The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Rural Poverty Research Center funds fellowships to support PhD dissertation research addressing the causes and impacts of poverty in rural areas of the United States or the policy options that might reduce poverty or its negative impacts.

Purpose: The purpose of this program is to enable PhD candidates enrolled at accredited institutions of higher learning to complete dissertations on issues related to rural poverty. Preference is given to those topics that have policy implications regarding poverty reduction and increased self-reliance in rural areas.

Eligibility: Candidates must be currently enrolled in an accredited doctoral program at an accredited institution of higher education. In order to be eligible to apply, candidates must have completed the preliminary examinations for the doctorate not later than March 1 of the year applying. We encourage applications from any academic discipline (sociology, economics, political science, geography, developmental psychology, for examples) that can provide insight into rural poverty issues. The fellowship is intended to be the principal source of support for PhD candidates during the writing of the dissertation. The fellowship will be reduced by the amount of any other financial assistance, which must be disclosed by the applicant to the Center.

Stipend: The fellowship carries a stipend of $20,000 for a 12-month period. It is expected that fellowship holders will not have full-time employment during the fellowship period.

Application: Individuals interested in applying for the dissertation fellowship should submit the following materials (there is no application form):

1) Short letter of application and current curriculum vitae.
2) One-page dissertation abstract.
3) A technical summary of the dissertation. This technical summary of the dissertation should describe the aim of the dissertation, its significance relative to existing literature, and the research methods and data proposed for the analysis. The summary should not exceed 2,500 words in length (not including bibliography).
4) Two letters of recommendation. Two letters of recommendation, one from the applicant’s dissertation chair and one from another faculty member, are required. The recommendation from the dissertation chair must include a certification that the applicant has passed all preliminary examinations by March 1.
5) Graduate transcript. An official transcript from the current graduate institution only should be submitted in a sealed envelope with a signature and/or stamp across the seal.

We are not accepting applications at this time. Please check in early 2006 for information about upcoming funding.

For more information please contact rprc@oregonstate.edu or (541) 737-1442. Abstracts of projects funded previously are available on this website under each fellowship year.