Dissertation Topic and Approval

• For most people this is the most difficult part of the process. Be sure to pick something you are passionate about. If you don’t you are less likely to enjoy the process. You might get some tips from your professors, but you might have to find your own topic as I did. Once you find a topic you will need to come up with a research plan and get it approved. Don’t be shocked if your first ideas aren’t accepted. Your proposal will include the questions you want to answer and the research methodology you plan to use. Be sure to take more than one research course along the way and pay attention. You will need to use what you learn.
• Once your committee gives you the go ahead, its time to do what you said you were going to do. It’s now time for the perspiration part once the inspiration part is finished. It can be difficult coming up with a big data set for a quantitative study so don’t be surprised if you do a qualitative effort. This is what happened to me even though I am good with numbers. The closer you work with your advisor, the less likely you are to get shot down.

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