Thesis & Dissertation Writing Camps

Upcoming Writing Camps

Spring 2026 Writing Camp - Virtual and In-person

Dates: Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20, 2026

Registration Application: Click Here

Registration closes: 8am on Monday, March 9, 2026.

Summer 2026 Writing Camp

Dates: Monday, May 18 - Friday, May 29, 2026 (weekends optional)

Application: Coming late spring 2026

About

The Graduate School's Thesis & Dissertation Writing Camp provides dedicated writing time and a supportive environment for graduate students who are actively writing their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. The Camp offers structure to help schedule your time as well as programming to motivate and encourage you as you work. Much of the Camp time, however, is self-directed writing time. The Camp is for students who have completed their research or are nearing completion and are engaged in writing their theses or dissertations. Since registration is limited, we ask students who are pre-quals or still in the data collection phase of their theses or dissertations to please wait and apply for a future camp.

Spring 2026 Writing Camp will be virtual with in-person options:

All sessions will be available on Zoom
Our Welcome Session will be both in-person and on Zoom!
We are stocking the Clark Study with snacks for students who want a physical workplace.

Spring Writing Camp March 16-20: Registration Application: Click Here

We offer two Writing Camps annually. These camps are usually held at the following times:

Summer Writing Camp - This special two-week-long camp is held in the middle of May, approximately a week after finals week.
Spring Writing Camp - This one-week-long camp is held during Spring Break.

This week was really beneficial to me in terms of having the time and the space carved out specifically to focus on writing...but also with other graduate students who are not necessarily doing similar research, but who are engaged in this very large project of articulating our research.

Writing Camp Structure

While each Writing Camp is slightly different, we usually establish some variation of the following general structure. After you have submitted your registration application, we will be in contact with a full schedule after registration closes.

Welcome Session
- The Welcome Session is where we introduce you to the camp structure, the facilitators, and all the other participants. We like to give each participant a moment to introduce themselves and their research so that everyone can get an idea of the wide variety of incredible research that is happening around them. We often include a motivational talk to encourage writers who may feel like they are stuck in a rut or that completing their thesis or dissertation is an impossible task.
Canvas Course
- To help facilitate online and hybrid camps, we maintain a course shell in Canvas where we house resources and recordings of sessions and encourage participant interaction. We also use this course to divide participants into individual writing groups (see below).
Writing Group Check-In
- We believe that interaction with your fellow writers is important, so we divide participants into groups of five to ten writers and schedule check-in meetings at least a couple of times a week, usually first thing in the morning to make sure everyone is awake and ready to write. In these check in meetings, we'll celebrate successes, talk about hurdles we're encountering in the writing process, and share tips and tricks for increasing your productivity.
Dedicated Morning Writing Time
- Dedicated writing time is the most important part of this camp. We know that life can be busy, but we highly encourage you to block off, at minimum, your entire morning each day after group check-in for dedicated writing time. Turn off the TV, silence your phone, chain yourself to your desk, and focus solely on writing!
Writing Consultants
- Whenever possible, we hire experienced writing consultants from the Robert E. Hemenway Writing Center or the departments of English or Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies. These consultants will be available to schedule up to one thirty-minute session per day in advance or on a first-come-first-serve basis for unscheduled appointment slots.
Encouraged Afternoon Writing Time
- While mornings are reserved for dedicated writing time, we know that large stretches of writing can be intensive and draining, so we try to break up the afternoons with at least an hour lunch break followed by afternoon programming. But if you're on a roll, we highly encourage you to carry that momentum into the afternoon. If not, we encourage you to use the afternoon time for writing-related tasks, like reading, editing, tracking down citations, or updating your bibliography.

Throughout the week we offer sessions intended to encourage and empower you in the writing process. Whenever possible, we schedule programming in the afternoon so as not to conflict with dedicated morning writing time.
Common topics include:
- Mindfulness Meditations, Formatting and Submitting Your Dissertation, Practical Tips for ESL Writers, Managing Imposter Syndrome, Editing and Publishing Tips, and panel discussions with recent defenders.

Dedicated writing time without distraction is the most important part of this camp. We know that life can be busy, but we highly encourage you to block off, at minimum, your morning each day after group check-in for dedicated writing time. Turn off the TV, silence your phone, get comfortable, and focus solely on writing!

Throughout the week we offer sessions intended to encourage and empower you in the writing process. Whenever possible, we schedule programming in the afternoon so as not to conflict with dedicated morning writing time. Common topics include: Mindfulness Meditations, Formatting and Submitting Your Dissertation, Practical Tips for ESL Writers, Managing Imposter Syndrome, Editing and Publishing Tips, and discussions with recent defenders.

Phone	859-257-4613
Address	502 Administration Drive