Dean’s Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The Graduate College Dean's Dissertation Completion Fellowship will award up to ten fellowships to doctoral students in their penultimate or final year of degree work to support superior scholarship that enhances the reputation of their program, college, and the University of Cincinnati.

The recipients of this award are recommended by a faculty committee and sanctioned by the dean of the Graduate College. The awards are presented spring semester, and each award includes a $20,000 fellowship and a full one-year tuition scholarship.

Please read the dissertation completion fellowship program description (PDF) for more information about selection criteria, award process and structure, and fellowship responsibilities. (To view this document, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download.)

As the Dean's Fellowship now awards up to ten fellowship, each doctoral program may nominate two (2) students. Programs must rank their nominees.

Programs may nominate students in their final or penultimate year of degree work. Students who are awarded funding in their penultimate year may not receive a second year of funding. Students who are nominated for funding in their penultimate year, but are not selected, may be nominated for funding in their final year. As such, the acknowledgement form to preclude the student from receiving any further university funding following the end of this fellowship's funding is no longer required. 

Eligible students are those with dissertation committees established, who will have all coursework completed by the beginning of the fall 2025 semester, and who are sufficiently advanced in their dissertation research and writing to be able to commit credibly to graduating by the end of the fellowship year or the following year (for those funded in their penultimate year). The competition is for funding during academic year 2025–26.

Nominations should not include those who are ineligible for funding in fall 2025 or spring 2026 due to the 174 graduate credit rule. Nominations are limited to two (2) from each doctoral program and are made by the graduate program director in consultation with program faculty. 

The expectation is that recipients will produce superior scholarship that enhances the reputations of their programs, academic units, and the University of Cincinnati, and that enables them to finish all graduation requirements and receive their degrees by the end of the award term.

Nominations are submitted via a form (https://form.jotform.com/242765924776169). Nominations are due by 5 p.m., Monday, December 9, 2024.

The nomination form requires the following information and materials:

• Ranking of nominees, if program nominates two nominees
• Student's name, M-number/EmplID, and UC email
• Anticipated term of student's graduation
• Requested terms of funding (only fall funding, or fall and spring funding)
• List of funds currently (24-25 AY) supporting the nominated student 
• Date nominated student passed (or will pass) qualifying exam
• The student’s total earned graduate credit hours at UC (as of the end of the current semester, 24FS) and the number of credit hours the student is planning to take for the 2025 spring and summer semesters
• Required materials
  • A recommendation letter from the student’s dissertation chair, providing context for the significance/impact of student’s dissertation work 
  • Student’s curriculum vitae
  • Dissertation abstract or summary
  • Student’s dissertation statement: How does the student’s research/scholarship inform or advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and/or Belonging in the field? 1-3 pages if written, no more than 3 minutes if filmed as an elevator pitch/3MT-style video
  • Student’s statement of goals for use of the fellowship support during the fellowship year (1-3 pages) 
  • Anticipated timeline for dissertation work and graduation (1-2 pages)     

The nomination form is to be submitted by the program director or program staff member.  The programs and nominators are responsible for submitting all requested materials for the fellowship. Programs will not be notified if materials are missing, and the nominee will not be allowed to add anything missing or update materials after the deadline. Programs will not be permitted to submit a replacement nomination if a nominated student is ineligible for funding under the 174 rule. 

Announcement of awardees will be made by Monday, February 3, 2025. Please direct questions to Megan Carroll (carrolm2@ucmail.uc.edu). 

• During fellowship year, register full-time (12 credits or more) for fall semester and (if being funded during the term) spring semester.
  
• No teaching or research employment at UC or elsewhere.
• Fellows must engage in approved monthly professional development activities (a minimum of 4 per semester). The following activities may be used to fulfill this requirement: 
  • Support Graduate College programming as a panelist or speaker 
    
  • Participate in Preparing Future Faculty events 
    
  • Create a professional development workshop in collaboration with Graduate College staff
    
  • Participation in the annual UC Graduate College Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition as a competitor, preliminary round judge, or trainer/coach for students
    
  • Serve on a Graduate College committee  
    
  • Other professional development activity, as approved by the Graduate College program director
    
• Acknowledgement of the Graduate College Dean's Completion Fellowship in publications resulting from work done during the fellowship year.