Thesis Proposal

The purpose of the thesis proposal is to present evidence of the student’s ability to plan and carry out research of the caliber required for the Ph.D. degree. The topic and scope of the Ph.D. research is developed by the student in consultation with the graduate adviser and may originate from an idea of the adviser or from an independent idea the student had spawned during undergraduate studies, previous graduate (e.g., M.S.) work, or working in industry.

The proposal consists of three main sections that include the following:

This section contains three items: (i) a copy of the completed Degree Program Form ; (ii) a copy of undergraduate and graduate transcripts from all colleges or universities attended; and (iii) a brief statement (maximum 1 page) of the area or areas of specialization in which you can demonstrate expertise.

One of these should be a sub- field of civil or geological engineering. If you have developed competence in a second sub-field, or in an area outside the departmental programs (e.g. organic chemistry, applied mechanics, statistics) this also should be described briefly.

(maximum 5 pages)

This section presents evidence of ability to carry out research and write well. This material need not be related to the proposed thesis topic and should include a complete list of designs, reports, published papers or manuscripts that represent original and independent work, along with examples of such work.

Abstracts of master's theses or Plan B projects should be included, but the thesis or Plan B paper itself should not be included in the Ph.D. proposal.

Summaries of reports to agencies sponsoring research projects on which you have been employed may be included, provided they represent your independent and original work.

Reprints or copies of journal articles are also permissible. Nevertheless, discretion should be used regarding the inclusion of lengthy written material. The adequacy of the Ph.D. proposal is not based on its length but on its quality.

You may bring copies of your M.S. thesis and/or lengthy research report to the oral preliminary exam for perusal by the examining committee.

(Recommended 20 pages, double spaced, maximum 12 point font, minimum one-inch margin, including references, figures and tables).

This is the key component of the Ph.D. proposal, and it should include the following sub-sections:

(i) statement of the proposed research problem;

(ii) brief description of what is already known (in the literature) about the problem;

(iii) proposed research procedure (the key sub-section);

(iv) preliminary results (if appropriate);

(v) references

The research prospectus should take the form of a research proposal. Sufficient detail concerning the nature of the research problem, specific research objectives and experimental and/or analytical approaches must be included to allow the examining committee to evaluate the student’s depth of understanding of the problem and adequacy of the approach.

The thesis proposal must be approved by the student’s adviser(s) before it is submitted to the examining committee. The entire proposal should be typewritten and organized as described above in a covered binder, with tabbed pages separating the major sections.