Developing a Qualitative Dissertation Proposal: Guidelines and Examples

Despite having the academic ability to finish their degree, fewer than half of the students matriculating into a Ph.D. program ultimately graduate. This has been ascribed to three major causes – varying personal reasons, financial problems and academic issues. In particular, many students have difficulty in writing a proposal for their dissertation. Guided by his newly released text, Writing Your Dissertation Proposal: Guidelines and Examples, Dr. Steve Terrell leads workshop attendees as they learn to identify a meaningful problem area, write research questions that will guide the investigation of the problem, write a focused review of the literature and identify an effective methodology best suited to guide their efforts. Once the methodology is well-defined and operationalized, students will be well on their way to data collection, analysis and the writing of their final dissertation report.