Dissertation Proposal Guidelines

General comment
The dissertation proposal is the blueprint of your dissertation. The main purpose is to make sure you have a meaningful research project. Initially, you will work with your committee chair and develop the main parts of the document (literature review, research question(s), hypothesis, methods, tentative schedule). Then, each member of your committee will evaluate the document and give you feedback agreeing or alerting you with potential pitfalls. This document essentially constitutes a contract between you and your dissertation committee.

Step #1 - Defining Dissertation Committee Chair and Members
- The first step in the dissertation proposal process is to define your Dissertation Committee chair and members.
- The dissertation must be appoved by OGS. Click here for form.

Step #2 - Writing the proposal
- You will work with your Dissertation Committee chair in drafting the dissertation proposal;
- The individual committee members can be consulted during the writing process;
- You may ask your peers, committee chair or members to share previous proposal.
- It may vary but the following elements are usually present in a complete dissertation proposal: Introduction, Research Question(s) + Hypotheses, Literature Review, Significance, Research Method, Tentative Schedule, References and Other Sources (i.e. forms, questionnaires).

Step #3 - Proposal submission
- Student should define with Dissertation Committee chair, and members the date and time for the dissertation proposal defense. A room should be reserved by the student with the HESS secretary.
- Once approved by the chair, a draft of the proposal is submitted to Dissertation Committee members. Usually, it should be submitted at least 10 working days prior to the oral presentation.

Step #4 - Proposal Defense
- The dissertation proposal defense is an approximately two_hour meeting between the student and the Dissertation Chair and all members of the Dissertation Committee. The members of the university and community can also participate.
- The student will deliver a 30_40 minute presentation, followed by questions from the Dissertation Committee members.
- After the Dissertation Committee members exhaust the questions, members of the University and the community are invited to make questions and comments;
- The candidate, members of the University and the community are excused from the room so that the Dissertation Committee members may discuss and subsequently vote on the candidate's success or failure.
- The candidate is escorted into the room to receive the results of the committee's vote.

- An internal form is completed by the Dissertation Committee members. Click here for form.