Doctoral Thesis Proposal
The Doctoral Thesis Proposal consists of a written document defining the specific problem addressed, relating it to the state-of-the-art literature, reporting on the hypothesis, goals, and any initial results, and outlining the proposed research methodology and validation procedure(s). The proposal summarizes what has been done so far and what is expected to be completed in the final dissertation. The Thesis Proposal must identify the final dissertation’s expected contributions and how these contributions will be validated.
Doctoral Thesis Proposal Committee
The Supervisor should establish a Ph.D. Doctoral Thesis Proposal Committee comprising three to five faculty members before the end of the fifth term of the initial registration. This committee must include the following:
- Supervisor(s).
- Two faculty members, at least one of which is a DSAAI Faculty.
The committee is responsible for the Doctoral Thesis Proposal Examination and grading. The Graduate Director must approve this committee.
Scheduling of the Oral Examination
In consultation with the committee members, the Supervisor fixes a date and time for the Oral Examination. This information is conveyed to the Graduate Administrator by completing the Scheduling a Doctoral Proposal Defence form. This form should be completed at least three weeks before the proposed date of the Oral Exam. In addition to the Committee members, the Oral Exam requires a Chair, who is a faculty member at Carleton University (not from any of the participating units of DSAAI) familiar with the rules and regulations of the DSAAI program and Graduate Studies. It is the responsibility of the Supervisor to find a Chair for the examination. The Graduate Administrator will then prepare a formal notice of the Oral Examination.
Submission of the Written Thesis Proposal
The student must submit a Written Thesis Proposal to the committee at least four weeks before the Oral Examination. The student submits an electronic version to the Graduate Administrator. The Graduate Administrator is responsible for circulating the Thesis Proposal and the formal Notice of the Oral Examination to all the committee members, including the Chair.
Format of the Oral Examination
The Chair invites the student to make a succinct presentation (15-20 minutes) to the committee members. After the presentation, committee members ask, in turn, questions to the student about all aspects of the Thesis Proposal. Questions are asked in two rounds, where the first round is one-on-one questioning, and the second round has no set format. The student’s job is to convince all the committee members that what is being proposed is worthy of a doctoral thesis. The Oral Examination typically runs for 90-120 minutes.
Grading of Thesis Proposal
After the Oral Examination, the committee members deliberate on the acceptability of the Doctoral Thesis Proposal. The Chair of the Oral Examination Committee documents the results using the official grading sheets provided by the Graduate Administrator. If the Thesis Proposal is unacceptable, the Doctoral Thesis Proposal Committee will recommend appropriate actions on the grading form.
- Note that all the requirements for the Thesis Proposal should be completed by the end of the sixth term of the initial registration.