Dissertation Prospectus

After the successful completion of the general examinations, and usually during preparation for the Special Examinations, students will consult with their advisors to choose a topic for their dissertation and a prospectus committee of at least three faculty members, two of whom must be from Harvard.

During the writing of the prospectus, students and advisors are expected to interact closely; the advisors are expected to guide the students with respect to planning and bibliographical research. Often, the principal advisor is the one most closely involved in the early stages and will decide when a draft should be submitted to the other members of the committee. The advice of the members of the committee normally results in the need for several drafts of the prospectus over a number of weeks.

When the prospectus is approved by the entire prospectus committee, it will be submitted to the faculty of the department for comments before being presented by the student at a department meeting. The student is responsible for submitting the prospectus to the department at least one week before the meeting at which the prospectus is to be considered, following the Prospectus Submission Guidelines attached at the bottom of this page.

Acceptance of the prospectus then requires a majority vote of the members present. Not infrequently, a prospectus is not accepted in its present form and requires further revisions. Sometimes the department accepts the prospectus contingent upon specific changes being made.