Dissertation Proposal Application Form

Application Material – Additional Documents to Send Electronically
Please send the following items electronically to Alex Arnold at phdprogram@taosinstitute.net as soon as possible and no later than March 15th. All materials must be received within 2 weeks of your application submission and before March 15th to be considered for the Fall semester start of the program.

1. Send a copy of your current resume or CV.

2. Send a Word document that describes how you see the Taos Ph.D. program fitting with your research interests.

3.Request that your 3 references send their letter of recommendation to Alex Arnold at phdprogram@taosinstitute.net. A sample request letter has been sent to the email address that you provided in the application form.

4. Complete the questions below, using this format, and email this as a Word document to   phdprogram@taosinstitute.net.

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TAOS INSTITUTE Ph.D. DISSERTATION PROPOSAL APPLICATION FORM

Please supply the following information and submit it (in a Word doc) within 2 weeks of your application submission and no later than March 15th for consideration for entry into the Fall semester of the Taos Institute Ph.D. Program.

Email the completed form to phdprogram@taosinstitute.net.

TAOS Ph.D. DISSERTATION PROPOSAL APPLICATION FORM

NAME:_____________________________________________________

Email: ______________________________________________________

Date: ________________________________________

1. Title of Research Proposal (The idea here is to give the reader a sense of the core of the research – try to bring to the title the main theme of your investigation)

2. Brief description/overview of your Research Proposal (max. 50 words)

3. Annotated Bibliography (The aim here is not to have a full literature review, but identify the central authors/texts you plan to work with and a brief description of the concepts within each text. This bibliography will lead your literature review)

4. Research objectives (translate the overview of your research (2), together with some of the literature of which you are aware (3), into a central objective – something you want to understand, explore, change, innovate, etc.)

a. Research question(s)/theme(s) (These questions should be clear elaborations and/or translations of your research objectives. The purpose of the research question(s) is to parse your ‘big question’ into logical, bite-size pieces. Research questions should be: (1) to the point, hence not too general or vague, (2) directly related to the core of your problem, and (3) not too ambitious, and therefore can be answered within the confines of your Ph.D. research.)

5. Methodology/Approach

a. Data (what data will be gathered)

b. Method of analyzing/interpreting the data (which method(s) will be used to analyze/interpret the data? Do you already have some ideas on how your data will be presented? If so, write it down.)

c. Who are your participants (target group/sample)

          For those proposing a conceptual alternative to a specific issue or problem, please identify:

a. What other voices/stakeholders will you include in this work to support your proposals?

b. Why these voices?

c. Why not others?

d. How will you include these voices (interviews, focus groups, dialogue sessions, etc.?)How will you analyze the stories/responses you gather? Be clear. How will you make sense of (interpret) your data?

6. Innovation (how is this research innovative & in which domains?)

7. Relevance for academia/society/practitioners (how this research is relevant for different areas?)

8. Statement of motivation/interest in pursuing this project in this program (max. 50 words). Here you can write 1) about your motivation for doing this PhD research and 2) how this PhD research can enrich your professional life/field of expertise?)

9. Bibliography (short). List of References – the main authors, books and papers that you are planning to use at the start of your research? Make sure to include the authors mentioned in your literature review (number – 3)

Letters of Recommendation

You will need to provide 3 letters of recommendation. Please see the following letter as a sample of the type of letter you may wish to send to the people you are inviting to write the letter.

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Dear

 I have applied to the Taos Institute PhD program. I have
 indicated in my application form that you would be willing to supply a
 letter of reference for my application.

 It would be very much appreciated if you could provide a letter that
 will support my application for entry into the Taos PhD program.

 Please write a letter stating how you know me, how you have worked
 with me, how you see me pursuing a doctoral degree, and how you see
 my suitability for research and writing at the PhD level. You may
 also include a description of our relationship, specific activities or
 accomplishments that show my strengths and weaknesses and anything
 else that may help them in determining my skills in relation to
 conducting research and writing towards the completion of a doctoral
 dissertation. They would appreciate it if you could be specific with
 your examples and your recommendations.

 Please forward your reply in letter form to the following email
 address: phdprogram@taosinstitute.net (Alex Arnold, program administrator).

It would be greatly appreciated if you would send your recommendation letter within the next two weeks, or no later than March 15th.

Thank you,

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