Each student is required to complete a formal research proposal that presents the theoretical and empirical framework within which the study has been designed and will be carried out. Specifically, the proposal should consist of a title, an introduction to the research problem, how the problem fits into a broader conceptual framework defined by existing literature, a justification of its importance, the specific objectives, methods (including details about design and proposed methods of analysis), a timetable, and a budget.
M.S. candidates must obtain committee approval of a research proposal no later than 1 April of their first academic year. Students must also present an oral defense of their thesis proposal to their committee. A student must pass this defense and have his/her research proposal approved before being allowed to begin his/her formal research.
Ph.D. students must obtain committee approval of a preliminary research proposal no later than 1 April of their first academic year. The committee approval of the Committee Required Coursework form will be completed in association with approval of this pre-proposal. The final dissertation proposal must be approved by the student’s committee by 1 April of their second academic year. This proposal must be structured in the format of an NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant.
After approval by the committee, for both MS and Ph.D. students, a copy of the proposal signed by all committee members must be placed in the student's file. Ph.D. students must also submit an advisor-signed copy of the proposal to the Graduate Dean.
In approving the proposal, the advisory committee agrees that successful completion of the project will be sufficientresearch for a satisfactory thesis or dissertation. Any substantive changes made after committee approval must be brought back to the committee for discussion.
