TheEvergreenStateCollege

GraduateProgramontheEnvironment
Thesis Prospectus

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FACULTYREADERAPPROVAL_________________________________________

MESDIRECTORAPPROVAL____________________________________________

1. Working Title of Thesis. (You are not locked into this title; its purpose is to help you
identify the main point or topic of your thesis at an early stage.)

2. State your research question.

3. Provide a brief synopsis of the specific problem you are addressing in this thesis. Include
an indication of the general area you are working in but make sure that you move your
discussion to the specific area you intend your thesis to cover.

4. Research Methods and hypotheses

1. If you have a research design that includes quantitative methods and
independent/dependent variables, identify your
1. independent variables
2. dependent variables
3. hypotheses: State your hypothesis/hypotheses in a way that explicitly links
dependent and independent variables and shows the direction of change you
anticipate. Be explicit about the null hypothesis (H o) and alternative hypothesis
(Ha).
1. Ho

2. Ha

2. If you have a research design that includes quantitative methods, but it is an

observational study without clear independent/dependent variables:
1. State your hypothesis/hypotheses.
1. Ho

2. Ha

3. If you have a research design that includes qualitative methods, skip this question.

4. If you are using mixed methods, identify your variables and hypotheses above and
further elaborate on methodology in the remaining questions.

5. Characterize, briefly, the type of data that will be the foundation of your thesis (i.e.,
existing data in publications, and/or new data to be gathered). Be brief, not exhaustive.

6. Indicate briefly how you have designed the process to gather new information and data.
The level of detail should include reference to specific methods, time, place, equipment
needed, etc. Have you made a choice to use one possible method over an alternative?

7. Concisely specify the methods that you will use in the analysis of your data and
information. Your methods may come from disciplines (e.g. habitat analysis, costbenefit-analysis, use of geographic information systems to portray data, interviews and
surveys, experiments, policy and legal analysis of agency practice, and many others) or
be general procedures that transcend disciplines (e.g. statistical analysis, qualitative
analysis, etc.). Be sure and provide enough specificity so that both you and your faculty
know exactly what you intend to do. For example, if you will use statistical analysis,
indicate the appropriate tests you will use (regression, ANOVA, chi-square, etc.).

8. Provide a rough estimate of the costs associated with conducting your research. Provide
details about each item that is listed in your budget so that the breakdown of the final cost
is clear.

9. Provide a brief set of working titles for the chapters or major subtitles of your finished
thesis. (You are not locked into these titles; their purpose is simply to help you identify
the different pieces of the analysis/discussion that your thesis will cover.)

10. Sketch a timetable for the completion of major tasks in your thesis. Be as realistic as you
can, even though you will probably need to alter this schedule as you complete the tasks.
Remember that faculty readers take time to return your drafts. Remember, the final
polishing and formatting of your thesis for binding will take longer than you ever
imagined.

11. Along with your MES faculty reader, are any outside experts or clients likely
to contribute to your thesis? If so, please specific who they are and in what capacity they
will contribute to your thesis.

12. Provide a concise explanation of why this thesis topic is significant. Be sure to include
the broader impacts of your work, how your thesis will demonstrate interdisciplinary
methods and understanding as well as graduate level analysis and contributions to
literature.

13. Indicate the most important references (e.g. in an annotated bibliography style) you
have used to (a) identify the specifics and context of your topic, (b) help with issues of
research design and analysis, and (c) provide a basis for interpretation. Use an extra page
if needed, but remember that this preliminary bibliography is not intended to be
exhaustive.