PLEASE NOTE: Applications may be submitted by Department Administrators only

PROGRAM SUMMARY
Each year, fellowships are awarded to advanced doctoral students in the humanities whose dissertation research shows particular promise. Disciplines include, but are not limited to, history, art history, music, philosophy, cultural studies, literary and language studies, religious studies, drama and performance studies, cinema studies, and gender studies.

Doctoral Fellows of the Center participate alongside Faculty Fellows in weekly seminars as well as other events during the year. The aim of the fellowship is to support doctoral students in finishing their dissertations during the fellowship year.

Fellows must be in residence in New York City for the entire academic year of their residency. Attendance at the weekly seminar is mandatory for all Doctoral Fellows. Doctoral Fellows who are fully funded by the Center are expected not to teach during the fellowship year.

 

ELIGIBILITY AND NOMINATION PROCESS

Doctoral student applicants must be nominated by their department. Departments may nominate up to two candidates. 

Eligible applicants must be Ph.D. candidates who:

• have completed all degree requirements except the dissertation;
• are maintaining matriculation with full-time status; and
• are enrolled in a humanities or arts discipline in the Graduate School of Arts and Science, IFA, ISAW, Tisch, or the Steinhardt School.

Candidates must have already made significant progress on their dissertations.

Students who will be in their eighth year or beyond during the fellowship year should consult with their department chair in advance regarding any applicable matriculation fees and how they will be covered. The Center for the Humanities Doctoral Fellowship does not cover matriculation fees.

 

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Doctoral Fellows are required to attend weekly seminars with the entire cohort of research fellows. These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss fellows’ projects and emerging trends across the humanities disciplines. Fellows must remain in residence in New York City for the entire academic year.

 

FUNDING AND HONORARY FELLOWSHIPS
Doctoral Fellows receive a nine-month stipend commensurate with MacCracken funding, and a research grant of $2,000. If awarded a NYU Center for the Humanities Doctoral Fellowship, the student may not hold any other full-year grant or fellowship from another funding source. GSAS students may apply for a fellowship for post-MacCracken support.

In addition to the three Doctoral Fellows funded through the Center, at least three recipients of the GSAS Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship will be selected as Honorary Fellows to participate in the year’s weekly seminars and events. Each Honorary Fellow will receive a research grant of $2,000 and will take part fully in the Center’s programming.

To be considered for an Honorary Fellowship, students must be nominated by their department for both the NYU Center for the Humanities Doctoral Fellowship and the GSAS Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship. No additional application for the Honorary Fellowship is required.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA AND REVIEW PROCESS
Fellows will be selected by the NYU Center for the Humanities Doctoral Fellowship Selection Committee. The student’s proposal and the department nomination will form the basis for the Committee’s decisions. Criteria for selection will be the strength and promise of the research project, the student’s academic record, and the potential for the student to contribute to and benefit from broad-based interdisciplinary discussions and activities.

Applicants will be notified in late March.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Applications for the Doctoral Fellowship competition may ONLY be submitted by the student’s department. Applicants should be aware that there may be internal departmental deadlines. Departments may nominate up to two candidates.

Doctoral Students: Please contact your department administrator to indicate your interest in the fellowship and determine departmental procedures for applying. It is your responsibility to ensure that the department administrator is supplied with all required materials and information for your application (with the exception of the letters of support).

Department Administrators: You are responsible for submitting all materials and information electronically through InfoReady, including:

• The student’s dissertation title
• Project proposal: the project proposal, consisting of no more than 1000 words, should describe the dissertation, its importance for the field in particular and the humanities more generally, and the progress expected to be made during the Fellowship year.
• An unofficial NYU transcript
• Two letters of support: one from the Department Chair and one from the Dissertation Advisor.