Dean’s Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The Graduate College Dean's Fellowship typically awards five fellowships annually to doctoral students in the 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.)

Eligible students are those with dissertation committees established, who will have all coursework completed by the beginning of the fall 2023 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. The purpose of this award is to support students in their final year of study. Therefore, awardees, their mentors, and their graduate program directors must sign an acknowledgement that (1) affirms their shared commitment to graduate by the conclusion of the fellowship year, and (2) signals that their acceptance of this award precludes the student from receiving any further university (UGA or GIA/GAS) funding for this degree program in the future, in the event that the student does not graduate during the academic year.

Nominations should not include those who will graduate prior to spring term 2024, nor those who are ineligible for funding in fall 2023 or spring 2024 due to the 174 graduate credit rule. Nominations are limited to one 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, departments, 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 will be due to the Graduate College by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 19, 2022. Submit fellowship applications and supporting documents identified with authorship via the fellowship submission form. The 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 or the wrong file is uploaded, and the nominator/nominee will NOT be allowed to add anything missing or update materials after the deadline.

Announcement of awardees will be made by February 1, 2023. Please direct questions to megan.tischner@uc.edu.
 

1. Submission form, to be completed by program director or program staff member:
   
   • Program name
     
   • Name and email for submitter
   • Student’s name, ID (M-number or empl ID), and UC email 
     
   • Confirmation that the student is proceeding on schedule for graduation by the summer 2024 term
     
   • List of funds are currently supporting the nominated student (text box)
     
   • Date nominated student passed the qualifying exam
     
   • The student’s total earned graduate credit hours (as of the end of the current semester, 22FS) and the number of credit hours the student is planning to take for the 2023 spring and summer semesters.
     
   • Uploaded documents, as outlined below.  
     
2. A recommendation letter from the student’s dissertation chair, providing context for the significance/impact of student’s dissertation work. (Upload to submission form)  
   
3. Student’s curriculum vitae. (Upload to submission form) 
   
4. Dissertation abstract or summary. (Upload to submission form) 
   
5. 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. (Upload or provide link in submission form)
   
6. Student’s statement of goals for use of the fellowship support during the fellowship year, including an anticipated timeline for dissertation work during the 23-24 academic year. (2-3 pages, upload to submission form) 
   
7. A completed, signed agreement (DOCX) in which the student, mentor/chair, and graduate program director acknowledge the fellowship requirement to complete the degree by the end of the award term, along with the understanding of loss of eligibility for any future university (including departmental/divisional) funding should the recipient not achieve this goal. (Upload to submission form). The agreement form is also available as a PDF form. (To view this PDF document, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download.)

By 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, submit fellowship applications and supporting documents identified with authorship via the fellowship submission form. 

• Register full-time (12 credits or more) for fall and spring semester, 2023–24.
• Register for ENGL 9010, Interdisciplinary Dissertation Workshop course, in summer 2023 or fall 2023. 
• No teaching or research employment at UC or elsewhere.
• Participation in the annual UC Graduate College Three Minute Thesis competition in February 2024. With suitable justification and documentation of a timing conflict (to be adjudicated by the Graduate College's program director), the student may replace this requirement with an alternative presentation of research results in another venue.
• Acknowledgement of the Graduate College Dean's Fellowship in publications resulting from work done during the fellowship year.