What is Thesis Boot Camp?
Thesis Boot Camp is an intensive and supportive writing environment for late-stage postgraduate researchers (PGRs). The core idea is to give you the necessary time, space, and encouragement to make significant progress on your first draft. It’s not designed to provide specific advice on editing, restructuring, or polishing a thesis – the focus is on generating text. This might be producing a large number of words or refining and editing existing content.
Taking place on 6-7 December, the Boot Camp is a fully catered event with kind and encouraging facilitators to help you focus, stay on track and to offer advice if needed. The event does not provide accommodation, participants are expected to arrange for this themselves. The weekend will provide lunch on both days, but dinner will not be available.
For more information on what to expect – visit the Sussex Researcher School’s Thesis Boot Camp webpage.
Who can apply?
You are eligible to apply if you are:
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a registered postgraduate researcher at the University of Sussex (including IDS and BSMS);
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in the final stages of completing your degree – that is, you have completed data collection (in whatever form is relevant to your project and discipline) and are currently ‘writing up’;
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able to clearly identify how you would benefit from an intensive weekend of drafting a particular section of your thesis;
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willing and able to attend all sessions, to complete preparatory tasks in the lead up to the event.
How to apply?
Thesis Boot Camp is an immensely popular event. As such the application process is slightly different to other Sussex Researcher Development Workshops. To ensure that individuals who would benefit the most from the workshop are able to attend, it is required to fill out an application form.
The application form is reviewed by the workshop facilitators, who evaluate the benefits each applicant would gain from attending the Thesis Boot Camp weekend and decide to approve or reject the application. All applicants are notified of the decision one week after the applications close.
To apply for the 6-7 December 2025 Thesis Boot Camp Weekend, fill out this application form online.
If you have any further queries or require additional assistance, contact researcher-development@sussex.ac.uk