Predissertation Research Grants

Predissertation Grants of up to $1,500 offer early career doctoral students the opportunity to evaluate the feasibility of planned dissertation research, generate pilot data, or establish the necessary networks to carry out future dissertation research, among other activities. The aim is to help students gather information, answer questions, or solve problems to inform their dissertation research design--these grants are NOT designed to fund dissertation research itself.

Who Is Eligible?

UMass doctoral students enrolled in a campus-based doctoral program who have completed at least one semester in their doctoral program at UMass Amherst at the time of application are eligible to apply. If you are enrolled in a joint master's/doctoral program you must complete your master's degree and one semester in your PhD program prior to applying for a Predissertation Grant.

Students are eligible to receive a Graduate School Predissertation Grant only once. Applicants who were not awarded a grant in a previous application cycle may reapply, provided they still meet the eligibility requirements. Students may accept only one research grant of any kind from the Graduate School in the same academic year.

Awardees must complete all activities funded by the Predissertation Grant prior to presenting their dissertation prospectus. 

Funds could support expenses related to:

  • Preliminary research, including gathering pilot data, demonstrating proof of concept, or testing feasibility of research question(s) or method(s)
  • Identifying dissertation research site(s)
  • Initiating or strengthening research contacts to support future dissertation research
  • Evaluating scope and content of potential research resources, such as archival records

Application

Submit your application for a Predissertation Grant via InfoReady. The InfoReady site outlines full application instructions and provides a template to prepare your budget table. The application requires a letter of recommendation from your faculty advisor--you must register your letter writer in the application system before they can submit their letter. To register your letter writer, start your application in InfoReady and enter the name and UMass email address for your letter writer, then save your application draft. Once you have entered the information and saved your application draft, the InfoReady system will send an email to your faculty advisor with instructions to submit their letter. You can return to your saved application in InfoReady at any time prior to the deadline to complete the application.  

Application deadlines are October 15 and February 15 each year (unless otherwise noted in InfoReady). 

The application deadline is 11:59 PM on the posted due date. All required materials (including the advisor’s Letter of Recommendation) must be received by this time. 

Award notifications will be made by the end of the semester in which the application was submitted. 

Supplements for Public Engagement or Travel with Children

Applicants for Graduate School Grants are eligible to apply for supplements to cover costs associated with Public Engagement projects or childcare/travel with children during research. Please review the criteria and application information in the Public Engagement and Travel with Children pages.

Questions on the Graduate School Predissertation Grant should be addressed to researchgrant [at] grad [dot] umass [dot] edu (Heidi Bauer-Clapp).