NC State Graduate School helps final stage doctoral students through Dissertation Completion Grant Program

Completing a doctoral dissertation is a significant milestone in one’s academic journey, but it often comes with challenges that can impede progress. To support doctoral candidates in their final stages of dissertation writing, the NC State Graduate School offers the Doctoral Dissertation Completion Grant program. This program provides funding and intensive mentoring to students who are within six months of completing their dissertations, aiming to enhance the quality of the research and expedite the path to earning a doctoral degree.

By eliminating the need for additional assistantships or outside employment during the grant period, students can fully commit themselves to the task at hand.

“The dissertation completion grant provides doctoral students with financial, emotional, and writing support to cross the finish line. The small cohort sizes mean that recipients receive highly individualized coaching and form a community that helps them make progress on dissertations,” said Dr. Katie Homar, Director of Academic and Engineering Writing Support. “Through this program, doctoral students recognize their own strengths and learn new skills that also serve them beyond completing dissertations, fostering lifelong habits of mind for writing, productivity, and collaboration.” 

“It’s an important program that provides a supportive space for grad students to acquire tools for finishing a dissertation from both a writing and mental health perspective. Finishing a dissertation is about so much more than just sitting down to write and this program is giving me the time and skills to not only finish my dissertation but also to learn how to form positive relationships with writing and stay motivated beyond my graduate degree.” – Morgan Maly, MS, Ph.D. Candidate Genetics Program

A total of 16 grants will be awarded to doctoral candidates in 2023-2024. Eight awards will be made for the period July 1 to December 31, 2023, and another eight awards made for the period January 1 to June 30, 2024. Students will receive a stipend in the amount of $10,000 during their grant period, which will be disbursed in monthly installments. In addition to the stipend, health insurance and tuition will be covered by the grant.

If you’d like to know more about the program and the nomination process for the January 1 cohort visit https://grad.ncsu.edu/student-funding/fellowships-and-grants/opportunities/doctoral-dissertation-completion-grants/