Key Differences Between a Master’s and Doctoral Proposal

Are you currently writing your PhD research proposal and aren't sure what makes it different to a Master's proposal? We've got the 4 main differences between a PhD and a Master's proposal to help you write your research statement more effectively.

A lot of potentially great PhD projects fail to happen due to the inability of their authors to develop a captivating doctoral proposal. While most students are aware of the requirements and best practices in writing Bachelor's and Master’s papers, a thesis requires a very specific set of characteristics. Their absence decreases the chances of getting your prospective supervisor and university interested in your project and progressing further along your academic journey.

Unfortunately, many students aren't clued up on the differences and approach their doctoral proposals the same as Master’s papers. While doctoral proposals frequently expand on them, they also have to be much deeper in their analysis of the subject under investigation.

 

 

Here are the key differences between Master’s and doctoral proposals to maximise your chances of success.

PhD Proposals Must Have an Original Contribution

A doctoral proposal needs to highlight an unprecedented problem in your field of interest and demonstrate its relevance to a wide range of academic and/or industry practitioners. It relies on extensive prior analysis showing clear research gaps that have to be closed due to the lack of prior research in this niche.

A Master’s proposal is generally less focused and frequently aims to demonstrate the degree of competencies acquired during your university years. While showing your capability to execute a medium-scale project under direct supervision. Finding original focus or research gaps for a doctoral thesis may take sufficient time. In comparison, a competent academic writer can complete a Master’s dissertation within 3-4 months or less. Generally, doctoral projects also have a substantially greater scale required to address the posed research question(s).

A PhD proposal must clearly explain how you are planning to expand the existing body of knowledge in a selected field. This usually involves a revision of existing research and/or the collection and analysis of primary data confirming or discarding your assumptions based on past studies. In comparison, Master’s proposals are less defined in terms of their novelty and may explore already well-studied theories and frameworks applied to new geographical or industry contexts. They do not generally demonstrate the author’s authority in some areas of research to the same level as PhD theses.

A simple ‘rule of thumb’ to identify whether a certain proposal meets doctoral-level requirements is to appraise the ‘publication-worthiness’ of the future project. If its importance implies that its contribution to knowledge will be sufficient to print it in a high-quality academic journal, your choices in this sphere clearly characterise your paper as a PhD-level one.

You Must Demonstrate Methodological Competencies

At a PhD level, everyone expects you to possess top-shelf research skills and competencies. This goal is achieved by specialised classes and your past experiences of writing master ’s-level papers. While your supervisor may provide some guidance during the course of your project, you are expected to be fully independent in collecting and processing data. As well as observing all relevant ethical considerations and research limitations.

Your PhD proposal needs to reflect this degree of competence and effectively outline how you can start your research the next day after it is confirmed by your university thesis committee. To achieve this outcome, you are expected to perform a lot of preparatory actions. Inlcuding securing access to relevant data or providing specific reasons why you deem your methodological choices the best possible ones for addressing your research question and objectives.

Expert Knowledge of Key Theories and Major Trends in the Field

Many Bachelor's and Master’s projects include parts explaining key theories in the field. At a PhD level, it is expected that you possess expert knowledge of these established frameworks as well as their advantages and limitations. You need to refer to them in your doctoral proposal to demonstrate your awareness but avoid discussing them as general knowledge. Effectively, any kind of information or theory has to be interpreted within the light of your posed research question and support an overarching argument linking all sections of your thesis.

The same refers to the latest major trends in your field of interest that have to be properly discussed in a highly critical manner. You cannot cite the findings reported by such sources without exploring their methodological limitations and their research gaps. The key motivation of your literature review is to identify these ‘white areas’ of knowledge and propose a viable plan for closing them. To achieve this purpose, your future thesis needs to be properly positioned within the existing body of secondary sources and theories to highlight its novelty based on the implications formulated by the previous authors.

Relevance of Your Study and Its Wider Implications

Your doctoral proposal seeks to convince your university of choice to enlist you in their PhD programme and give you the green light with your project. This is radically different from a Master’s thesis that is usually written at the end of your course. In this scenario, your university is obliged to accept it and provide a supervisor to ensure its completion.

In PhD projects, your goal is to demonstrate how your enlistment will be a win-win situation for all parties involved. One of the best methods of achieving this goal is showing the wider implications of your study within the scope of existing literature. Make sure to include the following aspects in your doctoral proposal:

• The originality of your research focus;
• Relationship between your topic and the greater field of academic knowledge;
• Clear contribution to existing discussions and disputes in your sphere of interest;
• Your capability to plan it and achieve your set objectives;
• Evidence of your deep understanding of all existing research gaps and recent trends.

While a doctoral proposal is effectively a ‘promise of the future’, it can be observed as a business plan. If you view your university and supervisor as a bank, you need to provide sufficient evidence supporting their willingness to invest in your project and see to its successful completion. Considering the higher degree of independence expected of you, this clarity must be present at a doctoral proposal level while Master’s projects may imply certain future flexibility based on your work with a supervisor. If you encounter problems with confirming your project, you may choose to revise its focus and conduct additional research to make it more appealing to your universities of choice.

If you need help writing your PhD proposal or editing your draft to bring it up to a PhD level, speak to our team today!