ABSTRACT
The proposal is a description of what the thesis, dissertation, or final project will contain. Many, but not all, master's programs require a thesis. In those master's programs not requiring a thesis, a comprehensive examination is often the culminating degree experience. Almost every doctoral program requires a dissertation or its equivalent. Some graduate programs add to the confusion by calling it a research project or an applied research project, regardless of whether it is at the master's or the doctoral level. Many graduate programs require the submission of a pre-proposal before permission is granted to develop the full proposal. Essentially, the pre-proposal is a shortened form or outline of the proposal. The proposal allows for the conceptualization of the topic, organization of the literature around the main ideas of the topic, and a discussion of the proposed methodology prior to conducting the study.
