The Graduate Council Fellowship Subcommittee invites applications for the Master’s Thesis Research Grant program. Awards for graduate student expenses directly related to thesis research are funded for a maximum of $500. These awards are normally made in amounts of $200-$400. Once awarded a Master’s Thesis Research Grant in any amount, students are not eligible for further funding from this program. For questions or clarification, please contact Karen Henry by email at gradawards@ucr.edu.

The deadlines for the 2016/17 academic year are 5:00 p.m. on October 17, January 23, and April 17.   Applicants will be notified about the status of their grant application approximately one month after the deadline. Please note that funding availability in subsequent quarters depends upon awards made earlier in the year, so students are advised to apply for funding as soon as the need arises.

Only registered graduate students enrolled in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts, Experimental Choreography, Southeast Asian Studies, and Visual Arts may receive and utilize this grant. The application will be automatically sent via email to the Thesis Director (using the email address provided by the student on this form).  

The research proposal must be written entirely by the applicant; the faculty mentor may provide feedback. The proposal will be reviewed by a cross-campus faculty review panel and should be written to be understandable to the entire committee.

Research proposals using Recombinant DNA, humans or animals require approval by designated campus committees.   Forms and further information may be found at http://or.ucr.edu/.

Provide copies of approval notices or indicate that approval is pending. If approvals are pending the release of funds may be delayed.

Support may be requested for research supplies and/or travel to and limited per diem at research sites. Costs of travel within 100 miles of UCR are approved only in unusual circumstances. Reusable supplies, books, etc., remain the property of the university.

Funds are generally not provided for: (a) attendance at meetings/conferences/workshops; (b) assistants, such as lab assistants, when the applicant can do the work; (c) computers. 

All travel expenses are processed through the student's department. Foreign travel requests must include documentation from a host institution, facility, or individual that the student has the access needed to do the research.

Research in schools (K-12) must have written permission from the proper authorities submitted with the application.

Research grants are not awarded for salary to the applicant or for the actual preparation of thesis copy.

Budgets that exceed $500 will not be considered. The grant periods are November 1 – October 31 (October 17 deadline), February 1 – January 31 (January 23 deadline) and May 1 – April 30 (April 17 deadline). Extensions of grant periods should be requested in writing. Awards terminate upon leaves of absence or filing fee status. Expenditure reports are due two weeks after the termination of award period.

Expenditures must be within the categories budgeted in the application. Written permission is required for adjustments prior to spending funds.

Budget Request

(Detailed item descriptions and justifications are required)

Describe your thesis project, stating the research questions to be addressed, the methods to be used and the data or materials to be analyzed, or your creative activities, as relevant to your project. Place your work within the context of your field, cite references, and explain how your work will contribute to your field.

As part of your professional development, you need to learn to justify and explain your research to an educated lay audience. This application will be reviewed and ranked by faculty in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. If any of these reviewers cannot understand the significance and intellectual or creative merit of your project, you will likely receive a low ranking. You are encouraged to seek writing assistance from the Graduate Writing Center (http://gwrc.ucr.edu) in the Graduate Success office.