Rules and Regulations
- According to the rules of the Graduate School, a doctoral student must
have an approved dissertation topic in order to be admitted to candidacy.
- The History Department specifies that doctoral
students must submit a written dissertation prospectus and defend that
prospectus in an oral examination. In
many cases students and their supervisory committees elect to combine the
oral portion of the qualifying examinations with the prospectus defense.
- If the prospectus defense is not part of the qualifying
examination, department rules require that the defense of the dissertation
prospectus should occur within four months of the qualifying examinations.
- If the committee opts to combine the oral portion of the qualifying examination
with a defense of the prospectus it is possible for the committee to pass
the student on the qualifying examinations while requiring that the student
revise the prospectus.
Guidelines and Suggestions
- The department has no specific guidelines governing
the structure and content of the dissertation prospectus. In practice they vary
quite a bit in both form and length. Students should of course consult
with their major advisors about expectations, but it is important to keep
in mind that the entire supervisory committee must approve the prospectus. Therefore,
it is always a good idea to circulate drafts well in advance of a defense
date.
- Although there are no formal rules, a good prospectus generally includes:
- A clear statement of an interesting problem.
- A summary of the relevant historiography, demonstrating an appropriate
mastery of the scholarly terrain.
- A preliminary research agenda, demonstrating
familiarity with the available sources. This should convince
the committee that the project is workable.
- A bibliography of both primary and secondary sources.
- Many prospectuses include a tentative table of contents, often with
brief discussions of what each chapter will cover.
- Many prospectuses include a timeline for research and writing.
- Since the department expects students to defend the prospectus within
four months of the qualifying exams, it is generally a good idea to be
well underway with the prospectus before taking quals.
Some sample prospectus guidelines
