Step Three: Prospectus
Writing the prospectus
The prospectus is due by Wednesday 24 April 2013, 4p.m, WJH 218 for all students who apply for the thesis in the junior year. For the few students who qualify for the late application deadline in September of the senior year, the prospectus must be submitted with the thesis application no later than Friday 21 September 2012 at 4p.m., WJH 218. Edits may be made after submission if and when the student and committee agree that changes are warranted, and revised prospectuses should be submitted to WJH 218 whenever revisions occur.
The goal of your thesis prospectus is to communicate clearly the relevance and plausibility of your work. Most prospectuses range between four and twenty pages, and are usually between twelve and fifteen pages long, although there is no maximum or minimum length. And although the format of the prospectus also can vary, one standard format follows the "QALMRI" approach developed by Professor Stephen Kosslyn - Kosslyn & Rosenberg (2001), Appendix B.
We cannot exaggerate the importance of a carefully written prospectus. A sloppily written or superficial prospectus makes a poor impression upon a thesis committee and only delays the concrete thinking and planning you will have to engage in to produce a successful thesis.
NEXT - The Prospectus Meeting and Research Approval
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