Summer Graduate Research Assistantship Awards

To advance our mission of research, discovery and academic scholarship, the Western Michigan University College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to offer competitive research assistantship awards for graduate students. This scholarship is not currently available for the 2021-22 year.

Award Information

• Two types of applications are welcome:
• Faculty may request a graduate research assistant to help with new or ongoing research, discovery or creative activities.
• Graduate students may request a research assistantship to fund progress toward completion of their dissertation or thesis research, or specialist project.
• The assistantship includes stipend and tuition for a summer I full appointment at the 2019-20 Graduate College Research Assistant (RA) / Research Discovery (RD) Graduate Assistant (GA), Doctoral Graduate Assistant (DGA), or Doctoral Associate with Candidacy (DAC)
• Awards may support either masters or doctoral students.
• Preference will be given to proposals from untenured faculty who are research-active but have limited sources of external funding.
• Preference will be given to support students entering or in their final year of their graduate program who have no other sources of funding.
• Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the research or creative activity, the student’s progress toward his or her degree, and the evidence for broad dissemination of the resulting work.
• The amount per award and total number of awards will depend on the number and type of proposals submitted and the availability of funds.

All awards are subject to final budgetary approval and authorization by the College of Arts and Sciences dean’s office.

Deadlines

Feb. 15

• Applicants will be notified of the results within six weeks of the application deadline date
• No late, incorrect or incomplete applications will be considered

Eligibility

• Tenure-track faculty with a tenure home in a department or unit in the College of Arts and Sciences may apply for this award. Faculty must identify a graduate student in a College of Arts and Sciences masters or doctoral program who will receive the assistantship.
• Masters or doctoral students in a College of Arts and Sciences program may apply for this award. Graduate students must identify a faculty mentor in the College of Arts and Sciences who will supervise their project.
• A student receiving this award is ineligible for other forms of full-time or part-time support, including teaching assistantships (TAs), research assistantships (RA/RDs), and fellowships that provide stipend and/or tuition support from the Graduate College (e.g., Dissertation Completion Fellowship, Gwen Frostic Award, etc.) during the session in which they hold a CAS research assistantship award. A student may hold or receive a Graduate College Research Grant or Travel Grant while appointed on a CAS research assistantship.

Application

Submit the following materials as a single PDF file by the deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

1. Completed and signed application
2. The assistantship proposal abstract prepared according to the guidelines provided on the application form
3. A current, unofficial WMU transcript for the graduate student
4. A letter of recommendation from the faculty supervisor prepared according to the guidelines on the application form

Submission

College of Arts and Sciences Office of the Dean:
@email

Please include the award name (CAS Graduate Research Assistantship) and the applicant’s name in the subject line. Emails from WMU accounts may serve in place of signatures.

Questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact the College of Arts and Sciences dean’s office with any questions or concerns.