The DMA Capstone proposal is completed in MPAIA-GE 3400 Performing Arts Research Collegium and approved by the Review Panel, composed of the instructor of the course and the capstone mentor. Emphasis is placed on understanding and defining the logical relations between elements in a proposal including the problem statement/research question, conceptual/theoretical framework, literature review, research design and methodology. The length of the proposal without bibliography is approximately 2500-3500 words.
Elements of the proposal include:
1: Title Page
2: Purpose
3: Literature Review
4. Design and Method
5. Table of Contents
6. Bibliography
The proposal must be approved in order to receive a passing grade in MPAIA-GE 3400 Performing Arts Research Collegium. The proposal shall be evaluated as APPROVED, APPROVED WITH AGREED UPON REVISIONS, OR NOT APPROVED. If the proposal is APPROVED, the Review Panel may have offered suggestions, which are not a matter of official record, to the student. If the proposal is APPROVED WITH AGREED UPON REVISIONS, the student must make revisions to be approved by the Review Panel. If the proposal is NOT APPROVED, it must be completely reworked, resulting in a Failure in the course. The student must retake the course the following academic year and successfully submit a capstone proposal. If the student fails the course the second time, matriculation in the doctoral program is automatically terminated.
After the proposal is approved, the student must reach out to two additional members from the DMA Governance Committee to request the appointment of a capstone committee. The capstone mentor serves as the chair of this three-person committee, which will both provide support towards completion and evaluate the final project.