Writing a Research Proposal for a Pokhara University MBA: What Reviewers Look For

15 August 2026 · 8 min read

A Pokhara University MBA graduate research project starts with a proposal, and the proposal stage is where most of the delay happens. PU-affiliated colleges run proposals past a review committee, not just a single supervisor, which means your document has to convince someone who has never spoken to you about your idea. That changes how you write it.

Start from a management problem, not a subject you like

"I want to do something in HR" is not a starting point. A management problem is a situation where an organisation or sector is losing something measurable: high turnover among frontline staff in Nepali commercial banks, low adoption of digital wallets among small retailers, poor retention in microfinance field offices. State the problem with a number or a documented observation, and your objectives write themselves.

Build a conceptual framework early

MBA reviewers expect a diagram showing your independent variables, dependent variable and any moderating variables, drawn from named theory or prior studies. This single page does more work than any other part of the proposal: it forces your objectives, hypotheses, questionnaire and analysis plan to line up. If you cannot draw the framework, the topic is still too vague.

Write hypotheses that a test can reject

State each hypothesis in null and alternative form, tied to one relationship in your framework.
Name the statistical test for each — correlation, multiple regression, ANOVA, chi-square.
Make sure your questionnaire actually measures both variables in every hypothesis.
Do not write more hypotheses than your sample size can support.

Justify your sample, do not just state it

"The sample size is 200" invites the first question at review. Show your reasoning: the population, the sampling technique (convenience, stratified, purposive) and why it fits, and either a formula-based calculation or a defensible rule of thumb for the number of variables in your regression. Be honest about access too — if your population is bank branch managers, explain how you will reach them. Committees reject samples that are theoretically ideal and practically impossible.

What the review committee scores

Is the problem specific, current and relevant to management practice in Nepal?
Do the objectives, framework, hypotheses and methodology form one consistent chain?
Is the literature review recent, organised by theme, and does it identify a genuine gap?
Is the timeline realistic against the college's submission calendar?
Is the referencing consistently APA, with every in-text citation present in the list?

Before you submit

Read your college's proposal template — PU-affiliated colleges each publish their own page limits, cover format and chapter names, and using another college's template is an instant revision. Then test the proposal on someone outside your subject: if they can state your research question and your method after one read, the committee will too.

Want your MBA proposal reviewed for framework fit, hypothesis clarity and methodology before it goes to committee? Assignment Nepal's researchers can help — message us on WhatsApp at +977 9768768340.