General objectives and specific objectives

The general and specific objectives are fundamental elements for the realization of academic works, such as a degree thesis.

The general objective is a statement that summarizes the central idea and purpose of a job.

The specific objectives detail the necessary processes for the complete performance of the work.

General objective

The general objective must present the central idea of ​​an academic work, stating succinctly and objectively the purpose of the study and the goal to be achieved.

In other words, the general objective synthesizes the hypothesis or problem to be investigated, specifies the purpose of the study and defines the topic.

General objective example

"Verify if there is a relationship between the increase in Internet access and the decrease in the use of television in the southwestern region of Mexico".

The purpose of the work is expressed in "verifying if there is a relationship between the increase in Internet access and the decrease in the use of television." The delimitation is expressed in "in the southwestern region of Mexico".

Specific objectives

The specific objectives are directly related to the general objectives, detailing the processes necessary for their realization. In this way, the specific objectives serve as a guide for how the work will be approached..

The specific objectives should present the goals of the project in detail. This is how the object studied is related to its particularities and the steps to be followed to meet the general objective are identified ...

Example of specific objectives

Continuing with the previous example, the specific objectives could be:

• Analyze the increase in Internet access in the last year;
• Analyze the number of televisions in homes in the southwestern region of Mexico;
• Verify the use of television in homes in the southwestern region of Mexico;
• Compare the standard of increasing Internet access with a decrease in the use of televisions.

See also Goal and objective.