University
of Oregon Doctoral Research Fellowships Each department
nominates one student who will be in the final year of doctoral
work. $18,000 stipend plus tuition waiver for up to 3 dissertation
students.
Graduate Teaching Fellowships
History Department GTFs. The primary form of financial aid for students in the History Department is Graduate Teaching Fellowships, or GTFs. See section 4, above, for details.
Travel and Research Monies
The Challenge. In this sub-section, we provide a listing of some available sources of funds for research and travel. Students, especially doctoral students, are urged to review this information carefully. Since historians rely on sources, and those sources are often located far from our campus, it is essential that graduate students secure research and travel funding in order to complete their research papers, theses, and dissertations.
It is never too early to begin investigating the sources of funding for research. For larger awards, such as the UO Doctoral Research Fellowships, Fulbright awards, and Social Science Research Council Grants, the writing of an application is a time-consuming process, and there is, invariably, a considerable time lag between the filing of an application and notification of awards. Let us assume, for example, that a doctoral student in Spanish history needs to spend a year of research in various Spanish archives. And let us also assume that this student intends to apply for a Fulbright award to finance the research. If the student completes all UO History Department requirements expeditiously, he or she should be able to begin fieldwork at the beginning of his/her third year of study. But, he/she would be able to begin research at that time only if he/she had applied for a Fulbright the previous October (and then was lucky enough to receive the award). The bottom line is that, unless students plan ahead, their progress toward the degree will be slowed considerably.
In our department, we believe that students, advisors, and the Graduate Director need to work together to ensure that research funding is secured—and that it is secured as early as it is needed. We encourage doctoral students and advisors to begin investigating funding sources as soon as the student has a firm idea of the dissertation topic. As will be seen below, the Department does provide awards to doctoral students for research, but the money available is limited and it is not intended to cover the doctoral research expense of all our students. To make certain that their doctoral research is funded, students need to focus a good deal of their attention on searching for outside funding sources.
See below for specific information on outside sources of funding.
History Department Travel and Research Monies. The Graduate Policy Committee has approved the following policies for allocating funds (when our budget allows).
1. Funds in the amount of a maximum of $300 per student are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and will be available for the following activities, in the given order of priority:
a. Research expenses, such as obtaining and/or photocopying research materials, or travel to collections. When appropriate, items purchased with these funds should become the property of the University and be contributed to the Knight Library.
b. Participation in professional conferences. Normally, recipients are expected to be presenting a paper or otherwise contributing scholarly work; as a rule, we cannot award funds for attendance only at conferences.
c. Career advancement expenses, such as copying sections of dissertations for prospective employers.
d. Other meritorious requests that do not fit the preceding categories.
Students who wish to obtain funds should first obtain an endorsement of their request from their advisor. A brief email message from the advisor to the Director of Graduate Studies confirming that the proposed activity is important to the success of your research or professional activity will suffice.
3. After the advisor has endorsed the request, students must request funding directly from the Director of Graduate Studies, providing in writing a clear explanation of their purposes and the expenses for which they seek support.
4. Preferably, students should request money well in advance of the activity, but the Director of Graduate Studies will also consider requests for reimbursement of past expenses. Reimbursements can be made only after the funded activity has been completed. Original receipts (copies are not acceptable) should be submitted to Martina Armstrong, office manager.
5. We will attempt to allocate funds in a way that does not disadvantage students whose requests come later in the academic year. However, students must submit requests in a timely manner. Second requests will have a lower priority for funding.
History Department Doctoral Awards. In 2005, the History Department began awarding substantial amounts of money to doctoral students for the purpose of doing research on their dissertations. A total amount of $10,000-$12,000 has been made set aside for each academic year to fund up to 4 awards. Students in their second or third year of doctoral study are eligible to apply. Applications are filed in the winter quarter, and awards will be made by April 30th. Successful applicants cannot use the money until they have advanced to candidacy and completed the prospectus requirement.
UO Fellowships, Travel and Research Funds. In addition to the funds available in the History Department, several other units on campus provide support for graduate research and travel.
The Graduate School offers the following resources:
UO Fellowships:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/fellowships_uo.html
External Awards:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/fellowships_external.html
Graduate Funding Resources:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/funding_res.html
Some of the awards of particular interest to history students include:
Graduate School Research Awards. Each year, the Graduate School gives the History Department $500 to distribute to a single student for research associated with either a thesis or doctoral dissertation. The department calls for applications in the Winter quarter, and the award is made by the Graduate Policy Committee by April 30th.
Dan Kimble First Year Teaching Award Two $500 awards for outstanding teaching performances by graduate teaching fellows (GTFs) in their first year of classroom experience. All UO GTFs who meet the criteria, and who are teaching for the first time during the 2005-06 academic year, are eligible to apply for this award. Applicants must complete the required class interview and videotaping through TEP, and submit these items to the Graduate School along with a copy of their departmental end-of-the-term evaluations.
Contact: Graduate School, 125 Chapman Hall, 346-5129 or Teaching Effectiveness Program, 346-2177
Deadline: usually in June
Gary E. Smith Summer Grant, a $3,000 award for up to three outstanding master’s or doctoral students pursuing academic, professional development, or training enrichment opportunities during Summer 2006. The activitiy would provide unique academic opportunities not normally available as part of the student’s degree program. All students must be registered as full time students at the time of application and be returning as full time students in the Fall.
Contact: Graduate School, 125 Chapman Hall, 346-5129
Deadline: usually in March
Southeast Asian Studies Grant, one $1,000 grant designed to encourage graduate research about Southeast Asia. Grants may be requested for educational expenses, including tuition supplements, travel, equipment purchase, books and supplies, and other educational needs. This grant is established through an endowment from Norman Sundberg, Professor Emeritus, Psychology, and his wife, Donna Sundberg.
Contact: Graduate School, 125 Chapman Hall, 346-5129
Deadline: Usually in March.
University
of Oregon Doctoral Research Fellowships Each department
nominates one student who will be in the final year of doctoral
work. $18,000 stipend plus tuition waiver for up to 3 dissertation
students.
Contact: Graduate School, 346-5129
Deadline: Usually in February.
University Club Foundation, Inc. Fellowship Award Program provides a $5,000 award to each of four graduate students to recognize and encourage scholarship, demonstrated leadership, and potential societal contributions. UO, OHSU, OSU, PSU are each eligible to nominate up to three students. Please contact your Department Head about nomination and application information.
Deadline: TBA
Contact: Graduate School, 346-5129
The Center for the Study of Women in Society (CSWS) (http://csws.uoregon.edu/) also provides a considerable amount of support. Its awards can be located at: http://csws.uoregon.edu/grants/index.shtml and include the following.
Graduate Student Research Support Grant ($2500) for research proposals reflecting scholarly and/or creative work from a range of disciplines on a variety of topics regarding gender, feminist theory, or any aspect of women’s experiences.
Graduate Student Travel Grant ($200) for grants that provide some support for travel expenses. Travel must be associated with research and/or creative work on topics related to gender, feminist theory, or any aspect of women’s experiences. Only currently enrolled University of Oregon graduate students are eligible to receive CSWS travel grants.
Jane Grant Research Fellowship ($7500) for doctoral-level University of Oregon students (who have been advanced to candidacy). This award supports dissertations from a range of disciplines on topics related to gender, feminist theory, or any aspect of women’s experiences. This award is for the academic year following the application deadline date.
Laurel Research Award ($2,250) for University of Oregon international graduate students and graduate students of underrepresented groups as specified in the UO campus diversity plan (and noted on the grant guidelines). This award supports research on issues of gender, feminist theory, or any aspect of women’s lives, including research that focuses on the recipient’s own community. The award was established to support UO graduate students at the beginning stages of their degree work who will most benefit from the combination of a research stipend and established collaboration with a faculty mentor.
The Oregon University System also provides very generous fellowships: SYLFF Graduate Fellowships for International Research, supported by an endowment to the Oregon University System by the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF). A stipend of up to $12,000 is paid for the academic year to assist with educational and research expenses. Approximately 5 fellowships are awarded each year at the maximum level, and several partial fellowships are also given. For further information, see:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/OUS_SYLFF_Fellowship.html
Additional History Department Fellowships and Awards. In addition to regular GTF positions, the History Department offers a few fellowships and awards on a competitive basis each year:
The Leah Kirker Scholarship offers a $250 cash award to an outstanding History GTF.
The Turner Award offers a grant of $2500 to an outstanding graduate or undergraduate History student with demonstrated financial need.
The Lang Dissertation Fellowship offers a one-quarter stipend of $2500 to $4000 and a tuition waiver to a History Ph.D. student to allow for a quarter of full-time writing during the final year of work on a Ph.D. dissertation.
All three awards are based on nominations from History Department faculty, submitted to the Graduate Committee in Spring quarter. All awards are presented at the History Department's annual graduation ceremony in June.
UO Fellowships and Awards. Several fellowships and awards are given to graduate students each year as a result of college or university-wide competitions:
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) offers several awards each year, most of which range from $500 to $1000. The deadline for applications and nominations is usually in mid-February, and the awards are announced in March or April.
The Graduate School offers a Graduate Teaching Fellows Award, which is a $500 award for distinguished teaching by Graduate Teaching Fellows. GTFs are nominated for the award by faculty and/or students. The deadline is mid-April.
The Graduate School offers a University Club of Portland Award, a $5,000 award to each of four graduate students to recognize and encourage scholarship, demonstrated leadership and potential societal contributions. Students submit materials by early to mid-March; institution nominations due in late April; interviews are in May in Portland for nominees.
The Graduate School offers the Margaret McBride Lehrman Fellowship, which includes a full-year tuition waiver and a stipend of $10,000. The award is intended "to provide support for graduate students with financial need who are pursuing
studies that emphasize communication, especially writing skills." Applications are available from the Graduate School and the deadline in early March. This award is not offered every year.
The Graduate School offers a few Gary E. Smith Summer Grants, which are $3000 awards to provide support during summer term to make significant progress toward the degree. Examples of summer activities that may be funded are travel and expenses to attend a summer conference or specialized training, a summer colloquium, on- or off-site research, and course preparation and development. Application deadline is mid-March.
The Graduate School offers a Southeast Asian Studies Grant, one $1000 grant designed to encouraged graduate research about Southeast Asia. Grants may be requested for educational expenses, including tuition supplements, travel, equipment purchase, books and other educational needs. Deadline is in early February.
The Graduate School offers Dan Kimball First Year Teaching Awards, two $500 awards for outstanding teaching performances by graduate teaching fellows (GTFs) in their first year of classroom experience. All UO GTFs who meet the criteria, and who are teaching for the first time during the 2002-2003 academic year, are eligible to apply for this award. Deadline is at the end of June.
The Graduate School offers Stephen L. Wasby Dissertation Research Grants, six $1,250 research grants and one $1,500 research grant to be awarded to doctoral students at the beginning stages of their dissertation research. Designed to fund dissertation research expenses to be incurred between June 16, 2002 and June 15, 2003. All candidates must be in good standing and have been Advanced to Candidacy. Applicants must also have a selected dissertation topic and an approved dissertation committee. Deadline is in mid-March.
The Graduate School offers the Target of Opportunity Laurel Awards (TOLA), merit-based tuition scholarship for undergraduate and graduate students with meritorious academic records. Priority selection to students from an ethnic minority community who reflect the UO Campus Diversity Plan, e.g. African American, Asian American or Pacific Islander, Chicano/Latino, or Native American. Deadline is in early March.
The Graduate School also offers the UO Doctoral Research Fellowships, which provide a full-year-tuition waiver and a $16,000 stipend to Ph.D. students for their final year of dissertation work. The History Department is allowed to nominate one graduate student each year for this competition, so the first stage of the application process takes place in the department, with deadlines of early February.
The Graduate School from year to year may offer other awards. Check out the Graduate Schools Awards website (http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/fellowships_uo.html).
The Center for Study of Women in Society (CSWS) offers the Jane Grant Dissertation Fellowship, a $10,000 award, to a graduate student working on topics of gender, feminist theory, or any aspect of women's lives; its deadline for applications comes in early May. The CSWS award website (http://csws.uoregon.edu/grants/index.shtml)
National Fellowships and Awards. In addition to UO funding sources, there are a wide variety of fellowship and awards available on a nationally competitive basis. A few of these fellowships provide funds for research, but most of them are designed to fund the final year of dissertation writing for Ph.D. students. History graduate students are strongly urged to apply for them, because in addition to providing financial support for graduate work, they are a mark of distinction that can prove very valuable in the post-graduate search for faculty positions. Applications for these grants usually require polished dissertation proposals as well as letters of recommendation; deadlines begin in mid-fall quarter. The place to start looking for possibilities is in the American Historical Association (AHA)'s Guide to Grants, Fellowships, and Prizes of Interest to Historians. A current copy is available in the History Department Office. Another resource is the Graduate School Funding Resource website at:
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/funding_res.html
Graduate School Funding Workshops. From time to time the UO Graduate School offer workshops on grant writing and other subjects. Check the Graduate School website for upcoming workshops: