These resources are for doctoral students who are at the proposal stage and working on their official proposal documents.
Working on the proposal means that students have a solid topic approved by their committee and can move on to developing the details of their study. This kit focuses on writing the introduction, reviewing the literature, and proposing research design and method for the study. All Walden proposals, whether from professional doctorate degrees or PhD degrees, cover three main areas: introduction to the study, literature review, and discussion of the research design and method.
Students in different programs will see variations in the required number of chapters or sections in the proposal. To begin writing, students should first download the appropriate template for their program, the appropriate checklist and/or rubric, and any other documents that programs have published for guidance.
A student’s committee chairperson, second committee member, and the URR oversee the doctoral process, directing content development and assuring the capstone meets program guidelines.
In addition, the Doctoral Capstone Resources website includes all of the capstone support services provided by the university in one convenient place.
This page can serve as a starting point once a doctoral student has an approved prospectus (or premise, for DNP students) and has begun writing the proposal. These tips and links focus on writing three main areas of the document: introduction, literature review, and research design and method discussion.
The following pages in this proposal kit cover three broad questions students should ask when they begin the proposal, and the final page provides links to resources across the university.
OASIS