University of South Florida Office of Graduate Studies 4202 E. Fowler Avenue | ALN 226 | Tampa, FL 33620 (813) 974-2846 |[email protected]
Dissertation Completion Fellowship Application Package
February 15 | Deadline Awards will be announced by April 15 *The awards will be based on the availability of the Office of Graduate Studies funds.
2 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package Office of Graduate Studies Dissertation Completion Fellowship Application Process
Overview The Dissertation Completion Fellowship is intended to provide doctoral students one year of funding so that they can focus full-time efforts on the completion and writing of the dissertation. Students who cannot complete the degree requirements within the timeframe of the award or commit to full-time study should not apply for the Fellowship.
Eligibility
Previous Continually enrolled in a doctoral program since the original semester of admission. Registration: Academic Standing: GPA that is 3.5 or higher with no withdraws or I grades. Course Must be completed PRIOR to the fellowship application date. Requirements: Preliminary Exams: Must have passed written and oral qualifying exams and be admitted to doctoral candidacy PRIOR to the fellowship application date. Dissertation Must be approved PRIOR to the fellowship application date. Prospectus/Proposa l: Student Must be engaged full-time in the completion of the research and writing of the dissertation, including continued communication with the major professor/s. Engagement: Enrollment Must enroll full-time in Fall (9 hrs.), Spring (9 hrs.) and Summer (6 hrs.), but can register for as few as 2 hrs. during the semester of graduation. Requirements: Degree Completion: To be eligible for the Fellowship, the completion of the dissertation must be a reasonable within the time frame of the Fellowship. Outside NO Graduate Assistantships or other USF Employment: fellowships/scholarships or outside employment may be held during the award period without prior permission from the Office of Graduate Studies. Other Funding: As this Fellowship is intended for students who have no other sources of funding, this Fellowship will be rescinded by the Office of Graduate Studies if there is evidence the recipient is receiving additional funding. Prior USF Students that have received 5-year fellowships are not eligible for these awards. Fellowships:
Required Application Package Materials The application package MUST include the items described below. Incomplete packages will be returned without review. A completed Nomination Form. The form should include complete and current contact information as well as full contact information for the major professor. If there are co-major professors, contact information for both should be entered on the form.
1 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package A Letter of Nomination from the candidate’s major professor (or co-major professors). The Letter of Nomination should provide information on the contribution of the applicant to the conception, originality, and innovation of the research project, and its projected impact to the field. The letter should also address why the student needs financial support, why support cannot be supplied by the department/program, and the oversight that will be provided to assure the student completes the work during the one-year period of the award. The letter should be signed and should not exceed two single-spaced typed pages. Research Description. The applicant will write this section. o Abstract: The abstract should be a concise summary of the research project and should not exceed 250 words. o Impact Statement: The impact statement must address WHY the research is significant and has or will have a major impact on the discipline at the national level. This section should not exceed 500 words. The project’s hypotheses or research questions must be clearly stated.
Office of Graduate Studies Dissertation Completion Fellowship Application Process
o Methodology/Research Design: Depending upon the discipline or field of study, this section may include a description of the data or other materials which will be analyzed, methods of collection and analysis, design considerations, etc. Students must include a statement verifying that all necessary approvals, (IACUC, IRB, etc.) have been secured. This section should not exceed two typed single-spaced pages. o Research Progress, Work Plan and Timeline: Using the outline form provided, indicate the key experimental benchmarks for the study, the dates that they will be completed, and the current status of each benchmark. The entries should contain sufficient detail to allow the reviewer to determine what has been completed and how the uncompleted work is organized to fit into the 1-year time frame of the award. The outline should end with the writing and defense of the dissertation and graduation during the summer semester. This section should not exceed two pages and must be signed by the major professor/s. Optional Application Package Materials Description of “Creative Works” derived from the research at the time of the application. Examples of creative works include but are not limited to: o Original publications in journals relevant to the discipline o Invited presentations of the project at national or international conferences significant to the discipline o Awarded patents or licenses based on the research o Publication or sale of an original manuscript, screenplay, or monograph that is based on the research o A performance significant to the discipline o Exhibition of work in a setting significant to the discipline o National or international awards for the research o Awarding of a grant (to the applicant or the major professor) based on the research The applicant should submit copies of the creative works or documentation with the application package to verify the creative work. Selection Criteria A faculty committee will weigh the following criteria in making recommendations for the awards: 2 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package The letter of nomination from the Major Professor/s. The overall quality and completeness of the Abstract, Impact Statement, and Research. Academic record including transcript, GPA, and sustained progress toward the degree. Evidence of fFinancial nNeed. Nomination Deadline The Application Package, complete with all supporting documentation, must be compiled as a SINGLE PDF DOCUMENT; incomplete packages will not be reviewed. The PDF must be submitted electronically to the Office of Graduate Studies by no later than 5:00 p.m. on February 15. Awards will be announced by April 15th.
Questions? Contact Peter Harries at [email protected].
All Applications must be submitted electronically to: [email protected] Please use an email subject of “Dissertation Completion App – [Last Name], [First Name]” Office of Graduate Studies Dissertation Completion Fellowship Nomination Form (Due February 15) Applicant Information Phon Name: e: Email U#: :
Current Address:
Stat City: Zip: e: Department/Prog ram: College: Current Hours Toward Cumulative GPA: Degree: How many semesters of support is needed? For the upcoming academic year, which semester(s) ☐ Fall ☐ Spring ☐ Summer will you need support? Date of Candidacy: First semester enrolled in dissertation hrs (7980): Previous USF Fellowships or GA Support (Name, dates):
Major Professor Information 3 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package Major/Co-Major Title Professor: : Email: Mail point: Department/ Program: College: Co-Major Title Professor: : Email: Mail point: Department/ Program: College:
Checklist (all items must be submitted as a single application): ☐ Completed Nomination Form (above). ☐ Nomination Letter from the candidate’s major professor (not to exceed two pages). ☐ Research Description from the applicant. ☐ Evidence of Financial Need ☐ Optional: Creative Works List derived from the research with copies of any creative works.
Nomination Deadline: Packages must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than 5pm, February 15. sLate Applications WILL NOT be reviewed. Submit completed application packages electronically to: [email protected] Please use an email subject of “Dissertation Completion App – [Last Name], [First Name]”
4 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package Office of Graduate Studies Dissertation Completion Fellowship Research Progress & Timeline (Due February 15)
This table must be completed with sufficient detail to demonstrate timely completion and allow a feasible assessment of degree completion within the fellowship timelines. Time for revisions of the dissertation should be included in the benchmarks. For example, a benchmark stating, “Acquire data for Chapter 1, September 2014,” does not provide enough detail and must be expanded to indicate what is being collected and how this will be done. If more rows are needed, please add them.
Date of Status of Benchmark Completion (Indicate the current status Expected or Actual of the benchmark; if it is yet Research Benchmark (if already to be completed, use “To Be (Describe what is to be completed) completed) Completed.”) Proposal Defense Comprehensive Exams
Dissertation Defense 5 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package Graduation
Student Signature Major Professor Signature
6 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package