GraduateSchool

TOPIC REQUEST

AIIAS

Name: / Degree Sought: / Date:
Suggested Title:

Process: Briefly describe your study in a page or two, and share it with professors. As you negotiate your topic, method, and committee, this document should grow to 5-10 pages in length, and should include the sections listed below (instruments and references may also be attached). Directions: When the topic request is sufficiently developed for the committee to accept, it should be submitted to the Program/Department Committee. This constitutes preliminaryapproval for a thesis/ dissertation, and final approval for a project.

  1. Briefly state the topic and give reasons for your interest in it. (Intro)
  2. State the relationship between the proposed topic and a biblical worldview.
  3. Briefly share from the literature why this topic is timely, important, and not yet addressed. (Gap in literature—not the whole lit review)
  4. Purpose/problem you plan to address.
  5. Describe the methodology and analysis to be applied in this research. Include a description or a copy of any instruments already selected for the study.
  6. Briefly indicate the ethical issues involved in the research and how you will address them.
  7. What resources/skills are needed to study this topic, and how will you find or develop them?

Proposed Committee

Signature on the line below indicates the following:

  1. You are satisfied with the study design, methodology, and writing of the topic request.
  2. The study proposes research worthy of the degree sought.
  3. You are willing to serve on this committee in the capacity specified below.
  4. Authorship of any publication or presentation resulting from this collaboration must be determined by consensus and must secure the written permission of all involved.

Proposed Research Advisor / Research Advisor’s Signature / Date
Proposed Methodologist / Methodologist’s Signature / Date
Proposed Member / Member’s Signature / Date

Department approval of committee: Date:

Comments/recommended changes:

 Committee requires Dean’s approval Committee requires approval of another Department

______

Dean’s SignatureDepartment Chair’s Signature

Project: Approved Submit proposal to Dept.AdCom Approval:  RequiredNot required

Thesis/Dissertation:  Forward to Research Committee  Revise and resubmit

Comments:

For the Dean:Topic Request Date:Time:

Dean (or designee):APRC Director (or designee):

The Research Committee will focus on the following general questions: Is this study useful? Is it appropriate to the degree sought? Does it address a “gap” in current understanding? Does AIIAS have the physical/human resources to support the study? Is the proposed methodology adequate?

Research Committee Action (Project proposals will be approved by the Dept. Committee)

Approved with no modificationsRevise and resubmit

Approved with modificationsDenied; present alternative topic

Research Committee Comments:
Signed: / Date:

Research ProgressRecord

Proposed Dates / Progress Markers / Achieved Dates
Topic/committee approval
Comprehensive examination
(within 3 months of completion of course work)
Advancement to candidacy (PhD)
(completed all courses, passed comps, adequate GPA)
Proposal-ready document(1 week before approval—committee meets to determine if document is ready to defend))
ERB approval
Proposal approval
First 3 chapters to the editor
Permission to collect data
First complete draft of chapters 4 and 5
Defense-ready copy approved by committee and editor(3-4 weeks before defense)
Defense copies distributed, defense dateset
(6 weeks before graduation)
Oraldefense(at least 4 weeks before graduation)
Advisor-approved document to editor
(at least 3 weeks before graduation)
Approval sheet to Registrar/electronic copy to Library/send for copying/binding (1 week before graduation)
Submission of bound copies
(before clearance/before diploma is released)
Graduation(Celebrate!)
Student / Research Advisor / Date

Original copy to student’s file, copy to Research Advisor