The Dissertation Proposal Defense

After the student forms a committee, the next task is to prepare the formal dissertation proposal. The proposal represents substantial progress toward the initial three chapters of the dissertation. Although it is anticipated that the student will continue to refine and clarify these chapters throughout the process, each of the chapters must be sufficiently well-thought-out to allow the student and the committee to reach a consensus on the worthiness and validity of the problem and of the proposed research approach to the study. Furthermore, the proposal should convince the committee of the student's capacity to conduct the study successfully. The student, when the chair determines that the student's work is ready to go forward, will formally present the dissertation proposal (Chapters 1-3) to the full committee. At the time of the defense, the Dissertation Proposal Approval form (Appendix D) will be completed by the committee. It will specify changes to the proposal as well as suggestions for moving forward. The agreed upon changes are the contract under which the student, chair, and committee share a common understanding of the work to be done toward completing the dissertation.

Prior to the Defense:

The Doctoral Candidate must have passed their comprehensive examination and completed all their coursework, including electives. The Doctoral Candidate must be registered during the semester in which they defend their dissertation proposal.

Once the Doctoral Candidate and the dissertation chair have agreed that the student is ready for their dissertation proposal defense, all committee members must be notified appropriately so they can be present.
Submit the dissertation proposal to committee members at least two weeks before the dissertation proposal defense date. This timeline may be altered if the student has corresponded with individual committee members regarding feedback regularly prior to the defense.
The Doctoral Candidate must notify the Ph.D. Program Director or Dept. Chair about the intention to defend prior to the defense. This is to ensure that all required paperwork is in order.

At the Defense:

The Doctoral Candidate must have a formal presentation (using PowerPoint, Prezi etc.) prepared. The presentation must provide a well laid out overview of the proposal. The time allocated for the presentation varies between 30-45 minutes, followed by time for committee questions. The rooms being utilized for dissertation proposals must be technology supported (projectors, laptops etc.)
At the defense, the committee will provide guidance in shaping the proposal and must approve the research plan. It is the responsibility of the committee to ensure that the Doctoral Candidate meets appropriate academic standards.
All committee members either in-person or virtually must be present during the defense.

After the Defense:

1) The committee has the authority to require that the Doctoral Candidate addresses questions raised by the committee and rewrite any portion or the entire proposal. The committee may require that the student rewrite a section or sections of the proposal to obtain a passing grade. If the student receives a failing grade, the proposal may be defended one additional time only.

2) The Dissertation Proposal Approval form (Appendix D) must be signed by all committee members and be submitted to the Ph.D. Program Director or Dept. Chair.

3) As research progresses the student may need to revise their research methodology, which may require further meetings with their doctoral dissertation committee.

Sample Proposal Defense Format

Introduce your Topic and the Significance (10 minutes)
1. Why is the topic an important issue that requires scientific investigation?
2. Why are you interested in this topic?
Review of Literature (15 minutes)
Proposed Study (15 minutes)
Committee Questions & Comments

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