The Study of Trend Thesis / Dissertations Topic in Geography and Rural Planning Discipline (from 2000- 2009) Case Study: Thesis / Dissertations in University of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti University and Tarbiat Modarres University

Extended Abstract
Introduction
Majority of researches in rural fields are carried out by post graduate students in geography and
rural planning discipline. As these students are expected both to achieve goals of rural
development in one hand and the mission of higher education in the country on the other, they
should consider the application of their research results and achievements. One way to achieve
this goal is organizing and directing topics of thesis / dissertations of MA and Ph.D. students of
geography and rural planning in a way to meet the needs of the rural community. This requires
knowledge and study of topic trends of this thesis / dissertations that is the purpose of this study.
Methodology
This study is a descriptive – analytic research and the by which it has been conducted is
"content analysis". The Statistic population of the research is 206 Thesis / Dissertations of
Students of Geography and Rural Planning in three Universities including Shahid Beheshti
University, Tarbiat Modarres University and Tehran of Tehran. With teachers and experts in
this field, basis of the thesis topic, indicators of sustainable development was considered as
economic, social-cultural, political and institutional-managerial, physical-spatial, and
environmental. Hence, these topics are in five general categories and 22 subjects subgroups. The
thesis / dissertations inclusion in topics is not possible in any of the 21 subgroups as 
miscellaneous group. Some of thesis / dissertations because of the nature of the topic could be
assigned in more than one group. Using the control checklist, information contained in the
opening pages of thesis / dissertations (15 index) (Include: subject, spatial domain, the domain
of the subject, the relationship with other academic disciplines, universities, the Supervisor, the
Advisor, the number of pages, student gender, methodology, tools used in the study, scores of
thesis / dissertation) have been collected. This information has been coded into SPSS 16
software and have been analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results and Discussion
The highest number (31 cases) of dissertations has been defended in the 1386 year and the
lowest number (13 cases) has been in the 1381. The maximum number of pages of the thesis/
dissertations is related to the year 1386 and the lowest number of pages was for year 1381. Most
students defended in Tehran University in July, August and February have paid charges. This
situation is also observed in Shahid Beheshti University, with the difference that in addition to
these three months, mostly students, in December have pain for this. Tarbiat Modarres
University students are also in such a situation in months of April, July, September and March
as the date of the defense of the thesis / dissertation.
Approximately 41 percent of the thesis / dissertation have Tendency to economic topics.
These thesis / dissertations have been classified in five subgroups. These subgroups are:
"agriculture", "Industrial sector", and "service sector", "The problems of rural economy" and
"employment and entrepreneurship." Among these, the highest number (about 34%), are in the
subgroup of "services". About 15 percent of the thesis / dissertation have Tendency to "socio -
cultural" topics. Most of theses topics are in the "social problems" subgroups. Among the five
topic groups, thesis / dissertation less (about 8 percent) have tendency to topics related to the
"environmental" category. In all academic years except 1386 the tendency in topics of thesis /
dissertation has been towards economic topics. In the 1386 the most thesis / dissertation is
related to physical- spatial topics.
In tendency to physical- spatial (sig = 0 / 003), and institutional - managerial (sig = 0 / 005)
topics, there is significant difference between the three universities.
Agricultural and Natural Resources, and Economic Sciences and Social Sciences have the
most effect on the thesis / dissertations of geography and rural planning studies.
Conclusion
The results indicate that among the five subjects, there are significant differences in tendency to
physical- spatial and institutional - managerial topics between the universities. The research
findings indicate that the agricultural and natural resources and social and economic sciences
have the most effect on the thesis / dissertations in the discipline of geography and rural
planning.