The Graduate School sponsors two research fellowship competitions annually for graduate students who have elected the thesis, project, or portfolio review option. (This fellowship was formerly named the "Thesis Research Grant" and limited to students who elected the thesis option.) The competitions are held in November and April and offer a maximum fellowship of $700.

Eligibility:

Any CWU graduate student who is pursuing the thesis, project, or portfolio review option as partial fulfillment of master's degree requirements may apply for a Master's Research or Creative Activity Fellowship. To be eligible, applicants must have filed an approved Graduate Committee and Option Approval Form with the Graduate School prior to application for the fellowship.

Maximum Award:

The maximum amount of the Master's Fellowship is $700. Graduate students may qualify for this fellowship only once (unless they pursue a second master's in a different field and elect the thesis, project, or portfolio review option).

What the Master's Fellowship will Cover:

The fellowship may be used to pay for:

• Supplies, services, materials and equipment needed to complete the thesis or project.
• Travel justified by the nature of the thesis or project.
• Maps, graphs, and other specialized graphics required for the thesis or project.

Areas Not Supported:

Thesis fellowships cannot be used for:

• Page charges or other costs associated with publication.
• Salaries and benefits.
• Ordinary thesis preparation costs, including cotton paper, typing and binding.

All items (equipment, books, and supplies, etc.) purchased by the Faculty Research funds become the property of the University. All equipment purchased must be placed on inventory and receive a CWU account number according to regular University procedures before it can be used on a project. The disposition of equipment after the completion of the project is negotiated by the department chair and school/college dean.

Review and Evaluation of Applications:

Each member of the Faculty Development and Research Committee will receive a copy of the submitted application for purposes of review and recommendation. Criteria for the evaluation of the proposals include:1) abstract/summary, 2) scholarly significance; 3) action plan/methods; and 4) budget justification.

Recommendations on proposals are made by a vote of the Committee. The Faculty Development and Research Committee Chair (the Director of University Research) does not vote except to break ties. The following are among the actions the Committee may take: 1) Not to fund; 2) request further information or clarification; 3) partially fund; or 4) fund in full.

All comments by the Graduate Committee Chair and discussions of the applications are considered confidential. The text and approved budget of funded proposals are available to the public.

Notification of Commitee Action:

Following the Faculty Development and Research Committee's review and recommendations, the applicant will be notified of the final outcome with copies to the Graduate Committee Chair.

Expenditures:

Payment of expenses for approved projects will be coordinated by the staff in the Graduate School.

Deadlines:

Applications for the Master's Research Fellowships program may be secured from and returned to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research at any time. Deadlines for submitting applications to the Faculty Development and Research Committee for review and recommendation will be November 15 and April 15. The Committee will review the proposals and notification of applications will generally occur within one month following each announced deadline date.

The Application:

Each applicant must obtain the application form for Master's Research Fellowships, complete it, and return it to the Graduate School by the established deadline. Late submissions cannot be considered.

Each application must be reviewed by the applicant's Graduate Committee and all requested expenditures approved prior to submission of the application. The applicant's Graduate Committee Chair must sign the application, certifying that the requested amounts are reasonable and justified.

The Application Includes:

• A cover page form that must be completed by the applicant and signed by both the applicant and the Graduate Committee Chair.
• A cover page form that must be completed by the applicant and signed by both the applicant and the Graduate Committee Chair.
• A project summary, not to exceed 150 words.
• A project description addressing the four evaluation criteria listed above.
• A detailed budget indicating the amount requested and purposes for which the money is sought.

Instructions for Preparing the Application

Instructions are provided along with the Master's Research Fellowship application form(MS Word) (PDF)