The prospectus is a general sketch of your research plan, submitted to your committee before you develop the formal proposal. The prospectus provides a preliminary and tentative overview of your research problem and the methodology. The prospectus usually includes three elements: 1. Research topic and research problem 2. Methodology 3. Preliminary calendar for completing the dissertation

See an example of a dissertation prospectus below. Although many students do not bother with a prospectus, experience suggests that it is a very useful step in the process. First, it enables you to bring together and systematise all the preliminary work you have done so far. More importantly, it enables your dissertation committee to give you substantive input with respect to your problem and methodology before you write the formal proposal. Many students have spent months developing a proposal only to find that the committee had different ideas about the problem or the methodology. #prospectus #proposal #researchproposal #dissertation #thesis #research #project #graduateprogram