Research Proposal

After the candidate has passed the comprehensive examination (if required) and has done extensive preliminary proposal research, he/she must present and defend a research proposal before their thesis or dissertation committee.

The candidate must follow departmental procedures for the proposal defense. The proposal must be found to be satisfactory by all members of the committee, and a Research Topic Approval Form (RTAF) must be approved by the graduate coordinator, by the college dean, committee chair and members, and by the Associate Provost for Graduate Education and Academic Planning before the candidate may proceed with their thesis or dissertation research. The Thesis/Dissertation Manual outlines this procedure.