Dissertation Proposal Policy and Procedural Recommendations and Considerations

                         
Policy
 
The dissertation proposal committee shall consist of a minimum of four faculty members. This committee shall hold a proposal meeting. The purpose of a proposal meeting is for the student to (a) present his/her dissertation proposal, (b) provide a rationale for the study, (c) engage in a discussion with committee members, and (d) obtain an agreement with the committee about the final study.
 
The dissertation proposal consists of a relatively complete critical review of the literature providing a theoretical rationale for the study, research hypotheses/questions, methodology, references and instrumentation.
 
The student submits the dissertation proposal to his/her advisor.* The advisor determines when the proposal is ready to be presented to the committee.
 
All Committee members participate in the proposal discussion. If a member cannot be present atthe meeting, he/she provides feedback to the student's major advisor.
 
The approved dissertation proposal, signed by all committee members, is filed in the Office of Graduate Studies, College of Education.
 
* Co-advisors when committee is so organized.
 
Recommendations
 
It is important for the student to consult with all committee members, verbally or in writing, about the topic and research questions/hypotheses prior to writing the dissertation proposal. The student should consult with the advisor on how to do this task.
 
It is recommended that the student and advisor develop a proposed timeline and process for the proposal and dissertation study. Important markers include:

• First draft of the proposal given to the major advisor
• Review of first draft by the major advisor
• Subsequent drafts and reviews of the proposal
• Proposal meeting scheduled
• Proposal distributed to committee members at least 2 weeks before the scheduled meeting
• Proposal meeting
• Approved proposal filed in Office of Graduate Studies
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• First draft of dissertation given to the major advisor (by chapter or entire dissertation, as determined by advisor)
• Review of first draft by the advisor
• Subsequent drafts and reviews
• Final defense meeting scheduled
• Dissertation distributed to committee members at least 2 weeks before the scheduled meeting
• Final defense

Considerations
 
It is typical to write several drafts of a dissertation proposal under the major advisor's guidance before the proposal will be ready to discuss with the committee. The student should allow plenty of time for this process.
 
A proposal developed for EDPS 63000 may be a preliminary step in the development of the dissertation proposal.
 
The major advisor will estimate how long a thorough review of each draft will take him/her. The process typically takes several weeks.
 
Final examination weeks may not be good times for committee discussion of a dissertation proposal.
 
Most faculty are unavailable for proposal meetings during summer sessions.
 
The student should schedule a proposal meeting 4 - 6 weeks in advance. Committee members need at least 2 weeks to read a dissertation proposal prior to the meeting.