How to Submit a Proposal

Define an applied research or management project that can be accomplished within a five month period totaling approximately 250 hours of work. Examples of projects pursued in the past include:

• Researching public and private resource allocations and identifying key stakeholders in the policy and allocation decision making process
• Surveying and analyzing funding options to pursue
• Evaluating public policy initiatives and possible funding structures behind them

As you develop your proposal, think of the student in a semi-consultant capacity, working independently with key guidance and periodic intervention and assistance from you. A Clinic or Seminar project is different from an internship where a student is physically based in your agency and tasked with day-to-day administrative tasks as well as analytic projects. The most successful projects are those in which the agency contact is engaged with the student’s work.

The best topics for the Public Service Clinics and Degree Project Seminars:

• Maximize our students’ skills and experience
• Ensure quality agency supervision and assistance if working with a nonprofit or public agency, and capitalizes on their proven track record working with the clinics and/or internships
• Demonstrate a promising new opportunity to expand the Evans School’s partnerships with public and community-based organizations
• Contribute to a balance of topics within the Clinic and Seminar themes
• Can be researched with a substantive product developed in a five month period

After identifying a research project, you can submit a proposal anytime between May and October.

For assistance in drafting the proposal, review agency proposal examples.

Once the proposal is reviewed and accepted by Evans School faculty members, it will be posted online for students to select as their degree project. While drafting your proposal, it’s good to keep in mind our students generally select research topics dealing with policy analysis, program evaluation, program design, or organizational management.

If a student does not select your topic, we will make the topic available for students pursuing other research projects. In mid-December, students and faculty outside of the Clinics and Seminars consider agency proposals for in-class projects, independent degree projects, or possible internships. Students or faculty will contact you directly if they accept your project. In this case, you and the student or faculty member will work out the terms of service directly.

Find out more about our program structure and timeline and participation fee by contacting us at psclinc@u.washington.edu or 206.221.3676.