I have just made a tenative enquiry at the uni where I did my MA about the possibility of doing my PhD with them. I have received very encouraging replies from the two people there that I have asked to be my references, but now I need to get the title right. This is the bit I'm struggling on and why it had taken me a year to get to this stage. the area that I want to research concerns support staff in education, but not TAs, its about technical support. There is very little research in the area but it is something that could have a great impact in the future. I need to cover not only what they do, but the possible effects of government planning for support staff in general on their very existence. I don't want to make it too narrow, but it can't be too broad either. I want to include some Marxist type theory on employment and some psychology. My MA title was 'Technicians, an endangered species' but I want something that will make a bigger impact on the education world. How has anyone else had this kind of problem?

I don't think you would need to worry too much at this stage about the title. As long as your proposal is good, that will be enough to get on the programme. You will then have 3 years to come up with a really great title for your thesis. Good luck.

the head of the research prog is after some sort of title and although I know the kind of things I want to cover, I don't want to put a limit on it to start with. I've got to get something sorted though, because I told one of my referees that I'd get him something soon and since he is the professor in the dept its gotta be good!!!

In that case I would make the title very general, so that you give yourself room to move in a particular direction as your research progresses.

aaargh! Titles! I find titles really difficult.

I'd agree with Ann that whatever you use now is unlikely to end up being the title of your finished thesis. I still have no idea what my title is going to be but I do know it won't be the one I used in my proposal. But I can see the need to have something catchy even so - more so if it is for funding rather than getting a place. You could always play around with that old social science staple the colon - 'Technicians, an endangered species: ..... something that makes clear you are looking at education'.

Never decide your title until you finish you thesis - then word your title to describe what you've actually written!

My title at the moment literally just describes the general field. Don't worry too much about it as you can change your title. I don't know anyone outside the sciences who didn't change their title significantly and your proposal in general is likely to change over time. They will be interested in the potential of your proposal. but they won't expect a title set in stone

Hello - newbie here.
I have read all the replies and tend to agree. It is hard to come up with a title. Currently I am reading a book about postgarduate study, and they advise not to make it seem descriptive.
They also ask what will your research contribute, will it change the way that things are done.

Good luck!

I wouldn't worry too much about the title, it won't lose you a place. Rather, as the others have said, it's the content of the proposal and your academic ability that they will judge you on.