The University Writing Center is offering two programs designed to help doctoral candidates as they work on their dissertations — a two-week intensive “boot camp” during Winter Session and a once-a-week structured writing environment during spring semester.

The Dissertation Boot Camp will be held daily from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, with sessions meeting in the Writing Center’s Memorial Hall location from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

“Time after time, students tell us they prize the boot camp for the structure it provides to their writing, for the sense of community it engenders among students from across the campus and for the flexible writing strategies shared by the boot camp instructors,” said Melissa Ianetta, director of the Writing Center and professor of English.

In the boot camp’s workshop-retreats, participants spend the majority of their time writing. However, sessions also include brief discussions on topics of common interest to dissertation students, such as motivation, goal setting, time management and the writing habits of successful and prolific academic writers.

The University Writing Centers provide time, space and professional support to help students progress on their dissertations, and lunch is provided.

New and returning dissertation boot camp participants are welcome to apply. Further information and the application form can be found at the Dissertation Boot Camp website. Review of applications begins Dec. 9.

The spring semester program, “Dissertate Write Now!” will meet from 8-10 a.m. every Monday when classes meet, offering those who are writing their dissertations a structured writing environment — and a free breakfast.

Successful applicants, who must commit to attending all meetings, will start each week working in a productive community of writers, Ianetta said.

“We’ve had such success with the dissertation boot camps in the winter and summer breaks that we want to find ways to bring this kind of productivity strategy to the academic year,” she said. “After all, graduate students are writing year round.”

Tony DiPrima, a student who took part in fall semester’s program to work on his dissertation about solar development on contaminated lands, urged his fellow doctoral candidates to consider Dissertate Write Now!

“I think it helps to set aside a block of time,” he said. “If you find that you put it off and put it off, the program is like a classroom commitment, so there’s the discipline of having that time on the calendar to make the writing happen.”

The deadline for application to the program is Friday, Dec. 22. Interested doctoral candidates can find the application form here.