Thesis proposal presentation

Between the middle of the 3rd year and the end of the 4th year each student will present a thesis proposal to a committee of three faculty members working in fields close to that of the planned research. The 5-10 page thesis proposal should describe the proposed research in some detail including the questions to be addressed and results to be obtained. The proposal should include a description of the broader research area and the importance of the thesis topic to that area of research, as well as methods to be used and a summary of relevant prior research. The Research Proposal Committee will include the thesis adviser and two additional faculty members, normally including both a theoretical and experimental faculty member, chosen by the student in consultation with the thesis adviser. The presentation and ensuing questions and discussion should require approximately two hours. The thesis proposal and a short form completed at the end of the presentation will be submitted to the DGS and become part of the student’s record. This is a required step in the process of obtaining the Physics M.Phil. degree at Columbia and also an exciting milestone in the student’s progress toward earning the Ph.D. Complementary information is available from the GSAS webpage on the Dissertation Prospectus.