Dissertation Fellowship

The Dissertation Fellowship provides $21,218 in financial support; nine full-year fellowships are earmarked for superior graduate students in each Taft Ph.D.-granting department, with recipients being selected by department faculty. The Competitive Dissertation Fellowship provides a $22,279 stipend to five select graduate students each year in support of their doctoral research. Dissertation Fellows are expected to interact regularly with a cohort of other residential fellows through the Taft Colloquia. In addition, fellows will meet at Taft for professional development and writing sessions throughout the year. 

Applications and selections for Dissertation Fellowships are currently closed.

Selection of Taft Allocated Dissertation Fellows is made by each Taft-eligible unit. For more information on selection and application, students should reach out to the Graduate Program Director for their unit.

In order to be selected for this award, students must have completed all course work and qualifying exams, and defended their dissertation prospectus by the time of the fellowship begins.

Departments should be advised that students who will attain 174 (140 with MA in-hand prior to attending UC) graduate hours during the fellowship year, are not eligible for Graduate Assistant Scholarship (GAS) awards. This fellowship does not require that students receive a GAS award. 

Candidates who have had or currently have a Taft Dissertation award will not be eligible for another dissertation award unless there are no other qualified candidates within the department, assessed by a two-thirds majority vote of the faculty. In the exceptionally rare case that a candidate is being awarded a Dissertation Fellowship for the second time, the Department must explain this exceptional circumstance and the reasons for it on its report.

Awardees remain eligible for other awards.

Selection of Taft Allocated Dissertation Fellows is made by each Taft-eligible unit. For more information on selection and application, students should reach out to the Graduate Program Director for their unit.

Applications are required for Competitive Dissertation Fellowships. Complete applications must be coordinated by the Graduate Program Director for a given unit and submitted to taft@uc.edu as a single-PDF no later than the noted deadline. Applications must be formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with 1” margins, and include the following:

1. An abstract of no more than 125 words
2. A project description of no more than 1,000 words, to include a project narrative and a schedule detailing the major landmarks of project advancement, e.g. chapter completion dates
3. Applicant's grade record while in the graduate program at UC
4. A letter of support from the applicant’s dissertation advisor detailing the following:
   1. The applicant's rank among advanced graduate students in the department; and
   2. An overview of their work while a student in the department, e.g. history of course incompletes received (even if substituted with a grade), timeliness of completing projects, publication record (including publications under review), as well as other activities relevant to their study and future career (organizing events, committees participation, general engagement with/in the department)
   3. Expected progress toward the dissertation by the start of the fellowship period (beginning of fall semester) and over the fellowship period
   4. Confirmation that all course work and qualifying exams have been completed, and the applicant has advanced to candidacy
   5. Expected date of graduation.

The primary prerequisite for serious consideration of all candidates is proof of significant progress toward the degree in the calendar year prior to the submission of the application. For students who are in the second year of dissertation work, this progress is usually established by the letter of recommendation from the student's advisor. Letters should summarize what has been accomplished and what remains to be accomplished before the dissertation is considered completed. For students who are about to begin a dissertation, significant progress toward the degree is established by completion of preliminary examination and by letters of recommendation. In exceptional circumstances, awards may be made contingent on satisfactory completion of Ph.D. examinations by the end of the second (spring) semester. 

Departments may carry-over their allocated award for up to one year if there is no student that meets department and Taft selection criteria for the Dissertation Fellowship, but may not provide more than two allocated awards in a given academic year. If departments do not have two students at candidacy, they may nominate a student for the Competitive Dissertation Fellowship, but will not be allowed to carry over the allocated Dissertation Fellowship.

• Taft Competitive Dissertation Fellows receive a $2,279 stipend, whereas Taft Allocated Dissertation Fellows receive a $21,280 stipend. A University Graduate Scholarship accompanies each fellowship through the home department, which covers the standard student health insurance award and course fees. 
• Dissertation Fellows will meet each week with Center Fellows as part of developing regular interaction with other Fellows and contributing to the multidisciplinary intellectual community at the Center. Dissertation Fellows must therefore maintain residency in close proximity to the University.
• Awardees are expected to be active Center members and interact regularly with other Taft Fellows to advance their own work and the work of others, which includes a regular presence at the center by attending center-sponsored events and weekly Taft Colloquia.
• Dissertation Fellows will also meet at Taft for professional development and writing sessions. Topics covered include: developing a writing practice, setting and achieving goals, strategies for interdisciplinary job searches, expanding your professional network, among others.
• Taft Fellows may not engage in any form of paid employment, including teaching, during the period of their fellowship.
• The Taft Dissertation Fellowship is classified as a Graduate Assistant Scholarship (GAS), offered through the home department, which covers an entire academic year, including the summer. This does not include ITIE (technology) fees, insurance, or an international fee, if applicable.
• Failure to meet the necessary obligations of the award may result in the termination of this award.