Information for Students about the Dissertation Prospectus Meeting
In order to begin work on their dissertations, the student’s examining committee must approve their dissertation proposal. This is accomplished formally through the dissertation prospectus meeting, where the student meets with her or his committee, presents the proposal, and receives guidance and criticism intended to improve the dissertation and prevent inadequate or poorly designed dissertation projects from being undertaken.
The dissertation prospectus meeting occurs after the student has successfully completed the Preliminary Oral Examination, often later in the same semester. Students have the responsibility to contact their committee members and the program administrative assistant to schedule the date, time, location, and equipment reservations needed for the meeting. The dissertation prospectus meeting must be completed, and the dissertation proposal approved, by December 15th of the year at student applies for internship.
In order to prepare for the dissertation prospectus meeting, students should arrange to meet individually with their advisors and committee members to discuss their expectations for the dissertation proposal and for the prospectus meeting. These informal meetings should be accomplished well in advance, and may be combined with seeking advice to prepare for the Preliminary Oral Examination.
Students should consult with their advisors about timelines and deadlines toward completion of the dissertation proposal. The student should expect to allow substantial time to receive feedback about the proposal at various stages of the writing process. Students must submit the final draft of their dissertation proposal to their committee members a minimum of 2 weeks before the prospectus meeting. Students should bear in mind that their advisor will have to read and approve this final draft before it is distributed to the rest of the committee, and students should also expect that their advisor will very likely need to see between two and five revisions of the initial proposal draft before approving it for distribution to the committee.
Advisors have multiple obligations and need time to provide thoughtful feedback about proposal drafts. Therefore, students should allow advisors at least 10 days between when they submit a draft to be read (at any stage of the revision process) and when they should expect to receive feedback about it. (More time may be required depending on advisors’ other concurrent commitments.) Given the need for multiple revisions, students must recognize that this process takes substantial time, and should plan a realistic timeline for completion of the proposal draft with their advisors accordingly.
There are no arbitrary limits set by the Program with regard to page length, content, etc. of dissertation proposals. Students should ask their advisors for examples of approved proposals, and may wish to ask other students and faculty for advice about crafting a good proposal. In many cases, an excellent dissertation proposal forms the foundation for the introductory chapters of the dissertation, and writing the proposal often makes the initial work of writing the actual dissertation easier.
Advisors and committees vary with regard to how they approach the prospectus meeting. Many faculty ask students to prepare a brief Powerpoint or handout presentation of the proposal. (Students who plan to use Powerpoint during the meeting should arrange for this with the program administrative assistant in advance.) The bulk of the meeting is typically taken up with discussing weaknesses or anticipated problems with the proposal, and students should expect to make substantial changes in their study design as a result of the critiques received at this meeting. Students should expect to take careful notes about which changes are required, and should clarify and confirm these with their advisors after the meeting.
Following the meeting, students may file their Thesis Project Proposal Form with the Director of Graduate Studies (who will file it with the graduate school). Students should consult with their advisors about next steps on the path to completing their dissertations.