Masters Thesis Proposal Outline
A master thesis proposal is a statement explaining what the student is going to investigate and why. Students seeking to attain their master’s degree write it to propose and introduce the topic they want to research on to the university thesis committee.
A master thesis proposal includes the methods that the writer is going to follow in carrying out their research as well as to answer their research questions.
It contains the following:
- The research topic.
- The aim of carrying out the research.
- The research methodology.
A master thesis proposal structure must have the following sections:
1. Chapter 1: Introduction
The introduction explains the research problem and states the reasoning behind it. It includes:
- A general description of the topic and the areas it is going to cover.
- Problem statement. It should entail:
- A statement of significance related to your topic.
- The importance of conducting your research.
- The theoretical reasons behind your research questions.
- Significance of your research. Discuss the potential significance of the research. Significance comes from the uses that might be made of your results; how they might benefit your theory, knowledge, practice, policy and future research.
- Theoretical framework. This section should include:
- The organization of the variables that you will use to answer your research questions.
- Theoretical definitions of important terms in your proposal.
- Conceptual framework. Briefly summarize the conceptual framework derived from the literature review. Conceptual framework is the theoretical foundation that helps you understand the problem situation and its dynamics.
- Research questions and hypotheses.
Your research questions should have a number of theories to support it. Use theoretical questions written in the language of constructs.
- Summary of methodology.
- Limitations.
- Definition of terms.
2. Chapter 2: Literature Review.
This chapter presents a review of already existing literature in the same field as your research topic. The literature that you rely on should prove the theoretical argument that your research is bringing about. This chapter includes:
- Historical background
- State the main issues and controversies that are relevant to your study.
- Give a chronology of existing literature.
- Theories relevant to your research questions
- State the theoretical models that inspire your research.
- Compare and contrast existing theories.
- Explain how the theoretical foundation relates to your research problem.
3. Methodology
This chapter should provide details about the methods that you used to conduct your research. This chapter includes:
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Participants.
- Include the human subjects that participated in your research.
- Describe sample selection methods.
- Discuss how you handled missing data.
- Report the return rate if you used a survey to conduct your research.
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Measures
- Describe in detail any unpublished or new measurement technique that you have used.
- Reference all published instruments that have been used before.
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Research design.
- List all the independent and dependent variables.
- Include a figure of the design.
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Procedures.
- Describe the procedures used in detail.
- Provide the method of collection and rate of return if you used a survey to conduct your research.
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Data analysis.
- Restate your research questions.
- Provide a statistical analysis to address your research questions.
4. References
Include a list of references that you used in your paper, particularly those in the literature review section. Use APA format or find out the appropriate referencing style for your course or subject.