CLS Doctoral Student Summer Funding

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society offers a competitive summer funding opportunity to promote doctoral student training, research, and professional development. All doctoral students are invited to apply for a CLS Doctoral Student Summer Scholarship, which will support a variety of student activities including attendance at methodological training programs, data collection or travel expenses for dissertation research or other independent research projects, workshop or conference attendance for the purposes of professional development, and tuition assistance for required course work over the summer. On occasion, MA students may also be allowed to apply for summer scholarships.

Students who are actively engaged in research over the summer may apply for summer funding. The research can be their own research or research conducted with a Mason faculty member. Examples of relevant training programs include statistical techniques, survey methodology, GIS, qualitative research, and training on a specific dataset or type of software (see links below for more ideas). Application for summer stipends are allowed, so long as the student is engaged in research activities.

This is a competitive award process; scholarships are not guaranteed upon application, and scholarship amounts will vary depending on the proposal submitted. The selection committee may award full or partial support for a proposal based on budgetary considerations and the merits of the proposal. Ideally, activities being funded should occur during the summer of the award period, but those that take place over a longer time frame will be considered. Preference will be given to proposals that are unlikely to receive financial support from other sources.

Students must submit an application via email to the Director of Graduate Programs and the Graduate Program Coordinator. Applications are typically due in early-to-mid May. The Director of Graduate Programs will notify graduate students via a email about the application deadline and other important details. For full consideration, students must submit a completed Summer Scholarship Application form and all other requirements by the associated deadline. All materials should be submitted together in one file.