Summer Dissertation Programs 2023

The Graduate Writing Center holds several programs during the summer to support graduate students who are at the dissertation, dissertation proposal, or master's thesis writing stages. Programs are free of charge to UCLA graduate students who participate. Note: All summer programs will be held via Zoom. We encourage you to participate and have a productive summer!

How to Apply: Submit an application by the deadline indicated for the specific program. We screen to make sure participants are in the appropriate fields and at the appropriate stages, but we otherwise accept as many people as we can.

Eligibility: Only UCLA graduate and professional students are eligible to apply. Participants should also be at the appropriate stage and in an appropriate field for the program to which they apply.

If you have any questions, please contact gwcprograms@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu

1) Dissertation Boot Camp (Humanities & Arts)

This program targets humanities and arts graduate students who have advanced to candidacy and are at the dissertation-writing stage. The program will teach writing strategies and provide structure to help participants produce a draft of a dissertation chapter. Graduate students from social science fields who use humanities approaches, such as historians or political science students who focus on theory, may also apply to this program. This program will meet Mondays, 1:00–4:00 PM via Zoom, for the 6 weeks of Summer Session A (June 26–July 31), except the session on Monday, July 3rd will be moved to Wednesday, July 5th, 1:00–4:00 PM. Deadline extended to: Friday, June 23rd.

CLICK to see application instructions and program details.

How to Apply for the Humanities & Arts Dissertation Chapter Boot Camp : Interested graduate students must fill out the application Google form linked here (your application will be kept confidential) by Friday, June 23rd. Space is limited.

Preparation for the Humanities & Arts Dissertation Boot Camp (for those accepted)

First Session Preparation and Homework:

Before the first session, participants should

read/skim a dissertation recently completed in your department, preferably one chaired by your dissertation committee chair, to get a sense of overall structure (search ProQuest Dissertations/Theses database by advisor);
review and do a brief outline/sketch (1-page maximum) of the structure of one of the analytical chapters in the sample dissertation, paying attention to
1. a) type of content (primary source analysis, secondary criticism, theory, historical or biographical background, etc.); and
2. b) form (narrative arc, argument, and language that signposts what the writer is doing);
organize your notes, sources, and data for the analytical dissertation chapter you will work on during the program. Bring all relevant materials into a single physical and/or electronic location to simplify your workflow.

Participants should bring to the first session

your brief sketch of the sample dissertation chapter you reviewed; and
a 1-2 page outline of the analytical dissertation chapter you will work on during the program. If you are in the very early stages, a bulleted list of the topics and ideas you plan to address in the chapter would be fine.

Homework for Subsequent Sessions: Each session after the first will require 5 to 10 pages of new writing (of the dissertation draft). There may be additional reading and homework assignments to reinforce writing strategies.

Strongly Recommended Reading: Joan Bolker. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day. 1998. (Available at the UCLA bookstore.) We recommend a more careful reading of chapters 3, 4 and 8, but the entire book is worth skimming.

Not sure whether you should apply to the Humanities or Qualitative Social Sciences Dissertation Boot Camp?

Your dissertation fits well with the humanities if one or more of the following applies:

you study texts, aesthetic objects, or theories;
you don't have separate chapters on literature review and methods;
you don't work with human subjects (in a manner requiring IRB approval);
and/or your chapters are organized in a purely topical way.

Your dissertation fits well with the qualitative social sciences if one or more of the following applies:

you have separate methods and literature review chapters;
you work with human subjects and went through the IRB process;
you do descriptive or ethnographic research based on interviews and observations;
your data analysis involves coding;
and/or you write your findings in results and discussion chapters.

Some research--such as oral histories, ethnographic studies, and studies of language and performance--falls in between humanities and qualitative social sciences, but we usually group projects involving human subjects with qualitative social sciences. Oral historians who don't code their interviews may fit better with the humanities. If you are not sure which section to choose, please consult with the GWC Director (Marilyn Gray: mgray@saonet.ucla.edu).

Deadline extended to: Friday, June 23rd.

2) Dissertation Boot Camp (Qualitative Social Sciences)

This program targets graduate students using qualitative social science research methods or mixed methods with a qualitative emphasis. Graduate students who apply to this program should have defended their proposals, completed the majority of their data collection and analysis, and be ready to write (or already writing) the results and discussion chapters (or sections). The program will address writing issues specific to qualitative research as well as general writing and organizational strategies. You are also welcome to apply if you use mixed or quantitative methods but intend to work on a descriptive or qualitative section. This program will meet Tuesdays, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM via Zoom, for the 6 weeks of Session A, June 27–August 1, except the session on Tuesday, July 4th will be moved to Wednesday, July 5th (10 AM–1 PM). Deadline extended to: Friday, June 23rd.

CLICK to see application instructions and program details.

How to Apply for the Qualitative Social Sciences Dissertation Chapter Boot Camp : Interested graduate students must fill out the Google application form linked here (your application will be kept confidential) by Friday, June 23rd.

Not sure whether you should apply to the Humanities or Qualitative Social Sciences Dissertation Boot Camp?

Your dissertation fits well with the qualitative social sciences if one or more of the following applies:

you have separate methods and literature review chapters;
you work with human subjects and went through the IRB process;
you do descriptive or ethnographic research based on interviews and observations;
your data analysis involves coding;
and/or you write your findings in results and discussion chapters.

Your dissertation fits well with the humanities if one or more of the following applies:

you study texts, aesthetic objects, or theories;
you don't have separate chapters on literature review and methods;
you don't work with human subjects (in a manner requiring IRB approval);
and/or your chapters are organized in a purely topical way.

Preparation for the Qualitative Dissertation Boot Camp (for those accepted)

First Session Preparation and Homework:

Before the first session, participants should

read/skim a dissertation recently completed in your department, preferably one chaired by your dissertation committee chair, to get a sense of overall structure (search ProQuest Dissertations/Theses database by advisor);
review and do a brief outline/sketch (1-page maximum) of the structure of one of the analytical chapters in the sample dissertation, paying attention to
1. a) type of content (data analysis, relevant empirical literature, theory, historical background, cultural context, etc.); and
2. b) form (narrative arc, argument, and language that signposts what the writer is doing);
organize your notes, sources, and data for the analytical dissertation chapter you will work on during the program. Bring all relevant materials into a single physical and/or electronic location to simplify your workflow.

Participants should bring to the first session

your brief sketch of the sample dissertation chapter you reviewed; and
a 1-2 page outline of the analytical dissertation chapter you will work on during the program. If you are in the very early stages, a bulleted list of the topics and ideas you plan to address in the chapter would be fine.

Deadline extended to: Friday, June 23rd.

3) Dissertation Proposal Boot Camp (Social Sciences)

The Social Sciences Dissertation Proposal Boot Camp is designed to help graduate students make substantial progress on a draft of their dissertation proposals. Sessions will cover strategies for writing the components of the proposal as well as managing the process. For guidance concerning research design, methodology, and other field-specific issues, please consult with faculty mentors. This program will meet Tuesdays, 3:00–5:00 & Thursdays, 3:00–4:00 PM via Zoom, for the 6 weeks of Summer Session A, June 27th–August 3rd, except the session on Tuesday, July 4th will be moved to Wednesday, July 5th. Deadline extended to: Friday, June 23rd.

CLICK to see application instructions and program details.

How to Apply : Interested graduate students must fill out the Google application form linked here (your application will be kept confidential) by Friday, June 23rd. Space is limited.

Homework for those accepted to the Social Sciences Dissertation Proposal Boot Camp:

For the first session , participants must bring the following:

Annotated Bibliography : bring a bibliography of your secondary and theoretical sources. Select four or five of the most important theoretical and secondary sources and write a paragraph or two about each. Also make sure that you have organized notes for your other sources. For the other sources that will be discussed in your literature review, we recommend writing at least a short annotation (2-3 sentences) for each one.
Project description (from application): bring a 200-300 word description of your dissertation project. Please be prepared to articulate your research topic succinctly.
Research questions: bring in a printout of your specific research questions, or if appropriate, your hypotheses and aims.
Recommended Reading : Joan Bolker. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes A Day. 1998. Chapters 1, 3 and 4. (Available at the UCLA bookstore.)

For subsequent sessions : Each session will have a required writing assignment related to your proposal. There may also be required readings that we will make available electronically.

Not sure whether you should apply to the Humanities Prospectus or Social Sciences Proposal Boot Camp?

Your dissertation fits well with the qualitative social sciences if one or more of the following applies:

you have separate methods and literature review chapters;
you work with human subjects and went through the IRB process;
you do descriptive or ethnographic research based on interviews and observations;
your data analysis involves coding;
and/or you write your findings in results and discussion chapters.

Your dissertation fits well with the humanities if one or more of the following applies:

you study texts, aesthetic objects, or theories;
you don't have separate chapters on literature review and methods;
you don't work with human subjects (in a manner requiring IRB approval);
and/or your chapters are organized in a purely topical way.

Deadline extended to: Friday, June 23rd.

4) Dissertation Prospectus Boot Camp (Humanities & Arts)

The Humanities Dissertation Prospectus Boot Camp is designed to help graduate students in the humanities and/or those conducting interdisciplinary research make substantial progress on a draft of their dissertation prospectuses. The goal is to demystify the dissertation prospectus. Sessions will cover strategies for writing the components of the prospectus as well as managing the writing process, deadlines, and committee. Guidance will include field-specific components like research design and methodology; however participants will also be encouraged to consult with their faculty advisors/mentors throughout the process. This program will meet Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:00–5:45 PM, via Zoom for 6 weeks (July 25–August 31). Deadline Extended to: Friday, July 21st.

CLICK to see application instructions and program details.

How to Apply: Interested graduate students must fill out the Google application form linked here (your application will be kept confidential) by Friday, July 21st.

Homework for those accepted to the Humanities & Arts Prospectus Boot Camp:

For the first session, participants must bring in the following:

Annotated Bibliography: bring a bibliography of your secondary and theoretical sources. Select four or five of the most important theoretical and secondary sources and write a paragraph or two about each. Also make sure that you have organized notes for your other sources. For the other sources that will be discussed in your literature review, we recommend writing at least a short annotation (2-3 sentences) for each one.
Project description (from application): bring a 200-300 word description of your dissertation project. Please be prepared to articulate your research topic succinctly.
Reading Assignment : In preparation for the first session, please read: Joan Bolker. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes A Day. 1998. Chapters 1, 3 and 4. (Available at the UCLA bookstore.)

For subsequent sessions: Each session will have a required writing assignment related to your prospectus. There may be additional required readings that we will make available electronically.

Not sure whether you should apply to the Humanities Prospectus or Social Sciences Proposal Boot Camp?

Your dissertation fits well with the humanities if one or more of the following applies:

you study texts, aesthetic objects, or theories;
you don't have separate chapters on literature review and methods;
you don't work with human subjects (in a manner requiring IRB approval);
and/or your chapters are organized in a purely topical way.

Your dissertation fits well with the social sciences if one or more of the following applies:

you have separate methods and literature review chapters;
you work with human subjects and went through the IRB process;
you do descriptive or ethnographic research based on interviews and observations;
your data analysis involves coding;
and/or you write your findings in results and discussion chapters.

Deadline to Apply Extended to: Friday, July 21st.

5) Summer Writing Retreat (All Fields)

For various reasons, we have decided to cancel the 2023 Summer Thesis Retreat. We apologize for any inconvenience. We encourage you to register for summer online writing groups and mindful writing retreats (linked here).

If you have any questions, please contact gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu

Previous Workshops and Programs

Click here to see an archive of past programs and workshops.