchants in neighborhoods like his own succeed in their businesses.

Such motivations generally promise sustained interest in a dissertation topic. Whether or not your motives stem from earlier suffering, you don’t want to be like Dan. From hearing stories like his and many graduate students’ choices, I offer you ten suggestions, including questions and examples, to help you identify the perfect topic you’ll be living with for a long time.

1. Sometimes you know early in your graduate work. In many universities, the courses and papers are geared to chapters that may eventually become your dissertation.

The wife of one of my clients, a serious academic herself, even at her bachelor’s in psychology knew what her topic would be. She followed through with the topic in her master’s thesis and is now on the way to enlarging it in her dissertation.

2. If this is not the case, a suggestion: revisit your childhood dreams. How did you see yourself? What “professions” were your play favorites?

Many kids like to play “doctor” (not that kind), and one of my clients, Karen, loved to play “nurse.” She showed me photographs of herself at age 5 with an impressive collection of play bandages, ointments, even casts, and a doll house she’d made into a “clinic.” She recognized early her fervor for helping people and today, with her doctorate, she’s director of a regional hospital.

3. Review your favorite undergraduate and graduate course papers. Which did you really like doing? Which did you get As on? Would you feel excited expanding your master’s thesis?

Lynn was an elementary school reading teacher who really cared about those struggling, stuttering readers. When she shuffled through her course papers and reviewed her master’s thesis, she saw that the comparisons of different reading programs were her best work. Her dissertation topic? A comprehensive comparison of two elementary school reading programs for their relative effectiveness. Now a Ph.D., Lyon is a professor teaching aspiring elementary reading and literacy teachers.

4. Think about troubling experiences you’ve had. Would you like to help with remedies?

If, like the social worker, your pull toward the topic originates from an early traumatic experience, accept it. Negatives can be powerful motivators toward positive actions and activities. And think of all the people you’ll help.

5. What topic has fascinated you for a long time? What are you passionate about? What do you want to jump into and explore?

Jill was in leadership and with many years experience at several corporations. As she told me when we started working together, she kept observing how older employees were discriminated against. Other than the obvious chronological reason (Jill was in her 40s), she burned to explore the assumptions and possible myths administrators held in hiring and making assignments to these people. Jill’s dissertation and the article she developed from it became valuable additions to the literature—and helped change policies at her company.

6. What especially meaningful experiences have you had that you want to explore and know will make a difference?

During surgery, Derrick had what he swore was a near-death (NDE) experience. He delved into the research, interviewed many people who had had similar experiences, and even scored an interview with a major author on the subject. Derrick explored NDE theories and testimonies in his dissertation. He is now revising it into a book and has a publisher interested.

7. What would you like to be known for?

In the examples above, the students’ fire for their choices drove their ambitions. What you’d like to be known for is likely inherent in your topic choice. Don’t be modest. Think about what you really know you can contribute.

8. If the topic has been “done, don’t be deterred or discouraged. Even if you discover that many scholarly articles have been published on your topic, your slant will be different because you bring your uniqueness. You can use those articles to show how your study is better, different, and worth not only the doctorate but publication.

Tim was discouraged at first because of all the articles on his topic of the influence of parental interest on children’s academic improvement. As we talked, he realized he could bring a fresh perspective to the subject by his experience comparing his own parents’ lack of interest and his cousin’s parents’ full engagement. His dissertation and two articles attested his experience and approach.

9. Dream: Imagine how the topic can be used in your dream job and how you look forward to devoting your professional life to your interest.

Sandra was a counselor in a geriatric care agency advising adults on the placement of their elderly parents in appropriate care facilities. She felt needed and fulfilled, knowing she was helping both generations to the best choices. Imagining her dissertation topic, Sandra saw how she could identify and discuss the many elements involved in placement. Exploration of this topic, she saw, would help her professionally to broaden her knowledge, enhance her abilities, and open her mind to new counseling techniques. After obtaining her degree, Sandra gave several presentations
and published her findings in an elder care journal.

10. If you’re not engaged in your dream job or career, paint mental pictures of the one you are aiming for. Observe and talk to others in this or a related career. What topic did they write on? How did it help their careers? What pointers can they give you about topic choice? Did they successfully transition from the dissertation results to real-world application? Do they seem happy and enthusiastic?

11. Finally (and maybe this should be first), listen inside yourself for the topic that’s right for you. If you meditate, in your sessions silently ask the question about the best topic. You may be “led” to certain people, articles, magazines, or movies that clarify or confirm your choices. If you don’t meditate, keep asking yourself the topic question and stay aware and open. Several possible topics may arise. Test them against the suggestions here and keep listening to your intuition.

Tiptoe to Your Topic

Every day or several times a week, choose one or two of the topics you’ve discovered and explore them. Don’t push but relax as you follow your internal guidance. Take your time. Remember how important the choice is and how it will influence and direct your career and life.

You deserve your perfect dissertation topic.

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Dissertation coach, nurturer, bolsterer, handholder, and editor; scholarly and mainstream writing consultant; author of writing craft, spiritual, and academic articles; and spiritual and motivational counselor, Noelle Sterne has published many pieces in print and online venues, including Author Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Children’s Book Insider, Graduate Schools Magazine, GradShare, InnerSelf, Inspire Me Today, Transformation Magazine, Unity Magazine, Women in Higher Education, Women on Writing, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer. Noelle’s ninth story for Chicken Soup for the Soul appears in June 2025 in the volume Self-Care Isn’t Selfish. With a Ph.D. from Columbia University, Noelle has for 30 years helped doctoral candidates wrestle their dissertations to completion (finally). Based on her practice, her Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping with the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2015) addresses students’ often overlooked or ignored but crucial nonacademic difficulties that can seriously prolong their agony. See the PowerPoint teaser here. In Noelle`s Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams (Unity Books, 2011), she draws examples from her academic consulting and other aspects of life to help readers release regrets and reach lifelong yearnings. Following one of her own, she is currently working on her third novel. Visit Noelle at www.trustyourlifenow.com