FREE 10+ Draft Dissertation Proposal Samples in MS Word | Google Docs | Apple Pages | MS Excel | PDF

The dissertation proposal is the first step in starting your final dissertation which is required for a student to get their master’s or Ph.D. degree. This is where the student can finally apply the learnings that they have acquired during their years of studying their course.  Schools and universities require their student to submit a proposal that is unique as this will set the stage for their research by getting approved by the department panel to continue their research and to help the student create a clear plan for their final dissertation. Just like any proposal, a dissertation proposal needs to be persuasive, attractive, unique, and well-planned to get approved. If you’re about to write a dissertation proposal, you’re in the right place. This article will guide you on how to write a dissertation proposal.

10+ Draft Dissertation Proposal Samples

1. Dissertation Proposal Template

2. Free Dissertation Proposal Gantt Chart

3. Preparation & Defense of the Dissertation Proposal

4. Dissertation Proposal Assessment

5. Dissertation Fellowship Proposal

6. Thesis Dissertation Proposal to Defence

7. Dissertation Proposal Preparation

8. Dissertation Pre Proposal

9. Dissertation Proposal Outline

10. Dissertation Proposal and Supervision

11. Sample Dissertation Proposal

What is a Dissertation Proposal?

A dissertation proposal is a comprehensive study written just like a research proposal but more extensively about a topic that the student chose to discuss and is related to the course or field the student is studying of. In most colleges and universities, it is an important requirement for students to complete their master’s or Ph.D. degree.

How to Create a Dissertation Proposal

Your dissertation proposal should have the essential sections mentioned below, regardless of the structure of the dissertation format that your university or school has provided:

1. Come Up With an Idea

Before you write the proposal, you need to come up with a strong idea or topic for your dissertation. Find an area related to the field you’re studying that interests you a lot and some research in it. Find what key concerns that need to be discussed and researched more about. Decide what piques your interest in delving more into the gaps that are present in the field. When you already have an idea on what topic to research, narrow it down to a specific topic that you should solely focus on so it will be feasible enough for your dissertation. Remember that the dissertation topic should not be too ambitious that is hard to accomplish or too vague for anyone to understand.

 

2. Begin With an Introduction

Start the proposal with an introduction. Discuss your purpose of studying the topic and the issues surrounding it. Connect these with your main research question and provide a few details on the background of the topic.

3. Define the Methodology

Your methodology is where you will comprehensively explain how you will do your research; who or what sources you will use, what type of data you will collect for your study (will it be quantitative or qualitative data?), and what type of analysis you will do to get answers with your collected data. Don’t forget to explain why your proposed methodology is appropriate to your study.

4. Provide the Objectives of the Study

State what goals you want to achieve in your whole study and what outcomes you predict will hope to happen. State your objectives and your plans to achieve your goals and outcomes?

5. Include a Literature Review to Support the Study

The literature review is where you will show all the sources and materials that you used to obtain information to back up your study with scientific and academic studies. This section also helps provide more background about your topic and will help you create an outline of how your study is connected to previous studies done by other researchers and how your methods will differ from them.

6. Provide the Limitations and Scope

The last section and certainly not the least important is where you’ll provide details on the limitations and scope of your research. Explain the constraints and limitations of your study and why you need to focus on one specific topic.

FAQs

Once you’re done writing the contents of your dissertation proposal don’t forget to include the bibliography where you list the materials you used as a reference in your dissertation. Make sure to follow the proper format of citing your sources. Ask your advisor on what proper citation should be used. Ensure that you always review your research proposal and revise any grammatical and spelling mistakes and inaccurate information in the proposal. Having lots of errors in your proposal may lessen the chance of getting your dissertation approved.  To help you get started on writing the proposal, download our free sample templates to use as your reference!