Is it okay for a thesis to have sections of very different lengths? I run into a situation where the logical division the material in the thesis I'm writing forces me to create sections of very different lengths. Matters are further complicated by the fact that the short section does not naturally divide into subsections.

Is this bad style to divide material like that? If so, what are some good techniques for correcting it?

Also, should the shorter section have exactly one subsection, or should it not have subsections at all?



The layout I have right now looks perhaps somewhat like this:

Section 1 (where I prove Theorem 1)


subsection 1 [10 pages]
subsection 2 [10 pages]
subsection 3 [10 pages]


Section 2 (where I prove Theorem 2)


subsection 1 [10 pages]
...
subsection 4 [10 pages]


Section 3 (where I prove Theorem 3) [8 pages total]
There's typically a great deal of flexibility in your thesis presentation, and as long as the lengths don't disturb you or your committee, there is no reason to force your work into some Procrustean bed of perceived length balance.

In my own thesis, the number of pages per chapter were approximately: 12, 4, 8, 8, 36, 12, 44, 16, and 6 pages, respectively.  While there may have been problems in the document, chapter length was not one that either I or anybody who encountered it ever had any complaint around.

In short: let the sections be the length that is best for them, and don't worry if they are different.