Presenting your Dissertation Proposal

As a requirement for the doctoral degree, you will need to complete a dissertation. Before your can begin your dissertation research or dissertation writing you will need to conceptualize and present your dissertation proposal to your dissertation committee.  Many doctoral programs require that students successfully present and defend their dissertation proposal within six months of passing other doctoral exams.  However, this doctoral dissertation proposal requirement may vary.   Given the importance of the dissertation, it’s crucial that you spend time preparing for presenting your dissertation proposal.  Your dissertation proposal defense will be conducted by some or all of your dissertation committee.  If you feel unsure about presenting your dissertation proposal in the dissertation proposal defense, you can get help from a dissertation consultant.  

Presenting your Dissertation Proposal: What to Include in the Dissertation Proposal

This section gives you a brief overview of what to include in your dissertation proposal and how to go about presenting your dissertation proposal.  The dissertation proposal should include the following:

1) The dissertation proposal should state the purpose of your dissertation research.

2) In your dissertation proposal, discuss the relevance of your dissertation topic.

3) The dissertation proposal should also include a brief literature review on your dissertation topic. 

4) The dissertation proposal should include the method you will use to investigate your dissertation topic. 

5) The dissertation proposal should also include where you will collect your dissertation data from, and a time frame for completing the dissertation.

What to Expect in the Dissertation Defense and How to go about Preparing for the Dissertation Defense

Knowing what to include in your dissertation proposal and how to go about presenting your dissertation proposal is not expected.  Get help from a dissertation consultant.  A dissertation consultant will know what to do to prepare you for the dissertation defense. 

The presentation of your dissertation proposal is typically open to both students and faculty.  After the oral presentation of your dissertation proposal students will be excused and your dissertation committee will ask your questions about your dissertation proposal.  The defense of your dissertation proposal is like a performance.  In preparing for your presenting your dissertation proposal, you must treat it as such.  Like teaching, lecturing or similar performances, dissertation proposal defense performance is enhanced through practicing.  Presenting your dissertation proposal can be enhanced with help from a dissertation consultant.  A dissertation consultant will help you practice and provide guidance related to presenting your dissertation proposal.  

Here,  a list of dissertation proposal related questions to help you practice presenting your dissertation proposal is provided.  At the minimum, to ensure that your dissertation proposal is approved, you should be ready to answer these questions.  Ask a fellow student to help you prepare for presenting your dissertation proposal by asking you these questions.  These dissertation proposal questions may be useful, but the best help you can get in presenting your dissertation proposal is from a dissertation consultant. 

A dissertation consultantwill rehearse the presentation of your dissertation proposal with you until your presenting your dissertation proposal is like second nature to you.   A dissertation consultant will teach you several ways to answer the questions that may be raised by your dissertation committee when you are presenting your dissertation proposal. The best advice is to practice presenting your dissertation proposal, then practice presenting your dissertation proposal some more!          Here are some sample dissertation proposal questions that may or may not be applicable to your dissertation proposal.  For individual attention on your specific dissertation proposal, contact a dissertation consultant.  He or she will provide you with specific tips on presenting your dissertation proposal to your dissertation committee.

Sample Questions to Help you when Presenting your Dissertation Proposal        

1. What is your dissertation about? What theory is underlying your dissertation proposal? 2. What hypotheses will your dissertation test and what are your dissertation research  questions? How will you operationalize the variables in your dissertation?                      

3. What related research has been completed on your dissertation topic? (Be ready to give specific examples!)

These are basic questions to guide the presentation of your dissertation proposal.  Contact a dissertation consultant today for more detailed assistance.  Good luck presenting your dissertation proposalto your dissertation consultant!