Graduate School Dissertation Grants. The Graduate School at UMass Amherst offers dissertation grants in a campus-wide, competitive process for doctoral students.  These are prestigious awards that are very competitive. 

Kayla Boisvert has been awarded a dissertation grant for 2019-2020. Kayla’s dissertation investigates the transition experiences of students who have completed an accelerated education program (AEP) for over-age, out-of-school children and youth in Pujehun, Sierra Leone. Her study is intended to develop evidence-based knowledge about the impact of AEP's in conflict-affected areas on the future trajectories of the completers.  The study will utilize Participatory Visual Methods – specifically, graphic novels - to collaboratively engage the participants in the process of generating knowledge. Moreover, Kayla will meta-analyze the contribution of using graphic novels to understand AE completers’ experiences with and perspectives on transition.