Main Menu

AY 26-27 Guidelines

Graduate School Semester Dissertation Fellowship
(Ann G. Wylie & Lee Thornton Fellowships)

The Graduate School's Semester Dissertation Fellowship program provides support to University of Maryland doctoral candidates who are in the latter stages of writing their dissertations.  The specific goal of this fellowship is to provide students with time to focus on writing and completing their dissertation in order to reduce time-to-degree, increase degree completion, and enhance the quality of the graduate student experience.  

The Semester Dissertation Fellowships program carry a stipend of $15,000 and tuition assistance for one semester. 

Each University of Maryland Ph.D. programs may nominate up to two (2) candidates for the Semester Dissertation Fellowships.  Please note, specializations and/or concentration areas within a degree program are not considered to be separate programs.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: Noon, Wednesday, February 10, 2027
Students, please consult with their department about the internal selection process and deadlines.

Ann G. Wylie Semester Dissertation Fellowship:  In 2005, the Graduate School inaugurated the Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship program.  The Wylie Dissertation Fellowship is a full-time semester-long fellowship which can be used in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semester. Approximately 40 Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowships will be awarded for AY 27-28.

Lee Thornton Semester Dissertation Fellowship:  In 2013, Dr. Lee Thornton established this endowed fund to support the writing of dissertations at the University of Maryland that serve the public good.  This might include scholarship that addresses issues related to society’s present and future needs, or research that produces findings applicable to those needs.  The Lee Thornton Fellowship is a full-time semester-long fellowship which can be used in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semester.  One Lee Thornton Endowed Dissertation Fellowship will be awarded for AY 27-28.

Dr. Lee Thornton was one of the nation's most distinguished broadcast journalists and worked at the
University of Maryland from 1997 - 2013. Professor Thornton held the Richard Eaton Chair in
Broadcast News at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, a first of its kind for the campus and the
nation. In 2008, she became interim Dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, the first woman
dean of color on the campus. Later, she served as Associate Provost and Ombuds Officer for the
Graduate School. A dedicated campus citizen, Professor Thornton was named Outstanding Woman of
the Year in 2011 by the President's Commission on Women's Issues.

Eligible candidates are University of Maryland doctoral students enrolled full time in a doctoral degree program.  Candidates must have excellent qualifications and in the latter stages of writing their dissertations. 

Eligible candidates must be advanced to candidacy by June 1, 2026, AND expect to graduate by August 2027.

Students holding the Semester Dissertation Fellowship agree not to accept an assistantship, other full-time fellowship, or employment of $2,000 or more during the period of the Fellowship. Supplemental fellowships may be accepted.

Students may receive the Semester Dissertation Fellowship only once.  Fellowships may not be deferred.

Semester Dissertation Fellows will receive a $15,000 stipend, a Candidacy Tuition Award (dissertation 899 credits only), a credit for the student’s mandatory fees associated with 899 enrollment, and reimbursement of up to $1,500 for the cost of an individual health insurance plan while on fellowship

Health Insurance

Dissertation Fellows must be off payroll to receive the fellowship stipend, which also means the state health insurance benefits will not be available to Fellows.  Wylie Fellows are eligible to enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). For more Information about securing health insurance while on the Dissertation Fellowship, please use https://gradschool.umd.edu/health-insurance/Wylie-Fellows  as a resource.  To request reimbursement for the cost of an individual student health insurance (up to $1500), complete the Health Insurance Reimbursement Request Form.  Health insurance for dependents is not reimbursed.

Nomination Packages

Programs must gather the needed materials and submit by the nomination deadline.  

  1.  Nominee Cover Sheet

  2. A Student written Proposal (abstract & one-page statement).
    ** Students are required to write for a non-specialist audience.
    a) Abstract: Students prepare an abstract (500 word maximum). The abstract should include a) the title; b) a description of the study; c) the significance of the study; and d) sources of information or data, if applicable.
    b) One-page statement: Students prepare a statement of: a) work completed; b) work remaining; c) timeline; and d) expected completion date.

  3. The student’s curriculum vitae (two page maximum)

  4. A letter from the student’s advisor describing the quality and accomplishments of the student, the significance of the student’s dissertation project, and an account of how this fellowship would have an impact on the student’s ability to progress toward their degree by August 2027.

  5. The DGS Questionnaire:   We ask the Director of Graduate Studies to complete the DGS Questionnaire in order to better inform the committee about disciplinary and programmatic differences. (If the student’s advisor is also the Director of Graduate Studies, the Program/Department Chair should complete the questionnaire).

Programs must gather the above materials, then submit the five (5) files to the Graduate School Awards Portal by the deadline.  (Do not combine the files.)  Submit nomination materials by going to the Awards Portal at terpengage.umd.edu/gsawards/s/.

The Graduate School appoints a multi-disciplinary faculty panel to review all of Semester Dissertation Fellowship proposals. Because the panel may not include faculty from their field of study, students should write for a general audience.  Committee members will be instructed to evaluate the proposals based on:

  • the student’s achievements and promise;
  • the excellence of the research proposal and the student’s ability to write for a non-specialist audience;
  • work done on the project to date (if any);
  • the potential importance of the dissertation to the student’s field of research; and
  • the likelihood of the student’s ability to complete the dissertation during the fellowship year and graduate by August 2027.

It is expected that the cohort of awardees will represent university values.

At the end of the semester, the student will submit a brief but specific report.

Please direct all questions to Program Director Robyn Kotzker for the Office of Funding Opportunities (rkotzker@umd.edu, 301.405.0281)

Back to Top