Our students have multiple opportunities available for financing their research and study.
Department grants and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students form the core of the department support of its successful students. University-wide grants and stipends are also available to history students, and many of them have received these awards in the past. Various research and travel grants are also available through the University’s interdisciplinary programs in the humanities. In addition, our history students have received national and international grants and awards to finance their research and travel.
Undergraduate
The Allen P. Gerlach History Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded annually to one or more history students. Preference is given to students with an emphasis on non-United States history, especially Europe. Financial need is not required.
The Larry R. Gerlach Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded annually to one or more history students. Preference is given to students with an emphasis on United States history, especially those intending to teach. Financial need is not required.
The Glenn Gray Award
This award was established in 1980 to recognize an outstanding junior or senior history major. The award is usually given to a graduating senior, but juniors have received the award as well. The student selected receives $500 and a commemorative certificate. The application requires a substantial writing sample.
The Ed Hirsch Scholarship
For many years Ed Hirsch, former officer of the University Foundation, has made scholarship funds available to one or two Arts and Sciences juniors with a concentration in history to help them complete their degree. Please note that applicants must be enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, but need not be history majors. This award is partly need-based; the recipient must be on file at the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid as having financial need. The money will be granted for the following academic year, so applicants should plan to be enrolled during that year.
The Vladimir Kucera Award
This award grants a stipend to a history major whose academic program has a significant focus on Czech Studies.
The Carole Levin Scholarship
Endowed by our own Professor Levin, this award is offered annually to one or more history students with a GPA over 3.5. Strong preference is given to students with Medieval and Renaissance Studies double-majors. Otherwise, preference is given to undergraduates studying English History or European Women’s History before 1800. Financial need is not required.
Interdisciplinary Programs Scholarships and Funding
Students involved in interdisciplinary programs should check with those programs for available scholarships and funding. Please look at the Department of History Interdisciplinary Programs page to find out more about those programs.
Graduate
Graduate Teaching Assistantships
All students who apply for admission to the master's or doctoral program in history are automatically considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship. These graduate assistantships are granted on a competitive basis for five years in the Ph.D. program. Occasionally, additional one-semester graduate assistantships may become available with the department. In such cases, the graduate committee will consider all current graduate students who are eligible for those positions.
Graduate Research Assistantships
All students in the master's or doctoral program in history are automatically considered for Graduate Research Assistantships as they become available. These opportunities may arise from faculty research grants, campus and external partnerships, or project-specific positions. The graduate committee assigns these assistantships on the basis of merit and eligibility on an ad hoc basis.
History Fellowships
The History Department makes annual awards to graduate students to support and subsidize research in American, European, and World history. These include the Viola Florence Barnes Fellowship in Colonial American History, the John F. Stover Graduate Fellowship in American or European History, the Dr. Mark Gilderhaus Award, the Addison E. Sheldon Research Award, the Marguerite C. & Clare McPhee Dissertation Fellowship, the Louis Max Meyer Fellowship, and the Peter Maslowski Graduate Student Support Fellowship.
Graduate College Fellowships
The University offers graduate students a number of fellowships each year.
The Presidential Fellowship is awarded to advanced doctoral or MFA students. The fellowship is $24,000. This award also includes tuition, fees, and the University's portion of the student health insurance for one academic year (fall and spring semester). Eligible students must be scheduled to graduate no later than August 2022.
The Fling Fellowship is awarded to advanced masters or doctoral students. Masters students must be within one year of graduation and doctoral students must be within two years of graduation. The fellowship is $20,000. This award also includes tuition, fees, and the University's portion of the student health insurance for one academic year (fall and spring semester).
The Dean's Fellowship will be awarded to advanced masters or doctoral students. The fellowship is $5,000.
Nominees must be admitted into a graduate major, with a specific degree objective, have completed at least one year of coursework in their current program, and enroll full-time (or be eligible for full-time certification) during the academic year 2021-22.
Department faculty and staff may nominate one current graduate student for each fellowship. Nominators will be required to submit a nomination letter and the nominee’s CV.