Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Fellowship Details

Stipend: $25,000, plus funds for research costs of up to $3,000 and for university fees of up to $5,000
Tenure: one year beginning summer 2009
Completed applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application system (ofa.acls.org) no later than 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, November 12, 2008.
Notifications will be sent in late March 2009.

ACLS invites applications for the third annual competition for the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships. These fellowships are to assist graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences (1) in the last year of Ph.D. dissertation writing. This program aims to encourage timely completion of the Ph.D. Applicants must be prepared to complete their dissertations within the period of their fellowship tenure or shortly thereafter.

ACLS will award 65 Fellowships in this competition for a one-year term beginning between June and September 2009 for the 2009-2010 academic year. The Fellowship tenure may be carried out in residence at the Fellow's home institution, abroad, or at another appropriate site for the research. The total award of up to $33,000 includes a stipend plus additional funds for university fees and research support. These Fellowships may not be held concurrently with any other major fellowship or grant.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

* be Ph.D. candidates in a humanities or social science department in the United States. Applicants from other departments may be eligible if their project is in the humanities or related social sciences, and their principal dissertation supervisor holds an appointment in a humanities field or related social science field. (Students completing master’s degrees are not eligible, even if they are the terminal degree in the field.)
* have all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation completed before beginning fellowship tenure.
* be no more than six years in the degree program; awardees can hold this Fellowship no later than their seventh year.

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted online and must include:
* Completed application form, including a statement of all university and external support received during graduate study: fellowships, teaching or research assistantships, tuition grants, and summer support.
* Proposal (no more than five pages, double spaced), including a timeline for the expected completion of dissertation writing and defense.
* Up to three additional pages of images, musical scores, or other similar supporting non-text materials [optional]
* Bibliography (no more than two pages)
* Completed chapter of the dissertation (that is neither the introduction, nor the conclusion, nor the literature review) of not more than 25 double-spaced pages, or a representative 25-page excerpt from a longer chapter. The chapter must be in English, though citations may be in other languages (with translations provided).
* Two reference letters
* A letter from the applicant’s institution (preferably from the applicant’s department chair or dean), including (1) a statement attesting to the viability of the proposed timeline for completion; (2) stipulation that, in the event of an award, the university will not charge the student tuition or fees beyond a limit of $5,000 and will provide for any additional costs, such as health insurance; and (3) a pledge that if an ACLS award is made, the university will not provide the applicant with any subsequent aid.