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• Graduate School Dissertation information

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• Dissertation Proposal Meeting Report (DocuSign) - submit on day of Dissertation Proposal

Overview

With your supervisor’s guidance, you’ll write a dissertation proposal and schedule a proposal meeting with your committee.

This meeting:

• Serves as an evaluation of your study plan and collaborative work session

• Provides a chance for feedback before the dissertation defense

• Often results in approval with revisions

Occasionally, the committee may request a second meeting if major revisions are needed. Once approved, all decisions made in the proposal meeting (e.g. sample size, measures) are binding. If you need to make changes later, you must notify the full committee and get their consent.

Dissertation Proposal Document Content

Most dissertation proposals include the first three chapters of the dissertation, written in APA format:

• Introduction (~10 pages): Explains the purpose and significance of your study

• Literature Review (~20-40 pages): Reviews the research relevant to your topic

• Method (~10-20 pages): Details your methodology

For writing support, consider Dissertations and Theses from Start to Finish by Cone & Foster (APA, 1996), available at www.apa.org

Scheduling Your Proposal Meeting

Once your supervisor and committee agree your proposal is ready:

1. Schedule your meeting and send the full proposal document to your committee members - at least 2 weeks in advance

2. Reserve a meeting room through the EDP Department (note: Friday afternoons require prior approval from the Department Chair).

All committee members should attend the proposal meeting. If someone cannot be present, you and your supervisor are responsible for ensuring their feedback is included and documented.

Submitting the Proposal Meeting Report

On the day of your proposal meeting, submit the Dissertation Proposal Meeting Report via Docusign.

Your dissertation supervisor and co-supervisor will use this form to report the meeting outcome to the Department. You’ll receive a copy from DocuSign once all signatures are complete - be sure to save it for your records. The report will include next steps and any required revisions and feedback.