Doctoral & Undergraduate Opportunities for Scholarships - DUOS

​​​​​​​​​​​DUOS Program Description and Guidelines

DUOS is a student-based grant opportunity blending the energy and skills of doctoral and undergraduate students in the Philosophy Department in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (a sister program exists in the Psychology Department in the College of Science and Health). This program enables DePaul undergraduate students to do research with the guidance of a doctoral student mentors. The project is overseen by a faculty sponsor (typically the graduate student’s dissertation director).  Application to the initiative is open to undergraduate majors in Philosophy who have achieved junior status (at least 88 credit hours prior to application, half of them must have been completed at DePaul, with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better) and doctoral students who have completed at least the first two years of the program in good standing (through their sixth year in the program).

The program has a dual focus, permitting undergraduate majors in the Philosophy Department to participate in research under the supervision of doctoral student mentors, readying them for future scholarship, and, at the same time, affording our doctoral students the opportunity to work closely with our department’s advanced undergraduate majors. Each award consists of a $1,25​0 grant for each of the students involved.

Two DUOS awards are reserved for Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) applicants. According to the MAP website:

MAP is a collection of students in philosophy departments that aims to examine and address issues of minority participation in academic philosophy. Though primarily led by graduate students, MAP also relies on faculty support and encourages undergraduate participation. Currently, MAP has 134 chapters throughout the world (http://www.mapforthegap.com/about.html).

The goal of these MAP DUOS awards is to ensure a space for students who identify as belonging to minority groups in academic philosophy to develop projects informed by their minority experience. We understand the term “minority” broadly. Some examples of minority groups in philosophy include, but are not limited to, people of color, women, LGBTQI+, first generation college students, differently abled people, among others. Students belonging to or identifying as minorities are especially encouraged to apply regardless of the topics of their projects. Students who do not belong to or identify as part of minority groups, but who are working in minority areas of philosophy (feminist, decolonial, post-colonial, Africana, Latin American, Asian, queer theory, Latinx, Chicana, Native American, and disability studies, among others) are also encouraged to apply.

Interested students, both undergraduate and graduate, should contact either their professors in the Department of Philosophy or else the Directors of Undergraduate or Graduate Studies in order to find appropriate research partners. Once the students, with the support of a faculty member, have decided on a collaboration, they should begin work on the proposal. The proposal should be written with the input of both students and should not exceed 1000 words. It should address the following:

• the project's research goals
• the preparation of the students for this research project. This is particularly important for doctoral students who must show that they are prepared to act as mentors for this research
• what the students stand to gain from this research
• What sort of research do you envision following from this project? For the graduate student this could be a dissertation proposal or chapter; and for the undergraduate student this could be a paper to submit with a graduate school application or to a conference.​ 
  
• the research plan (frequency of meetings, etc.), explaining the feasibility of the project within the given timeframe

Once the proposal has been completed, the graduate student should initiate the application in the online system. Applications must be completed by October 25, 2024, 5:00pm. An event introducing the DUOS projects will be held on November 8, 2024, 12:00-1:00pm. Research can begin after the orientation, or at the latest by the start of winter quarter. Award recipients will present their research at a department event on May 23, 2025, 2:00-6:00pm. Students may be part of only one DUOS research collaboration per academic year. W​hile we welcome repeat applications, funding priority will be given to applicants who have not yet received awards.​

​If you have any questions please contact either the Director of Undergraduate Studies or the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Philosophy.

Initiating the Application​

Once the proposal has been completed, the graduate student should initiate the application in the online system and upload the proposal. Please note that the Undergraduate​ will need to complete a brief application as well.

Undergraduate ApplicationGraduate Application