Supplemental Dissertation Support for Humanities Graduate Students

Prepared by:

Ian Funk, PhD

Dissertation Coach and Academic Editor

www.ifedits.com | ifeditingcoaching@gmail.com

Overview:

Dissertation-stage graduate students in the humanities often work independently for extended periods of time, engaging in intellectually complex, writing-intensive projects with long timelines and limited day-to-day structure.

While faculty advising and committee oversight remain central to the dissertation process, many students find that institutional support necessarily becomes less consistent once coursework is complete. This can leave capable scholars struggling not with research ability, but with isolation, sustainability, and the emotional demands of prolonged independent work.

The resources described below are designed to provide supplemental, non-evaluative support for humanities doctoral candidates navigating this stage.

What this support provides:

The 6 Month Slow Burn Dissertation Coaching Cycle offers structured, time-limited support for students preparing to complete and defend their dissertations.

The program emphasizes:

  • sustained pacing over a six-month horizon

  • accountability appropriate to long-form writing

  • developmental engagement with drafts (not evaluative feedback)

  • project planning and chapter-level strategy

  • emotional sustainability during independent research and writing

The coaching model is particularly suited to humanities dissertations, which often involve interpretive argumentation, extensive revision, archival or theoretical work, and iterative writing processes that do not lend themselves to short-term or urgency-based completion models.

What this support is not:

To ensure appropriate boundaries, it is important to note that this coaching:

  • does not replace faculty advising or committee oversight

  • does not determine dissertation content or scholarly direction

  • does not provide authorship, editing-for-hire, or evaluative judgment

  • is not therapy or mental health treatment

All academic authority and approval remain fully with the student’s advisor and committee.

Who this support is designed for:

This program may be especially useful for:

  • ABD or late-stage humanities doctoral candidates

  • students who have completed coursework and are writing independently

  • students working remotely or out of funding

  • students experiencing isolation, stalled momentum, or burnout

  • students seeking additional structure while remaining fully engaged with faculty advisors

Emotional Self-Assessment for Dissertation Writers:

As a low-stakes entry point, students may also access a short Emotional Self-Assessment for Dissertation Writers.

This reflective resource helps students:

  • take stock of emotional and cognitive capacity

  • consider sustainability and support needs

  • clarify whether and how they wish to continue

The assessment is non-diagnostic and does not require enrollment in coaching.

Program details:

Upcoming Cycle: February 2 – July 2026 (with August graduation in mind)

Format: Remote, one-on-one coaching

Enrollment: Limited cohort

Institutional alignment:

These resources are intended to complement existing departmental structures and to support humanities graduate students in completing their degrees with care, integrity, and sustainability.