Fellowships

Graduate students in the Ph.D. program in the History of Art and Architecture are supported by a number of fellowships offered by the Harvard Griffin GSAS as well as various research and area studies centers at Harvard University. The fellowships are offered for different purposes—e.g. summer pre-dissertation research and fieldwork, language study, dissertation support on and off campus—and for varied periods of time. There are also many external fellowships to which students may apply across the years of their degree program. The following list, organized by G-year, describes the fellowship opportunities and their requirements. G1-3 students should discuss their fellowship applications with the Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate Coordinator; G4+ students should develop a plan each academic year for internal and external fellowship competitions and discuss their applications with the primary adviser and other members of their dissertation committee. Advance planning enhances the quality and strength of the fellowship application and facilitates the preparation of letters of recommendation and other supporting documentation. Developing skills in applying to fellowships will enhance professional development during the years of your graduate study and throughout the remainder of your career as a scholar.

For general information on internal and external fellowships visit the Harvard Griffin GSAS Fellowships Page as well as the Fellowships and Writing Center. An additional resource is offered by the GSAS which maintains the CARAT Database for Fellowships and Grants.

G1 & G2

Pre-Dissertation Summer Fellowships

The GSAS Graduate Society Summer Predissertation Fellowships are for outstanding graduate students in the Humanities and Social Sciences to pursue summer language study or preliminary dissertation research or fieldwork.

The GSAS Summer School Tuition Fellowships are intended to enable doctoral students to engage in language study at the Harvard Summer School in Cambridge, either to prepare for their department foreign language exam, or to prepare for language needs related to the dissertation. Please note: This opportunity ordinarily is for use in the summer following the G1 or G2 or G3 year, but under special circumstances students in later years may apply. Note as well, that this fellowship does not apply to Harvard Summer School programs that are conducted abroad; it is exclusively for Harvard Summer School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Both fellowships involve a two-stage application involving a ranking by the Faculty of the HAA Department and then review by the Griffin GSAS Fellowships Office.

Applications are submitted in CARAT for departmental review by FEBRUARY 15.

Once reviewed, the applications are automatically forwarded to the Griffin GSAS for their review in early February.

Notification for this fellowship is typically late-April.

For information about application contents and requirements, please visit the Harvard Griffin GSAS Fellowships Office website.

Information about other Harvard summer fellowships supporting fieldwork and language study through various research centers are listed at the above website. The following centers have a record of supporting students in History of Art and Architecture:

G3

Kennedy, Knox, and Sheldon Travel Fellowships

The Committee on General Scholarships invites Harvard graduate and professional schools to nominate candidates who wish to apply for support to conduct research or study abroad for the academic year. Funding supports students in their G4 year. The competition is open to current Harvard graduate students or students who will graduate from one of Harvard’s professional schools in the current academic year.

This fellowship involves a two-stage application: first, a ranking by the HAA Department; second, review and final selection by the GSAS Fellowships Office.

Applications are submitted in CARAT for departmental review by NOVEMBER 15.

Once reviewed, the applications are automatically forwarded to GSAS for their review in early December.

Notification for this fellowship is typically in mid-April.

For information about application contents and requirements, please visit the Harvard Griffin GSAS Fellowships Office website.

Fulbright US Student Program

GSAS students are encouraged to apply for the Fulbright US Student Program for study or research in over 140 countries worldwide with a focus on cultural exchange through direct interactions with members of the host community. The fellowship is offered by the Institute of International Education (IIE) on behalf of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

For information about application contents and requirements, please visit the Harvard Griffin GSAS Fellowships Office website.

Fulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program (DDRA)

The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern languages and area studies in the US by providing opportunities for doctoral students to conduct research abroad. Research projects should focus on one or more of the following geographic areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, South Asia, the Near East, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and the Western Hemisphere (excluding the United States and its territories). Research is allowed in multiple countries.

For information about application contents and requirements, please visit the Fulbright-Hays page on the Harvard Griffin GSAS Fellowships Office website.

Porter Travel Award

The Porter Travel Awards are dedicated funds to support research and travel in the fourth year. The Porter is authorized by the University from year to year.

Pre-Dissertation Summer Fellowship

See G1 & G2: Pre-Dissertation Summer Fellowship

G4+

Merit and Term Time Research Fellowships

A semester award that allows outstanding GSAS students to focus their time on research, fieldwork, and writing. These fellowships are for outstanding GSAS students in the humanities, social sciences, and in specifically designated areas of study in the natural sciences and mathematics. Students must have passed Generals and have an approved dissertation prospectus at the time of nomination, or no later than the beginning of the semester when the award is taken. Notification for this fellowship is typically mid-April.

Applications are submitted in CARAT for departmental review by NOVEMBER 15.

Once reviewed, the applications are automatically forwarded to GSAS for their review in early December.

Harvard Griffin GSAS: Summer, Research and Travel Fellowships

External Fellowships Requiring Departmental Nomination

Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (National Gallery of Art), Kress Foundation, Dedalus Foundation, and Graham Foundation

Successful applications to these fellowship competitions are typically those made by students who have completed at least one year of fieldwork and research and who can demonstrate advanced progress toward the dissertation and its completion.

To be considered for these fellowships, G4+ students should submit the following materials by September 27 10:00 a.m. by email or WeTransfer as one pdf to the Graduate Coordinator:

Departmental cover form
Dissertation Proposal
Critical Bibliographic Essay
Research to Date
Tentative Schedule
Transcript
Faculty Letter of Recommendation (sent directly to Graduate Coordinator)

Recommendation letters should be sent directly to the Graduate Coordinator. One is required ON the submission deadline. The Faculty of the HAA Department reviews the applications and determines the nominees to the external fellowships based on dissertation progress, quality of application, and suitability to the individual fellowships.

The final application deadline (if nominated) for the CASVA (National Gallery of Art) is November 15 and all material must be submitted online. If you are nominated for the Kress, Dedalus, or Graham Foundation grants you will collect and send the application yourself. One nomination is possible for each CASVA fellowship and two for the Kress Institutional*; one each for Dedalus and Graham.

*Please note: If one of your recommenders for the Kress Institutional Fellowship is on the selection committee at the institution for which you are applying, they will be recused from the committee during deliberations about your application.

Sample winning fellowship applications of all types are archived for reference in the Graduate Program Coordinator's office.

Helen Frankenthaler Fund for Graduate Research
The Department of History of Art and Architecture offers one annual fellowship to support doctoral dissertation research in the history of modern art. Students should have completed at least one year of fieldwork and research and be able to demonstrate advanced progress toward the degree. Priority will be given to G5+. The fellowship supports research-related costs, technology and equipment, tuition, travel, and housing. The level of award annually is $21,000. There is no residential requirement.

To be considered for these fellowships, G5+ students should submit the following materials by April 30 10:00 a.m. by email or WeTransfer as one pdf to the Graduate Program Coordinator:

Dissertation Proposal (1,000 words)
Critical Bibliographic Essay (500 words)
Research to Date (500 words)
Tentative Schedule (1 page)
Transcript
Faculty Letter of Recommendation (to be sent directly to the Graduate Coordinator)

About Helen Frankenthaler
“Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), whose career spanned six decades, has long been recognized as one of the great American artists of the twentieth century. She was eminent among the second generation of postwar American abstract painters and is widely credited for playing a pivotal role in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field painting. Through her invention of the soak-stain technique, she expanded the possibilities of abstract painting, while at times referencing figuration and landscape in unique ways. She produced a body of work whose impact on contemporary art has been profound and continues to grow.” From Helen Frankenthaler: A Brief Biography https://www.frankenthalerfoundation.org/helen/biography

Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Eligible students in the humanities and social sciences are guaranteed a GSAS dissertation completion fellowship (DCF) between the G4 and G7 years and must apply for the DCF in advance of the dissertation completion year.

Harvard Griffin GSAS: Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Additional Fellowships and Internships

Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture

The Aga Khan Program Fellowship opportunities are available for AKPIA HAA students, Joint CMES/HAA students, and Joint GSD/HAA students. Students outside these areas with interests in the history of Islamic Art and Architecture are welcome to apply, but preference is given to those within HAA.

In general, the deadline is March 1 of each year.,

Proposal and budget should be submitted directly (by email) to the program administrator in the Aga Khan Program.

Harvard University Gordon Parks Foundation Scholarship

This annually awarded scholarship supports a Harvard undergraduate or graduate student who is researching a topic that explores the relationship between race and aesthetics, racial equity, social justice, and visual culture in American life toward preparation for a senior thesis project or a doctoral thesis in the B.A. and Ph.D. degree programs offered by the Departments of African and African American Studies and the History of Art and Architecture (separately or jointly). Generally, these funds would be used by an undergraduate during the summer months—to support the research fieldwork of a rising senior—and by a graduate student at any time in the academic year. Proposals to work in the archives of the Gordon Parks Foundation in New York are also welcome.

The scholarship honors the legacy of photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks and acknowledges the importance of visual literacy and the nexus of race and art, fostering new academic inquiry by students registered for degree programs offered by the College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The Gordon Parks Foundation has generously indicated scholarship support at the level of $7,500 per annum. The full amount will be awarded to one student in each award cycle.

Application:

Applications should comprise: 1. 1,000-word project description; 2. schedule and itinerary (1 p.); 3. budget (1 p.); and, 4. a letter of recommendation about the proposed research project from a faculty adviser and/or professor who has taught the applicant. The 2022 deadline is April 11th with the recipient announced by April 25th. The application should be submitted as a single pdf, with the recommendation letter—sent separately by the recommender—to Marcus Mayo, Undergraduate Coordinator, Department of History of Art and Architecture (marcus_mayo@fas.harvard.edu).

The scholarship-winning student will be featured on the Gordon Parks Foundation website as well as the websites and social media accounts of the Departments of AAAS and HAA.

Harvard Art Museums

Curatorial divisions and departments in the Harvard Art Museums offer opportunities for part-time employment. Many students serve as curatorial assistants, assisting the preparation of installations of the permanent collections or special exhibitions, participate in public programs, or conduct research on objects in the museums’ collections. These positions are administered by the Harvard Art Museums and opportunities vary from year to year. Formal applications for internships in the Harvard Art Museums are usually made in April for the following academic year. Annual opportunities for museum internships are communicated to eligible graduate students (G3+) by the Graduate Coordinator. Graduate students may choose to pursue a museum internship in lieu of support from working as a teaching fellow, though the HAA Department recommends that students find balance between the two to maintain breadth and diversity in their professional formation.

External Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Competitions (History of Art and Architecture; Humanities)

The following fellowships in history of art and architecture and the humanities support various fields, purposes, and career stages, both predoctoral and postdoctoral. We welcome any additions to this list.

Harvard History of Art & Architecture

Fellowships

Analytics

G1 & G2

Pre-Dissertation Summer Fellowships

G3

Kennedy, Knox, and Sheldon Travel Fellowships

Fulbright US Student Program

Fulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program (DDRA)

Porter Travel Award

Pre-Dissertation Summer Fellowship

G4+

Merit and Term Time Research Fellowships

External Fellowships Requiring Departmental Nomination

Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (National Gallery of Art), Kress Foundation, Dedalus Foundation, and Graham Foundation

Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Additional Fellowships and Internships

Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture

Harvard University Gordon Parks Foundation Scholarship

Harvard Art Museums

External Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Competitions (History of Art and Architecture; Humanities)

Related content