Since 1886, when Henry Mitchell MacCracken first established three fellowships for outstanding students, the Graduate School of Arts and Science has honored its exceptional scholars by awarding academic prizes and special research fellowships. Some awards are given for excellence in particular disciplines or for special kinds of research. Others are given for academic accomplishment, teaching excellence, scholarly contributions, and superior personal qualities.
The competitive process varies with each award. In some instances, a department or the dean of the Graduate School determines the recipient; in others, the Graduate School Honors and Awards Committee evaluates departmental nominations. These prizes and awards are made annually. Some are given during Convocation.
Please visit our Fellowships and Awards portal to learn more.
THE DEAN ’S PREDOCTORAL SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS
These fellowships may be used for visits to research sites such as archival resource facilities, laboratories, and fieldwork locations that will become an integral part of later sustained dissertation research. To qualify, a doctoral degree candidate must be nominated by the department chair and have no more than one year of course work and other requirements remaining. Awards do not exceed $2,000.
THE DEAN ’S OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION AWARDS
An award of $1,000, conferred by the dean at the Graduate School ’s Convocation, in recognition of outstanding Ph.D. dissertations in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Nominations are made by department chairs.
THE DEAN ’S OUTSTANDING STUDENT TEACHING AWARDS
These $1000 awards honor outstanding classroom teaching by graduate students in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences; they are based on teaching evaluations, departmental recommendations, and unsolicited written student testimonials. Nominations are made by department chairs.