Three people are pointing at a tablet and are discussing a dissertation proposal.

Dissertation Proposal

At the beginning of the third semester (Deadline: 31 August), a written dissertation proposal shall be submitted to the admission and examination committee. The mentor and prospective supervisor of the dissertation comment on the proposal before the committee. The admission and examination committee consents to the continuation of the doctoral program by accepting the dissertation proposal and recognizing the successful coursework of the first year of study.

  • 1. Title page

    • (Working) Title
    • Name
    • Short Abstract
  • 2. Introduction

    • Provide an overview of your research question
    • Explain why it is of academic and/or practical importance/relevance
    • Outline the main objectives of your research, what is the contribution, what kind of findings do you anticipate, how will you interpret the findings, what are the implications of your research, provide details of two or three key aspects
  • 3. Relevant literature and theoretical background

    • Demonstrate that you are aware of the debates and issues raised in relevant bodies of literature
    • Identify your niche within the literature and how your own research question might make a useful contribution to the area
    • This section might also include the development of hypotheses supported by theoretical reasoning. State the main research techniques (econometric techniques, interviews, case studies, modeling etc.) you plan to use
  • 4. Methodology

    • Demonstrate an awareness of the methodological tools available to you and show some understanding of which would be suitable for your research
    • State the main research techniques (econometric techniques, interviews, case studies, modeling etc.) you might use
    • Indicate your suggested data collection procedures, indicating sources and any possible difficulties you might encounter and how you would address them
    • Name any analytical techniques you intend to use
    • If applicable, describe what kind of artifact(s) will be created as part of your work, describe the methods that are planned to be used for creating and evaluating the artifact(s)
  • 5. (Expected) Research results and future plan

    • What are the expected findings and how do they relate to the hypotheses (if applicable)? You can also present any initial findings you may already have
    • How would your results fit into the larger context?
    • Add your proposed timetable of activities
    • Present a short outlook on future research topics
  • 6. Bibliography

    • List the references in your proposal
  • 7. Scope and Formatting

    • Length of Proposal without appendix: 20 pages +/- 10%
    • Font: Arial
    • Font size: 11 pt
    • Line spacing: 1,5