The Graduate School has a grant program for WSU graduate students to defray expenses necessary to the completion of approved thesis or dissertation research. Please note that expenses must be approved before the related research activity begins. Costs associated with preparation of the thesis or dissertation manuscript itself are not allowable under this program. Eligibility requirements, award limitations, and application and review procedures are described below.

I. Applicant eligibilty

Eligibility is limited to Ph.D. candidates who are engaged in dissertation research and master’s candidates involved in thesis research. Applicants must be in good academic standing and registered for Doctoral Candidate or Maintenance Status dissertation research credits, or Master’s Thesis Research credits at WSU.
Ph.D. candidates must have an approved dissertation outline on file in the Graduate School to receive awards. Master’s candidates must have an approved thesis outline on file in their school/college, or a letter from their advisor stating that a thesis plan has been approved at the departmental level.

II. Nature and limitations of awards

Awards are limited to a maximum of $1,000 for dissertation research and $500 for thesis projects. Matching support from the student’s department is required. Eligibility is restricted to one award per student per degree. Funds from the Thesis/Dissertation program must be expended within six months from receiving the funds.

Applications for thesis/dissertation support must be submitted to and approved by the Graduate School prior to beginning the actual conduct of research activities for which support is requested. To meet this provision, applications should be submitted well in advance of the desired starting date of research. Requests for retroactive funding of activities already conducted will not be considered.

III. Application

The application proposal, below, consists of five parts: cover page, abstract, copy of the approved dissertation/thesis outline form, budget, and the applicant’s curriculum vita.

The budget should present adequate details about each expense (such as travel, photocopying, subject payments, and any other charges). A budget justification, an explanation of the relationship of the budget items to project activities, should follow the budget.
The Curriculum Vita should outline the applicant’s past scholarly, professional, or artistic activity. Details about educational experience, achievements, presentations at conferences, and publications or artistic exhibitions should be included in the vita.
Please submit the proposal to the Graduate School, 4001 Faculty/ Administration Building.

IV. Eligible budget expenses

All requested budget items must relate to the activities of the research or project. Requested expenses should be carefully planned and justified within this context. Allowable budget items include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Equipment: Specialized laboratory of field equipment not available in an applicant’s department may be eligible for support. All items of a permanent nature, which are purchased with funds from this program, will remain in the applicant’s department, and title will rest with the University. Books or library materials are considered in this category, and those purchased through this grant program must be deposited with the cataloging department of the appropriate University library.
2. Travel: Travel costs necessary for the research are allowable. The need for travel should be especially well documented. Include an explanation for the need to visit the non‐local site; the advantage offered over local resources; and the relation of the travel to project activities.
3. Travel expenses will be reimbursed at current University rates and should be indicated as such in the budget. Instructions will be provided for completing the appropriate forms. General travel of a personal nature or to professional meeting is not allowable.
4. Subject Payments: Payments to subjects for participation in experiments are allowable. The relationship between these expenses and project activities, especially methodological techniques, should be carefully explained and justified. Contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB), 577‐1628, or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), 7‐1629, offices to obtain the appropriate forms for authorization for human or animal subject use.
5. Communication Costs: Long distance telephone charges to conduct interviews; photocopying of questionnaires or survey instrument; and postage charges for mailings are all eligible.
6. Consultants or Temporary Employees: Special talent needed for completion of the research will be approved in specific cases. A clear justification of the need for people with additional expertise must be provided, and the skills of these individuals must be related to project activities and budget items.
   
   Questions about the eligibility of particular budget items or questions pertaining to the preparation of applications should be addressed to the Graduate School, Cindy Sokol, 4001 F/AB, c.sokol@wayne.edu in advance of submitting an application.

Application for Thesis/Dissertation Research Support (PDF)