Dissertation Writing Retreat

The Dissertation Writing Retreat will run in-person from 29 July-30 July 2025.

Please note that this event will run alongside the Thesis Writing Retreat (formerly Thesis Boot Camp). If you are a Research student interested in attending this event, more information can be found here.

• Are you at the writing up stage of your Masters project or dissertation?
• Do you put off writing tasks until ‘tomorrow’?
• Are you finding it tough ‘going it alone’? 
• Would you like a supportive environment to help increase productivity? 

We have just what you need – the Dissertation Writing Retreat! Dedicated solely to getting words down on paper (or a computer screen), this once-a-year event is designed to help Masters students  kick-start their dissertation writing progress.  

Sign up to join other postgraduate students in a supportive, structured, intensive writing environment. With the help of your peers and an experienced facilitator, Dissertation Writing Retreat  participants will power through final-year blues, writer’s block, and thesis fatigue to achieve significant progress on their dissertation. 

You are eligible to apply for the Dissertation Writing Retreat if you are a Masters student at the University of St Andrews and are ready to write up your final dissertation/project . This event is not for reading articles, taking notes, editing, or polishing existing material. It is also not designed to offer in-depth advice and support in terms of language and writing style. 

What it is designed for is to support and motivate you in moving past writers’ block and procrastination to getting words down on the page.  The ultimate aim of the Dissertation Writing Retreat is to write a significant amount of first draft material. 

Dates and Times

The Dissertation Writing Retreat will run in-person at the Gateway building from Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 July 2025, 9.15am-5pm each day.  Participants are expected to attend the entirety of the event. 

Important Information

The Dissertation Writing Retreat is a free event provided by MSkills which aims to build a writing community based on peer support with access to one-to-one support for each participant when required. As such, spaces are limited and we cannot guarantee participation for all eligible applicants.  

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply you must be:

• A current Masters/PGT student at the University of St Andrews
• Be able to attend in person for both days of the event
• Have completed the majority of your research or data collection and be ready to write at the start of the event

I am up for the challenge, where do I sign up?

Request a place on PDMS. Please note that we will contact you 3 weeks before the event, and you will need to confirm your place. 

In the event that there is more interest than places, these will be offered on a first come basis.