University of South Florida
Office of Graduate Studies
4202 E. Fowler Avenue | ALN 226 | Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-2846 |usf-grad@grad.usf.edu
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.
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 Registration:
Academic Standing:
Course Requirements:
Preliminary Exams:
Dissertation
Prospectus/Proposal:
Student Engagement:
Enrollment Requirements:
Degree Completion:
Outside Employment:
Other Funding:
Prior USF Fellowships:
Continually enrolled in a doctoral program since the original semester of admission.
GPA that is 3.5 or higher with no withdraws or I grades.
Must be completed PRIOR to the fellowship application date.
Must have passed written and oral qualifying exams and be admitted to doctoral
candidacy PRIOR to the fellowship application date.
Must be approved PRIOR to the fellowship application date.
Must be engaged full-time in the completion of the research and writing of the
dissertation, including continued communication with the major professor/s.
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.
To be eligible for the Fellowship, the completion of the dissertation must be a
reasonable within the time frame of the Fellowship.
NO Graduate Assistantships or other USF fellowships/scholarships or outside
employment may be held during the award period without prior permission from
the Office of Graduate Studies.
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this Fellowship will be rescinded by the Office of Graduate Studies if there is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.
Students that have received 5-year fellowships are not eligible for these awards.
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.
 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.
1 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package
Office of Graduate Studies
Dissertation Completion Fellowship
Application Process
o
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.
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:
 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 financial need.
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 harries@usf.edu.
All Applications must be submitted electronically to: mcordner@usf.edu
Please use an email subject of “Dissertation Completion App – [Last Name], [First Name]”
2 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package
Office of Graduate Studies
Dissertation Completion Fellowship
Nomination Form (Due February 15)
Applicant Information
Name:
Phone:
U#:
Email:
Current Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Department/Program:
College:
Cumulative GPA:
Current Hours Toward Degree:
How many semesters of support is needed?
For the upcoming academic year, which semester(s) will you need support?
☐ Fall
☐ Spring
☐ Summer
Date of Candidacy:
First semester enrolled in dissertation hrs (7980):
Previous USF Fellowships or GA Support (Name, dates):
Major Professor Information
Major/Co-Major
Professor:
Title:
Email:
Mail point:
Department/ Program:
College:
Co-Major Professor:
Email:
Title:
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: mcordner@usf.edu
Please use an email subject of “Dissertation Completion App – [Last Name], [First Name]”
3 | 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.
Research Benchmark
(Describe what is to be completed)
Date of Completion
Expected or Actual
(if already completed)
Proposal Defense
Comprehensive Exams
Dissertation Defense
Graduation
Student Signature
Major Professor Signature
4 | Dissertation Completion Fellowship | Application Package
Status of Benchmark
(Indicate the current status of
the benchmark; if it is yet to be
completed, use “To Be
Completed.”)