Internal Funding
Doctoral Dissertation Grant Program
Information and Application Guidelines
Eligibility: Doctoral candidates whose dissertation proposals have been formally approved by the graduate program faculty
Applications available: immediately
Application Deadline: Friday, May 23, 2008, by 5:00 pm
Awards announced: July 7, 2008
Maximum award: $1,500
GENERAL INFORMATION
These grants provide support for dissertation research activities of doctoral candidates. Doctoral dissertation grants are funded through a reallocation of UMass Boston research trust funds obtained from the recovery of facilities and administration costs of sponsored programs. A committee of volunteer university faculty and professional staff members, drawn from various disciplines and program areas, will review all applications and make recommendations to the vice provost for research for the allocation of the doctoral dissertation grant funds. Students are encouraged to submit a brief Letter of Intent to Submit a Proposal in advance of the application deadline to enable the chairperson and the members of the review panel for this competition to react to and comment upon the student’s proposal prior to submission. Allocations for grants are based on the significance of the research, the merits of the research design, and the reasonableness of the budget request.
NATURE OF THE DOCTORAL DISSERTATION PROGRAM
A total of $15,000 has been allocated from the university’s research trust funds for these awards. Students may request up to $1,500 in grant funds. Eligible budget items include technical assistance and clerical support beyond that normally available through the student’s department and program, communications, supplies, and travel. Stipends (taxable remuneration) and equipment will not be funded by the doctoral dissertation grant program.
HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Application packages for the doctoral dissertation grant program are available from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) located in Quinn Administration Building, 2nd floor. ORSP provides organizational support for all internal grant program competitions.
WHO MAY SUBMIT A PROPOSAL
Any UMass Boston graduate student who is enrolled in a doctoral program at the university and whose dissertation proposal will have been formally approved by the student’s graduate program faculty by May 23, 2008, is eligible to submit a proposal for consideration. A UMass Boston doctoral student may receive:
- One doctoral dissertation grant in a given year, and
- Up to two doctoral dissertation grants in 4 years.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Application proposals must be received by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, May 23, 2008. Submit all materials to James Mortenson, ORSP, Quinn Administration Building, 2nd floor. It is the responsibility of the student submitting the proposal to ascertain that one complete copy of the proposal has been received for processing by the deadline.
WHAT TO SUBMIT
In order to expedite the review of proposals, students are required to submit proposals in the following format. Please note that only one copy of the complete proposal needs to be submitted.
- Cover sheet (form attached) with student and dissertation information, a 50-word abstract, list of doctoral dissertation grants previously awarded to the student, and signatures from the appropriate persons or groups.
- Budget (form attached) presenting a breakdown of research expenses by category.
- Budget narrative explaining each item requested on the budget form. Requests for stipends for the student and equipment will not be considered. "Budget requests for travel to present the results of the doctoral dissertation research at a professional meeting will not be considered. Budget requests for general-purpose statistical analysis software available on campus for student use (e.g., SPSS, Stata, Mathematica) will not be considered." Requests for professional consultants to assist in the design of the proposed dissertation research (e.g., research design or statistical analysis consultation) will be considered.
- Project narrative describing the doctoral dissertation research for which funding is being requested. The project narrative is the core of the proposal. Members of the review committee will make their recommendations based on their interpretation of your research as described in this section. It is to the student’s advantage to provide background information in enough detail to convey why the research is significant, what will be accomplished, the schedule of activities, and how the requested funding will enhance the research. The student must be as clear as possible, remembering that the readers will represent various disciplines and program areas and will not have expertise in the subject matter of the proposal. If the work of others is referenced, include a list of the sources cited. The project narrative must be limited to eight (8) double-spaced pages and must include the following:
a) significance of the proposed research;
b) brief review of relevant literature or prior art;
c) project goals and objectives with a timeline for accomplishment;
d) research design, methodology, procedure, and data analyses, to the extent they are known by the student, that will be used to carry out the proposed project; and
e) qualifications of the student that speak to the potential for success of the project - Letters of support are required from the chair of the student’s doctoral dissertation committee and from the graduate program director of the doctoral program in which the student is enrolled. These two letters must address the merits of the proposed research and explain how the support will assist the student to complete the research.
- Other documents, such as letters of commitment from other organizations, departments, or units that may be collaborating on the proposed project.
REVIEW OF PROPOSALS
A committee composed of volunteer faculty and professional staff in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and professional fields will review all proposals. The committee will make recommendations to the vice provost for research who will make all final decisions. Grant awards will be announced by July 7, 2008.
Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Significance – The extent to which the proposed dissertation research will make an original and important contribution to the field of inquiry it addresses.
- Approach – The extent to which the conceptual framework, design, methodology, procedure, and data analyses are clearly presented and appropriate for the proposed research.
- Budget and cost-effectiveness – The extent to which the funding requested is adequate and appropriate to research objectives and activities.
GRANT MANAGEMENT
All university-supported doctoral dissertation grants are administered in accordance with established university fiscal procedures and policies relating to the conduct of sponsored programs. Grant funds will be available no later than August 4, 2008, and all funds must be expended by June 30, 2009. The following conditions are attached to the award and must be accepted by the recipient at the time of the grant award:
- A final project report must be filed with ORSP by September 1, 2009, summarizing grant project activities, outcomes, and expenditures.
- All documents, papers, and publications associated with the research activities supported by the grant award must acknowledge the assistance of the doctoral dissertation grant program of the University of Massachusetts Boston.
For additional information, please contact Christine DePalma at 617-287-5629 or by email at christine.depalma@umb.edu.