Dissertation Year Fellowships

The Gamma Alpha Gamma and Raymond White Dissertation Year Fellowships are intended to help defray dissertation research expenses in the same academic year that students defend their dissertation. The award amount is equivalent to the minimum stipend for a .25 assistantship. Dissertation Year Fellowships will be distributed in two equal lump sums at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.

Doctoral students may self-nominate for these fellowships. Each nomination will be considered for both awards, although a student can only receive one award. Current deadline for the 2024-2025 academic year is June 28, 2024, 11:59 PM.

Gamma Alpha Gamma Dissertation Year Fellowship

The Gamma Alpha Gamma Dissertation Year Fellowship provides a supplement to an already-existing research or teaching assistantship, or other source of funding (e.g., clinical internship), in the final year of the student’s doctoral work. The money comes from the repurposed Gamma Alpha Gamma student loan program. Gamma Alpha Gamma was a graduate/professional fraternity with an active chapter on the MU campus for many years. Members of Gamma Alpha often lived and took meals at the fraternity house, which, in its last incarnation, was on Virginia Ave. in Greek Town. When the house was sold, influential alumni of the fraternity, including William Stringer, Charles Cramer, Ralph Anderson, Allan Purdy, Ray Schroeder, and Ray Rothenberger dedicated the proceeds to the endowed loan program. In the ensuing 35 years, we have learned that fellowships are a more effective way to support graduate education than loans, hence the change in the focus of the fund.

Raymond White Dissertation Year Fellowship

The Raymond White Dissertation Year Fellowship provides a supplement to an already-existing research or teaching assistantship, or other source of funding (e.g., clinical internship), in the final year of the student’s doctoral work. The money comes from the repurposed Raymond White Graduate Student Loan Fund that was established in 1974 as part of Mr. White’s generous estate gift to the University of Missouri. In the ensuing 35 years, we have learned that fellowships are a more effective way to support graduate education than loans, hence the change in the focus of the fund.

Eligibility:

MU doctoral students in good standing may apply. To receive the Dissertation Year Fellowship, students must have passed their comprehensive exams by the last day of the 8-week summer session of the current year’s summer semester. Students must also be committed to completing all requirements for graduation, including the successful defense of a dissertation, in the year of the fellowship.

To Apply:

Deadline: The upcoming deadline for the 2024-2025 academic year is June 28, 2024.

To apply, completed nomination packet on the MU Graduate School InfoReady Platform.

The nomination packet consists of:

Application letter from the student – limited to 2 pages, uploaded as a PDF – addressing the following questions:
- What is your interest in participating in this program?
- Who are you as a scholar (e.g., what you study, your interests)?
- What are your scholarly and professional goals for the year of the fellowship?
Student’s statement of experiences and expertise – limited to 2 pages, uploaded as a PDF – addressing the following question:
- How does your background, experience, and perspective promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research, and engagement?
Student’s curriculum vita – limited to 2 pages – uploaded as a PDF
Student’s statement about career goals (e.g., what type(s) of positions do you plan to apply for, what is your ideal career pathway) – limited to 1 page, uploaded as a PDF

The above will be submitted by the student. The items below will be requested through the InfoReady Platform once application is submitted.

Letter of recommendation from student’s faculty advisor– limited to two pages – that addresses:
- their support for you as a student,
- why your work is important, and
- how they will support your final year as a doctoral student.
- The letter must state that they have confidence that you will complete your dissertation and have your degree conferred by Spring/Summer 2025.
A simple verification letter from either the program’s Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), the Department Chair, or a grant PI:
- guaranteeing the student has support for the dissertation year at a level at least equivalent to the minimum stipend for a .25 assistantship
- confirming the completed or impending comprehensive exams (by the last day of the current year’s 8-week summer semester)