Capstone Proposal

The proposal is a statement of your intention to do a specific research project, as well as the plan you will follow to complete the project.  The proposal needs to convince the reader that you have:

• a clear idea and question
• a thought-through methodology (way to solve your problem or answer your question)
• a project that is doable within the scope of the degree requirements.

You also need to demonstrate that you are capable and ready to launch the main part of the project.

 Here are the required elements of the proposal: 

The final version of the student’s Capstone Proposal must contain the bulleted elements listed below. The elements are presented under five headings that will serve as the organizational backbone of the Proseminar. A student may ultimately choose to put these elements together in any order. < 

I. Topic to Conversation: Foundation

• proposed title of the project

• an introduction/overview  

II. Conversation to Question: Focus

• a statement of the research question, problem, or purpose

• a claim or hypothesis about that question 

III. Question to Method

• the proposed methodology (structural outline, data, analytical method)

• a preliminary bibliography  

IV. Institutional Context

• an assessment of the student's capability in the proposed methodology;

• identification of any intended collaborators within or outside of the University, including an explanation of why a team-based or collaborative approach is being proposed for the project;

• the name and credentials of the faculty mentor;

• a statement indicating approval by the University’s Institutional Review Board (only if the research will utilize human subjects) 

V. Beyond the Capstone (optional)

• a statement describing the expected final outcome (if you envision an application, use, or extension of the work beyond the Capstone semester ).