Texas State Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The fellowship would provide a stipend ($30,000, paid over 12-months), and tuition support (for up to 21 total credit hours, excluding fees), so that students can forego any non-dissertation-related employment obligations to focus solely on completion of their dissertation. Awardees cannot be supported by other TXST or external fellowships or funding during the fellowship period nor can they have concurrent on-campus or off-campus employment, including internships, during the fellowship period. The one exception is that awardees are eligible and can receive the internal Doctoral Research Support Fellowship. Awardees accepting this fellowship are expected to successfully defend their dissertation before the end of the 12-month period and will not be eligible for future TXST internal funding related to their graduate education. Additionally, the awardees’ advisors are expected to support the doctoral students’ timely completion of the dissertation. Progress reports, signed by the awardee and their dissertation chair, will be due at end of each academic semester during 12-month fellowship; lack of progress during the fellowship period could result in early termination of the award. Awardees and their advisors will also be highly encouraged to participate in periodic relevant workshops (e.g., time management, dissertation writing, etc.) specifically advertised to the cohort of dissertation completion fellows. 

1. Doctoral candidate in good academic standing 
2. Nominees must have had their dissertation proposal approved by The Graduate College on or after May 1, 2023. 
3. The doctoral candidate is expected to complete their dissertation at the end of the fellowship period. 
4. Doctoral candidates who have exceeded 99-credits are ineligible.

1. Each Ph.D./Ed.D. program director can nominate up to three (3) doctoral candidates per program.
2. Included in the application materials will be a brief statement from the program director with a recommendation and ranking of nominated doctoral students. 

1. Detailed timeline for completion of the dissertation within the fellowship period created by the doctoral student and formatted as a bulleted list. The timeline must include monthly benchmarks that show progress towards completion (e.g., chapter deadline dates).
2. Statement from the doctoral student about how the fellowship would assist the doctoral candidate with timely completion of the dissertation (not to exceed two pages).
3. CV/resume prepared by the student, including previous and existing financial support for graduate education.
4. Two letters of recommendation (one to two pages in length): One from the dissertation advisor and one from a committee member or doctoral program director. Letters should specifically include their assessment of the timeline to completion. The letter from the dissertation advisor should include a) their commitment to assisting the student in timely completion including commitment to meeting with the student at minimum every two weeks and b) an assessment of the proposed timeline to completion.
5. Materials should be submitted as a single PDF to graduatecollegedean@txstate.edu

A committee, selected from among members of the Presidential Commission on the Run to R1, will be appointed by the Graduate Dean and will review the applications based on: 

1. Overall strength of the application.
2. High confidence of dissertation completion by the end of the fellowship term.
3. Realistic and achievable timeline for completion.
4. Solid commitment by the doctoral student and their advisor to adhere to the timeline for completion.

The committee will recommend the awardees to the Dean of the Graduate College who will make the final determination. Incomplete or late nominations, or nominations not adhering to the information specified above, will not be considered. 

April 1, 2024

Please visit our frequently asked questions page for more information or email gcresfel@txstate.edu.