To be admitted to PhD candidacy, each student is required to prepare a written research proposal and present it to their dissertation committee as part of a candidacy examination (this takes the place of the “prelim” requirement of previous years).
Written Report Guidelines
Students will prepare a proposal that is 10 pages (maximum) with one inch margins, double-spaced (except for the executive summary) with a font no smaller than 11 point, exclusive of references and appendices. The proposal should consist of an:
- One page executive summary of research proposal (single spaced)
- Introduction
- Proposed research problem and importance
- Proposed research strategy and methodology
- Preliminary results
- Timetable for completion
- Anticipated outcomes/milestones of a completed dissertation
...
NOTE: content equivalent to a completed research paper is NOT expected in the candidacy exam
Oral Exam Guidelines
Students should plan for an oral presentation of no longer than 30 minutes uninterrupted. Deadline: Students should plan on 90 minutes for the entire examination, to allow time for questions during and after the presentation. Students are expected to answer the questions from the examiners without the help of the supervisor.
It is the responsibility of the student to set the date of the exam, and they are advised to do so at least two months in advance to accommodate the committee’s schedule. See Room Booking on page 25 for contact information. The written research report must be given to each of the examiners at least one week in advance of the exam.
Examiners can attend virtually, or the presentation can be given separately if all examiners cannot attend on the same day. However, all committee members must sign off on the exam form (see below).
During the examination, students are expected to demonstrate:
- adequate progress toward identifying an important and impactful research problem
- the creation of a viable research strategy/specific plans
- presentation of preliminary results to warrant continuation on the track toward PhD candidacy
- an overall scholarly understanding of the research topical area
Progress in this preliminary research proposal will be scored as pass, conditional pass (with conditions such as, “repeat within one semester,” “re-write document,” or “take additional coursework”), and fail. Students who fail the examination will be transferred to the terminal Master’s degree program.