Ph.D. Proposal Defense

Upon passing the Qualifying Exam, it is expected that students will choose a Ph.D. thesis advisor, if they have not already done so, and begin their Ph.D. thesis research. Within 12 to 18 months of passing the QE, the student needs to select a Ph.D. Thesis Examination Committee and schedule his or her Ph.D. Proposal Defense.  Students should use the Graduate School's Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee form to identify the Committee members.  This form should be taken to the Proposal Defense and should be signed by all Committee members at the conclusion of the Defense.  The signed form should be returned to the Assistant Director of Student Services and will be retained in the student's file.   When the student is preparing for his/her final defense, he/she will need to complete the form again for official submission to the Graduate School. 

The Ph.D. Proposal Defense consists of a written part and an oral presentation to the Ph.D. Thesis Examination Committee. The written part consists of an introduction to the field, a problem statement, the objectives of the research and the approach that will be taken, the expected results, and a timeline of the work. A concise review of the literature is expected, along with a bibliography of the most important literature. The length of the written Ph.D. Proposal is expected to be between 15 to 20 double space pages (12pt font) with 1 inch margins.

The Ph.D. Proposal will be presented to the Ph.D. Thesis Examination Committee during a one hour examination. The student should plan for a 30 minute presentation of the research plan and expected results.