You should consult your primary adviser to form a prospectus committee of at least three members of the faculty (including the primary adviser). After After meeting as a group with the candidate, committee members should provide extensive written comments on the thesis proposal to the student within one month of receiving it. Ideally, the Thesis Prospectus—which is the completed, the prospectus would be done well in advance of submitting a grant nomination proposal so that suggested revisions may be incorporated into that documentrevised version of the thesis proposal—would be sufficiently well advanced by the time of submitting the first fellowship application in the 5th semester in residence. A draft of the entire prospectus complete Thesis Prospectus should be submitted with the petition Petition for taking Taking the general examinationGeneral Examination.
The thesis proposal Thesis Prospectus should be submitted between November 25 and November 30. Not Not including the bibliography, the prospectus should be 5-10 pages in length, but not more. The prospectus should discuss in clear terms -- understandable terms—understandable to all members of the faculty, including those who are not specialists in your field -- the field—the following:
- The nature of the problem that you intend to undertake pursue (linking it, if possible, to the specific field of your General ExamsExamination).
- Its importance to the overall field of study in which you are working.
- A broad review of previous scholarship: who are the main figures who have dealt with this or similar issues? and what, in your opinion, remains to be done? (i.e. why are you writing this particular dissertation?)
- A discussion of the methodologies and materials you anticipate using to tackle your problem.
- If you foresee any areas of difficulty in gathering the material necessary for the completion of the work, you should also note them.
- An envisaged schedule of research and writing.
- A bibliography indicating the works that you have consulted thus far in investigating and defining your topic.
- It should have a title page listing the name of your adviser and the names of the other members of your prospectus committee; and it should conform to the standards of scholarship within your field in terms of diacritical marks and citations.
- A Thesis Reader Request and Proposal Approval form should be submitted with the dissertation proposal. It is available in the department office.
[ADD DOCUMENT BACK]Thesis Proposal Form