Dissertation Proposal Template for Canadian PhD Programs

A Canadian dissertation proposal typically runs 20-40 pages and contains seven sections: introduction and problem statement, literature review, theoretical framework, research questions and hypotheses, methodology, timeline, and proposed contribution. Most Canadian universities require ethics approval (REB) before data collection begins; build at least eight weeks for ethics review into your timeline.

Introduction and problem statement: open with a specific problem, not a broad context paragraph. The reader should know what you are studying by the end of page 2.

Literature review: thematic, not chronological. Group sources by argument, not by author. End with an explicit statement of the gap your dissertation fills.

Theoretical framework: name the theory or theories that organise your interpretation. Justify the choice in two paragraphs.

Research questions: 1-3 primary questions, each with measurable sub-questions. Hypotheses only if your methodology is quantitative or mixed-methods.

Methodology: design, participants, data collection, data analysis, ethics, limitations. Each subsection is half a page to two pages.

Timeline: month-by-month Gantt covering proposal defense, ethics, fieldwork, analysis, writing, defense. Most Canadian PhDs allocate 18-30 months for data and writing.