How to Write a Thesis Proposal

By Kate Broderick, Ms Global Strategic Communication

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the point in your academic career with the School of Arts and Communication where you are ready to write your proposal. Students in Global Strategic Communication have two options: you can elect to write a thesis or design project. This blog post is about writing a thesis proposal.

First, before you even begin to think about your proposal, you need to submit the paperwork to form your thesis committee. You need two professors from the School of Arts and Communication, and one outside professor from another school at Florida Tech (professors from the School of Psychology are popular choices). You can download the form here. A typical proposal is at least 25 double-spaced pages.

The structure of the thesis proposal should follow this general outline:

               I. Introduction

                       a. Introduction to the topic (general overview)

                       b. Specific background of the topic

                       c. Definition of terms

               II. Literature Review

                  a. synthesis of relevant literature

                       b. Hypotheses and research questions

               III. Methods

                       a. Research method

                       b. Subject participants

                       c. Limitations

               IV. Timeline of research

                     a. Possible conclusions and future implications

               V. Current Bibliography

You will have to defend your proposal in front of your thesis committee. Keep posted for tips in the next post How to Defend your Proposal.