TThe Graduate College offers Dissertation Completion Fellowships to WMU Doctoral students for up to one year (two semesters and two sessions) awarded in open competition, on the basis of superior scholarly achievement and quality of proposed dissertation project, to assist full-time doctoral students with the completion of their dissertations. The Fellowship pays a stipend equivalent to a Doctoral Associateship ($20,956 per year at 2011–12 rates; 2012–13 rates are unknown at this time) and also pays the Fellow’s tuition for 1–6 hours per semester and 1–3 hours per session, depending on how many hours of 7300 the Fellow has yet to complete.

Fellowships typically begin in Summer II and extend through the following Summer I, although some half-year fellowships (Summer II and Fall only) are awarded. If the Fellow graduates during the fellowship period, the award terminates at graduation. Fellows may not hold additional employment of more than 10 hours per week during the period of the fellowship.

Eligibility:
Recipients must be full-time doctoral candidates within one year of graduation who can demonstrate at the time of application the completion of the following requirements:

Superior academic achievement
Appointment of a doctoral dissertation committee and approval of the dissertation proposal/prospectus by the committee
Completion of all courses and program requirements except the dissertation
Completion of all research tool requirements
Completion of all qualifying or comprehensive examinations

Application Process and Materials:
Completed applications are due to the Graduate College by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. The fellowship applicant is responsible for submitting all required components:

The DCF application form [.docx].
A current curriculum vitae.
Applicant's cover letter of up to 3 pages, in which the applicant discusses his/her qualifications for the Fellowship, including how the applicant’s graduate research has been presented and recognized (publications, presentations, awards, etc.). Applicant should also use this letter to give a summary of the proposal/prospectus that is suitable for an audience of non-experts in the student’s field. The project summary should include a statement of the problem, explain the methodology, place the project in context within the discipline and relevant literature, comment on possible applications outside the field, and help a general audience understand what is significant, novel, ground-breaking, and/or timely about the project and why it is deserving of support. The cover letter may be single-spaced; please use a standard 12-point font (e.g., Times New Roman, Calibri), 1-inch margins, and left justification (ragged right margin).
A copy of the advisor-approved permanent program of study (may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office if already filed and student’s department does not have a copy).
Official transcript(s) of all non-WMU graduate work included in the program of study—a transcript from WMU is not required. (The applicant is responsible for ordering and including all necessary transcripts. Please do not have transcripts sent directly to the Graduate College as they will not be attached to your DCF application.)
The dissertation proposal approval form, showing approval of the project by the student’s committee. (The approval form is available at: www.wmich.edu/grad/forms/proposal_approval.pdf). Be sure that the dissertation abstract is included with the form. DO NOT submit the text of the proposal itself.
Table of contents for the dissertation with each section annotated as to stage of completion (at the time of application). Each subsequent chapter’s stage of completion is expressed as a percentage of completion based on three items: (1) research; (2) composition; and (3) committee review and approval. In the example below the first chapter has been completely researched and composed (written), but only partially reviewed and approved by the committee:

Chapter 1, “Introduction and Review of the Literature”
      Research                                   100%
      Composition                              100%
      Review and approval                  25%

The degree of completion for each subsequent chapter should also be shown in the same manner in this attachment.
A proposed time schedule for completing the dissertation and its defense. It should be organized chronologically by month/year indicating when each item is expected to be completed. It will conclude with an identification of a graduation date.

The materials noted above should be submitted either in hard copy format or sent as individual email attachments (i.e., each item in the list is a separate item but all can be sent as attachments in one email) in MS Word or PDF format only to Dr. Julie Nemire (julie.nemire@wmich.edu).

The Graduate College can provide assistance to applicants for scanning hard copy items or creating documents in the specified format, if needed. Please contact Dr. Julie Nemire (phone 269-387-8212, or julie.nemire@wmich.edu) for assistance.

Letters of Endorsement/Recommendation:
The applicant must also arrange to have the following items sent to the Graduate College by the application deadline of Feb. 15, 2012:

A letter of endorsement from the dissertation committee chair which addresses the student’s capability for scholarship, the value and relevance of the research topic and methodology, the knowledge-advancing dimensions of the dissertation, and the faculty/student mentoring relationship to be fostered by this research endeavor.
At least two additional letters of recommendation from faculty who will attest to the student’s scholarly excellence and to the dissertation’s promise of contributing to the body of knowledge and literature in the discipline, through development of a new direction, a new understanding, or a new solution or inference or judgment.

Letters must be sent confidentially, either as email attachment to the attention of Dr. Julie Nemire (julie.nemire@wmich.edu), or sent in a sealed envelope to:

The Graduate College
Western Michigan University
1903 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5242

Questions?
Questions about the Dissertation Completion Fellowship, including application procedures, may be directed to Dr. Julie Nemire, Director, Awards and Special Projects (phone 269-387-8212, email julie.nemire@wmich.edu).

Revised Aug. 1, 2011

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