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PhD scholarships are an excellent way to finance your PhD. These awards typically cover tuition fees and living expenses during the duration of your research, though their value varies.
Doctoral scholarships often revolve around specific projects or research areas, so it’s essential to locate the one that suits you. Furthermore, working closely with a supervisor during your scholarship application process can be extremely beneficial.
Archaeological Institute of America Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships
The AIA offers postdoctoral research fellowships to support researchers who have recently earned their doctorates. These scholarships can be a great way to cover research expenses, travel costs and other associated costs associated with your dissertation or project.
These grants are available to scholars from the United States pursuing PhDs in archaeology or art history disciplines. They can be used for travel to conferences and workshops, as well as publishing preparation and research leading up to publication.
ARCE also provides short-term research grants for U.S. citizen postdoctoral, adjunct, community college, HBCU/MSI faculty members and visiting/independent scholars who do not have access to institutional funding for research travel. These grants may last anywhere from three weeks to six weeks and are designed to enable fellows who wish to work on their own projects while in Egypt.
One of the most sought-after postdoctoral research fellowships is the Study in the U.S. Fellowship, which offers scholars a full academic year (fall 2023 or spring 2024) at either UCLA’s Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, Brown University’s Joukowsky Institute or University of Cincinnati. During this time they will have access to excellent research facilities as well as opportunities to discuss their work with colleagues from Cotsen and UCLA’s Anthropology department.
Another post-doctoral research fellowship available to archaeologists from North America is the Deutsches Archaologisches Institut Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship, which offers a two-year post-doctoral position in Berlin, Germany for an archaeologist from North America. As part of their fellowship package, fellows will have access to extensive library facilities at DAI as well as travel and daily allowances.
The German Archaeological Institute has a longstanding tradition of hosting international scholars at its esteemed Berlin institutes. This fellowship is designed to foster contact between North American researchers and DAI scholars.
The German Archaeological Institute is Germany’s premier institution for international archaeological research. A post-doctoral fellowship from the DAI offers North American scholars the chance to work on a project that will be published in their Journal of Archaeological Studies. After their fellowship period has concluded, fellows must keep the DAI informed of their progress and submit an official written report summarizing their work to the institute.
National Academy of Education Spencer Dissertation Fellowships
The National Academy of Education (NAEd) and Spencer Foundation offer doctoral scholarships to support the completion of a dissertation in education. These $27,500 fellowships are presented to individuals whose dissertations demonstrate potential for providing new insights into the history, theory or practice of formal or informal education around the world.
Fellows receive a stipend of $27,500 for one year full-time or two years half-time work on their dissertation, plus professional development retreats and opportunities designed to expand networks, develop research and career skills, and prepare them for educational leadership roles. Furthermore, they receive a letter of recommendation from the chair or director of their doctoral program as well as letters of reference from faculty who know about the dissertation work well.
Candidates for a doctoral degree at an American graduate institution must be in the final analysis and writing stage of their dissertation. They should develop an organized plan for completion during the one or two year fellowship period and include this information on the application form.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult their faculty advisors during the early stages of dissertation planning and writing. They should compose a concise, one-spaced narrative outlining the substantive focus and research design of their dissertation work and its contribution to education theory.
It should include the dissertation’s purpose and scope, how it was conceptualized, as well as a description of the methods employed. Furthermore, it must be sufficiently detailed so that committee members can identify major issues addressed and suggest future directions for further research.
To apply for the NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, applicants must submit a detailed proposal and filled-out application via the NAEd website. A selection committee composed of NAEd members and other senior scholars from diverse fields reviews all proposals with consideration given to: the significance of the research question for education; quality of approach and feasibility of work plan; as well as future potential in educational research.
The application must include a timeline outlining the start and end dates of each phase of the dissertation, such as data analysis, individual chapters, and submission to committee. It should also specify when the applicant expects to finish each stage as well as when they wish their fellowship period to begin and end.
Alan Lucas Educational Scholarships
The Alan Lucas Educational Scholarships, funded by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (ISENA) San Francisco Section, are available to junior, senior and graduate students enrolled in an accredited four-year college or university located in Northern California. Eligible recipients receive awards amounting to $1,500 or more which they may use towards covering tuition and fees as well as other educational expenses associated with pursuing lighting education or research as part of their undergraduate or postgraduate studies.
This scholarship is different than others that require applicants to write endless essays. All you need to do is fill out the application form, which can be a great test to see if you have what it takes for an easy scholarship that could help defray some of your tuition expenses.
Another viable option is the National Health Service Corps Scholarship, which offers full tuition scholarships to students who agree to work as primary care doctors in underserved communities after graduation. This program has proven incredibly successful; you could potentially get paid for your entire degree while doing something beneficial for both yourself and those in need.
You may qualify for the United Methodist Church’s General Scholarship, which offers up to $2,000 to any member of the church. In order to be eligible, you must maintain good academic standing and have at least one year of active membership in the church.
Finally, undergraduate students pursuing research can access several donor-funded scholarships that support research in various fields of study. These awards are given to individuals who demonstrate a high level of commitment in their studies and who demonstrate an eagerness to work hard towards attaining a degree.
For instance, the Virginia State Reading Association awards the Carmelita K. Williams Graduate Scholarship to doctoral students interested in reading education studies. To be eligible, you must be a member of VSRA, have your teacher license, and have shown professionalism while working as a K-12 educator with an emphasis on reading. Furthermore, you must be either a citizen of the United States or permanent resident and be enrolled at an approved university or college.
FTE Fellowships
The Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) awards fellowships to assist current PhD students of color throughout graduate school and into a career in teaching or scholarship. FTE’s mission is to improve the quality of theological education by increasing representation of minorities on faculty at accredited theological schools.
This scholarship is open to African American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian doctoral students who are nearing completion of their dissertation work and seeking a PhD in religion, theological studies or biblical studies. This award is designed to assist these students as they pursue this degree at an institution within the United States or Canada.
FTE provides financial assistance as well as a range of other resources and activities to promote the development of future pastors, scholars, and educators. These include fellowships, leadership incubator grants and resources, conferences, and networks designed to nurture young leaders’ potentials and motivate them to serve their communities through Christian evangelism.
Recently, four Candler alumni were awarded Full-Tuition Fellowships to pursue their PhDs: Lahronda Little 18T, Shari Madkins 16T, Gina Robinson 16T and Byron Wratee 18T. These fellowships provide one year of travel and research expenses – enabling these accomplished scholars to continue their studies in the U.S.
At MU, we offer several merit-based fellowships to encourage the recruitment of exceptional master’s, specialist and doctoral students. These awards provide scholarship money that supplements assistantship funding provided by departments/programs. This creates a more competitive funding package for new doctoral students while enabling departments/programs to offer more assistantships simultaneously – furthering educational support for each student.
These fellowships allow departments/programs to provide an assistantship stipend for the duration of the fellowship and cover incidental costs such as student health insurance plans and computer services fees. Exceptions may be made to this cost-sharing policy by departments/programs with significant financial need.
The University of Alabama also offers a joint faculty development program that assists faculty members at various UA campuses who have not yet earned their terminal degrees in their fields of instruction. This initiative is coordinated between the UA Graduate School and each participating institution, in consultation with each vice president for academic affairs. Support can be provided up to two years full time study, with the primary purpose being to prepare faculty members for tenured positions at their home institution.
