The application portal for Cohort 8 (Spring 2025 – Fall 2025) is open. Applications are due by 12pm NOON on Friday, October 11, 2024.
Please review all the application information below before beginning your submission on the application portal. Questions? Contact Betsy Staudt Willet, PURPOSE Program Manager, betsy.staudtwillet@fsu.edu
Thank you for your interest in the PURPOSE Research Training Fellowship! The PURPOSE program trains a diverse cohort of fellows in research with a focus on social justice in education. The goal of the program is to provide fellows with opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills they need to enter and successfully complete graduate programs in education and related fields. PURPOSE fellows will spend one year developing research skills through one-on-one faculty mentor relationships, research apprenticeships with faculty mentors (5 hours/week), coursework (5-10 hours/week), bi-weekly proseminars, and a service-learning research practicum (for example, at the local CDF Freedom Schools at FAMU DRS). Financial support for the program is provided by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Pathways Training Program (Award number: R305B210014).
Eligibility requirements
- Continuous enrollment through Fall 2025 at FSU or FAMU as either an upperclassman or beginning master’s student in education or a related field (including but not limited to Psychology, English, etc.). Note: PURPOSE is a yearlong fellowship that requires you to participate throughout the spring, summer, and fall semesters of 2025. Post-baccalaureate students are only eligible to participate in the event that they are between undergraduate and graduate programs at FAMU or FSU during the summer of 2025, but preferred consideration will be given to continuously enrolled students. Graduate students who plan to graduate before the fall 2025 semester are not eligible to participate.
- Ability to devote 10-15 hours/week to fellowship activities
- In-person availability during the day in Tallahassee so you can work with your mentor, attend bi-weekly proseminars on Fridays throughout the year, and serve at your service-learning site during the summer.
- U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident (documentation required of permanent residents)
- 3.0 GPA (undergraduates) or 3.3 GPA (graduate students)
Application Documents
Please prepare these required application components prior to initiating the online application submission.
- Goal statement: A statement describing your goals, interests, experience, and fit with PURPOSE. Please be sure to address each of the following in a 2-3 page statement:
- Your academic/career goals, including interest in pursuing a doctorate in an education related field
- How PURPOSE could help you achieve your goals
- Potential areas of research interest
- Your interest in working with one or more faculty mentors
- Any experiences working in research and/or education
- Letter of recommendation: Invite a faculty member (preferred) or a relevant mentor/educator to speak to your potential for graduate study and conducting research in education. The letter of recommendation should include the recommender’s name, title, institution, and email address; the recommender must send the letter directly to the PURPOSE Director, Jeannine Turner (jeturner@fsu.edu).
- Unofficial undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) academic transcript(s)
- Documentation for Permanent Residents (U.S. citizens do not need to submit proof of citizenship)
Download the full list of application questions (Word or PDF)
