Dissertation Proposal Format

The dissertation proposal is prepared as part of the comprehensive examination, and submitted at the time of the second sit-down exam. It is prepared according to the Dissertation Proposal Format included in this document. If the student passes the exam, a copy of the proposal is forwarded to the graduate director for approval. If revisions are needed, the committee will give a date for handing in a revised version of the proposal (no later than three months after the oral) for final approval. The dissertation proposal writing must be genuinely comparative (i.e., it must compare works, authors, genres), and must examine works written in more than one language. (The dissertation itself is written in English.) Its subject normally grows out of related but less ambitious projects undertaken in courses. For the possibility of basing a dissertation on a translation project.
The dissertation committee meets with the candidate once per year to assess progress. The faculty member who chairs the dissertation committee should decide upon a plan to keep the other members of that committee apprised of the progress of the work. For example, the work may be circulated to the whole committee chapter by chapter, or the chairperson may convene the committee for additional discussions with the student. It is important for the student to keep all committee members informed according to whatever plan has been worked out.

Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal:
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The dissertation proposal is prepared by the student in consultation with the entire dissertation committee. All dissertation committee members must accept the proposal. The dissertation proposal must provide a thorough survey of the research activities in the research topic area and it must present original and innovative research ideas and preliminary results as well as defined research scope and directions. The dissertation proposal should be prepared in accordance with the following format:

Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal Format:
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1. ) Cover Page - title; student nave, date, signature of graduate student; names, signatures of student's dissertation committee, dates signed.
2. ) Background Summary - including review of prior research
3. ) Problem Statement - Including importance of topic and expected contributions to the field.
4. ) Preliminary Results
5. ) Proposed Scope and Directions - Including approach or research methodology.
6. ) Bibliography - Full citations of cited literature
7. ) Proposed Outline of Dissertation, Schedule for Completion and Milestones - Displays a plan for completion of dissertation.

Suggested Dissertation Proposal format:
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1.) Overview (1 page, double-spaced)
a) overall objective
b) specific aims/hypotheses
2.) Background (2-3 pages)
3.) Research Plan & Methodology (4-5 pages)
a) approach
b) design
c) methods and techniques
d) possible results
e) limitations and pitfalls
4.) Timeline
5.) Literature Cited