After admission to Ph.D. Candidacy, a student should immediately undertake the preparation of a Dissertation Proposal, indicating the scope, methods, and significance of the proposed work and providing a succinct bibliography. Work on the Proposal may be conducted as an independent study (999). The document should be designed to be used in support of his/her application for fellowships.

The Dissertation Proposal, after being approved by the dissertation supervisor, must be submitted to the Graduate Group Chair at the beginning of the semester that follows the Comprehensive Examination. (This will normally be September of the candidate's fifth semester, if no transfer credits from other programs are awarded; the Proposals of students who transfer a year of credit should be submitted by September of the third semester.)