Special Study Opportunity and Pre-Dissertation Travel Awards

We announce the annual competition for funds to support students who take advantage of special study opportunities away from campus or who wish to conduct pre-dissertation explorations of research sites or to do other kinds of preliminary dissertation-related work.

Special Study awards are intended to assist students who wish to take advantage of educational opportunities away from campus. This includes such things as specialized workshops, summer courses in advanced methods, courses in which exotic languages are taught, or other forms of specialized training entailing fees and/or travel expenses.

Pre-dissertation awards are intended for students at the beginning of their doctoral research who would materially benefit from an opportunity to explore research sites, arrange for access to archives or collections, or otherwise conduct pilot or sample studies. The program is particularly targeted at students whose preliminary work will contribute to their subsequent ability to write successful proposals for external fellowships or research grants to fund the primary research or the writing of the dissertation.

In order to apply, please prepare a brief proposal which includes a budget for the funds requested. All proposals should be submitted to your Graduate Program Director for review.

The deadline for requests for support for the coming Summer is March 2. Subsequent applications will be evaluated and awards made only as long as the money lasts. Out-of-cycle awards (e.g., for Winter travel) will be considered, again, as funds permit. Awards vary in size, averaging $1,500. Graduate Program Directors who nominate more than one student for these awards must rank their nominees. Demand outruns supply by a larger margin each year.

As we continue our fundraising efforts, an increase in this budget will be one of our priorities, so that we can help more students with special study and pre-dissertation travel in the future.