The dissertation proposal is comprised of the first three chapters:
The dissertation proposal will also include:
Development of a proposal is an evolutionary process, and students should expect to complete revisions on early drafts of the proposal.
Through the proposal Development process students and chairs complete 
Form B-Dissertation Project Goals at the beginning of each term to document the plan for dissertation progress during a given term, and goals must be the result of mutual agreement between students and Chairs.
Once the dissertation committee revises and approves the proposal, then it is ready to proceed to proposal defense. Students who have completed drafts of Chapters 1-3 and have integrated their chair and committee feedback will be invited to schedule their proposal defense. The defense must be complete before the student can submit their IRB application.
Formal approval of the proposal may be obtained through documentation with the submission of Form C – Proposal Review, and/or through a meeting attended by the student and each member of the committee. Form C should be completed in either instance.
Along with completing the proposal, the committee Chairperson should conduct a similarity check through Turnitin before data collection begins. This may be completed through an assignment in a Dissertation Maintenance course.
Review your program’s guidance for the proposal defense.
