harvard art history phd funding

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29d89c38c178a6334c22d4b5664d7ca4, department of the classics.

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This page contains information about common funding sources for prospective and current graduate students in the Department of the Classics. Note that approximate deadlines are estimated from prior funding cycles. Check all official program and fellowship sites for current deadlines.

Program Funding from Harvard Griffin GSAS Financial Aid and Teaching Fellowships

Funding for the duration of graduate study is normally provided by outright fellowship grants in the first two years, by a dissertation completion fellowship in the final year, and by a combination of tuition grants and teaching fellowships in the intervening years. Candidates who have successfully completed their General Examinations are normally assigned teaching fellowships in undergraduate courses, which include elementary language courses, sophomore and junior tutorials, literature surveys, and courses taught in translation. Teaching is guaranteed in the third and fourth year. See the Harvard Griffin GSAS website for detailed information on PhD student support , and the Classics Satisfactory Progress guidelines for an outline of each year.

Funding Information for Prospective Students

Applicants are encouraged to apply for any outside funding sources that are available to help fund their graduate education.

Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship

Frank Knox Fellowships are awarded to citizens of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom for graduate study or research at Harvard University. Students from those countries are strongly encouraged to apply for Knox funding. Interested students must apply for consideration before entering the U.S. and prior to the start of their Harvard programs.  Check deadlines on fellowship websites for each country. The fellowship pays tuition and health insurance fees plus a substantial living stipend, and is renewable for a second year for students in continuing degree programs. Approximately 15 new fellows are selected each year.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals, and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States. Requirements and deadlines vary by country.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowships

The SSHRC awards fellowships for doctoral study to Canadian citizens.

Classics Department Funding for Current Graduate Students

Charles p. segal fellowships for research and travel.

Updated information about applying for Segal Fellowships is available on the page  Study Abroad & Other Opportunities for Undergraduate and Graduate Students .

Conferences

The department will normally fund up to four conferences for each graduate student, as follows:

Society for Classical Studies / Archaeological Institute of America

The department will fund two trips to the Society for Classical Studies/Archaeological Institute of America annual conference: one conference at which a student is delivering a paper, and one conference at which a student is on the job market. Coverage for students giving papers will be for a maximum of three nights at the conference hotel, airfare, registration, and ground transportation. Coverage for job candidates will be for a maximum of three nights at the conference hotel, airfare, registration, and ground transportation.

Other Conferences

The department will fund attendance at two other conferences: one international (not to exceed $2,500), and one domestic (not to exceed $1,500). Coverage includes airfare, registration, accommodations, and ground transportation.

Note that these funds are technically not reimbursements and may be taxable. Reasonable exceptions and substitutions and may be approved in special circumstances. Contact Teresa Wu with questions.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Funding

Please see the Harvard Griffin GSAS website for more details about all available funding sources and application details.

Dissertation Completion Fellowship

Eligible students in the humanities and social sciences are guaranteed one year-long Harvard Griffin GSAS Dissertation Completion Fellowship between the G4 and G7 years. (While there is no guarantee of a Dissertation Completion Fellowship beyond the G7 year, requests will be considered upon recommendation of the faculty advisor. See the Harvard Griffin GSAS website .) Students are required to meet all departmental requirements, submit an approved dissertation prospectus, and drafts of two dissertation chapters. Applications must be submitted through CARAT  in early February.

Graduate Student Council (GSC) Conference Grants 

The GSC awards conference grants up to $750 to eligible Harvard Griffin GSAS students three times per year, and summer research grants up to $1,000 to eligible Harvard Griffin GSAS students once per year. See their website for more information.

Merit and Term Time Research Fellowships

The Merit and Term Time Research Fellowship allows outstanding Harvard Griffin GSAS students to focus their time on research, fieldwork, and writing. 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. The deadline is typically in early December, and there is a departmental deadline that precedes it by two weeks. Notification for this fellowship is typically mid-April.

Professional Development Fund

PhD students who entered Harvard Griffin GSAS between fall 2015 and fall 2019 and have begun or passed their third year of study may be eligible to apply for up to $2,500 from the Harvard Griffin GSAS Professional Development Fund. (Note that this fund will not be available for students entering after fall 2019.) This program is designed to help students develop skills and competencies that will enhance their competitiveness when on the job market and serve them in their professional careers. Students can review the list of approved professional development expenditures on the Harvard Griffin GSAS website. Note that there are three application periods each year. Students can contact the Graduate Coordinator, Alyson Lynch, with questions.

Summer Fellowships

Harvard Griffin GSAS offers two summer fellowships to assist with language study or preliminary research or fieldwork. Students are only eligible to receive one of the following awards during their time as graduate students. Applications for these two opportunities can be found in CARAT . 

Graduate Society Summer Predissertation Fellowships

Harvard Griffin GSAS offers Summer Predissertation Fellowships for outstanding graduate students conducting summer language study and/or preliminary dissertation research or fieldwork. Ordinarily for students in the summer following the G1, G2, or G3 year, this merit-based fellowship is intended for the early stage of dissertation development prior to having an approved prospectus. Notification for this fellowship is typically mid-April. The deadline is typically in early February, and there is a departmental deadline that precedes it by two weeks.

Summer School Tuition Fellowships

Harvard Griffin GSAS provides Summer School Tuition Fellowships for doctoral students to engage in language study at Harvard Summer School to prepare for department foreign language exams or for language needs related to the dissertation. This opportunity ordinarily is for use in the summer following the G1, G2, or G3 year, but under special circumstances students in later years may apply. The deadline is typically in early February.

American Academy in Rome : the Stocker Fund

This Harvard Griffin GSAS-administered fund is for work and study at the American Academy in Rome. Once accepted to the summer program or as an affiliate, students may submit a budget of anticipated expenses. Submit the budget to the Department Administrator, Teresa Wu , who will liaise with Financial Aid. Check the American Academy website for deadlines. Summer School deadlines are typically in December

Other Harvard Funding

American school of classical studies at athens (ascsa): the charles norton fund.

This University-administered fund is restricted to use at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Students must apply to the American School and be accepted before they can apply for Norton funds. Funding is provided for the Summer Session , Summer Seminars , or Regular Membership . Funding is also available for associate members of the American School. Contact the Department Administrator, Teresa Wu , for more information about funding. Deadlines vary by program, so check the ASCSA website carefully. 

Center for Hellenic Studies

Museum of cycladic art summer internship.

The Center for Hellenic Studies runs an internship at the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, Greece; Harvard students at the undergraduate and graduate level are eligible to apply. Travel, housing, and a small stipend are provided. Applications are typically due in early March.

Winter Session in Washington, DC

The Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, DC offers the opportunity for five Harvard students to utilize the Center’s library collection for research in January. The CHS will provide housing in shared apartments on the CHS campus for one week, 24-hour access to the library, and lunch on weekdays. Additionally, the CHS will cover round trip transportation costs up to $500. Applications are typically due in early December.

Dumbarton Oaks

Bliss symposium awards.

Dumbarton Oaks is proud to offer Bliss Symposium Awards, designed to engage advanced students in Dumbarton Oaks' three areas of specialization through supported attendance of annual symposia in Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and Garden and Landscape Studies. Up to six awards will be made for each symposium. Up to three awards will be offered to students of Harvard University, with which Dumbarton Oaks is affiliated, and up to three awards will be offered to students from other US and international institutions. Each symposium has a different application deadline; applications for the Byzantine Studies symposium are due in late January.

Summer Internships

The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection also offers paid internships with housing for undergraduate and graduate students that involve work on a variety of institutional projects, in areas such as library and archival acquisitions and cataloguing; exhibition development; scholarly publications; social media and communications; museum education and public programs; and the digital humanities. Applications are typically due in early February.

William R. Tyler Fellowships

Dumbarton Oaks offers two-year William R. Tyler Fellowships for Harvard graduate students in art history, archaeology, history, and literature of the Pre-Columbian/early Colonial or Mediterranean/Byzantine worlds; or in Garden and Landscape history. A stipend is provided, and travel funds are available. Applications are typically due in early November.

Information about all prizes may be found on the website of the Prize Office . There are two endowed prize competitions for composition in Greek and Latin called the Bowdoin Prizes. All submissions must be made under a pseudonym, and only the pseudonym should appear on the translation. Your name should be submitted in a sealed envelope with the pseudonym written on the outside. Submissions should be delivered in person to Boylston 204 by 5 p.m. on the last day of classes in spring semester (Wednesday, April 27th, 2020).

Graduate Composition in Greek

An annual prize of $10,000 is offered for an original essay in Classical Greek. The essay may be on any subject chosen by the competitor, and must contain at least 1,000 words. Essays previously presented for other prizes, or for academic recognition elsewhere than in Harvard University, or already published, are not admissible. Dissertations offered for the degree of Ph.D. in Harvard University are admissible. If a thesis chapter is submitted, it must be so modified that it stands alone as a complete essay.

Graduate Composition in Latin

An annual prize of $10,000 is offered for an original essay in Classical Latin. The essay may be on any subject chosen by the competitor, and must contain at least 1,000 words. Essays previously presented for other prizes, or for academic recognition elsewhere than in Harvard University, or already published, are not admissible. Dissertations offered for the degree of Ph.D. in Harvard University are admissible. If a thesis chapter is submitted, it must be so modified that it stands alone as a complete essay.

Other Fellowships

Many of these have previously been awarded to students of the department.

• Council of American Overseas Research Centers Multi-Country Research Fellowship
• Getty Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships and GRI-NEH Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Harvard Radcliffe Institute Dissertation Completion Fellowship
• Jacobi-Stipendium at the Kommission für Alte Geschichte und Epigraphik des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts in Munich
• The John Anson Kittredge Fund Grant
• Kress Institutional Fellowship  (History of Art)
• The Met Fellowship Program/The Jane and Morgan Whitney Fellowship
• Lemmermann Foundation Research Fellowships in Rome, Italy
• The Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship  (for women pursuing graduate work in French or Greek)
• Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship
• Social Science Research Council Fellowships  
• Traveling Fellowships through the Committee on General Scholarships and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  (Sinclair Kennedy, Frank Knox Memorial, Lee Whittinghill Samuelson, Frederick Sheldon)

Other Sources to Explore

CARAT Funding Database (Harvard)

Medium's list of Funding Opportunities for Graduate Students of Classical Philology, Ancient History, and Classical Archaeology

Pivot Database

SCS Resources

• Prospective Students
• Undergraduate Programs
• Graduate Student Handbook
• Ancient History
• Byzantine Greek
• Classical Archaeology
• Classical Philology
• Classical Philosophy
• Medieval Latin
• Modern Greek
• Research Scholar Initiative
• Expectations for Students
• Expectations for Faculty
• Satisfactory Progress
• Dissertation Regulations
• Secondary Fields
• Study Abroad & Other Opportunities for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
• Non-Degree Programs

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Fellowships

• Created by Marcus Mayo , last modified by Sean A Fisher on Jan 05, 2024

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:

• Asia Center
• Center for European Studies, Minda de Gunzburg
• Center for Hellenic Studies
• Center for Middle East Studies
• David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies
• Dumbarton Oaks
• Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies
• Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (I Tatti Fellowships)
• Hutchins Center for African and African American Research
• Korea Institute
• Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
• South Asia Institute, Lakshmi Mittal Family

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.

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. 

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

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.

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
• 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.

• National Gallery Predoctoral Dissertation Fellowship Program
• Kress Foundation History of Art Institutional Fellowship Program
• Dedalus Dissertation Fellowship
• Graham Foundation Carter Manny Award

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)
• 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.

• Albright (W.F) Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem
• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation , Sponsorship Programmes
• American Academy in Rome
• American Academy in Rome, Rome Prize
• American Antiquarian Society, Fellowships
• American Associaiton of University Women
• American Council of Learned Studies
• American Councils for International Education, Research Abroad
• American Historical Association , J. Franklin Jameson Fellowship in American History
• American Research Center in Egypt
• American Research Center in Sofia Foundation
• American Research Center in Turkey
• American School of Classical Studies at Athens
• Amon Carter Museum of American Art
• ANAMED, Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations
• Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Archaeological Institute of America
• Art Institute of Chicago
• Barakat Trust
• Bard Graduate Center
• Belgian American Educational Foundation
• Cambridge University, Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Fellowships
• Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Art (CASVA)
• Center for British Art, Yale University
• Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona
• Center for Italian Modern Art
• Chateaubriand Fellowship Foundation—Humanities and Social Sciences
• Clark Art Institute Fellowships
• College Art Association Fellowships
• Council for European Studies at Columbia University
• Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) Fellowships
• Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• Dartmouth College, Leslie Center for the Humanities , Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Dedalus Foundation
• Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte
• Folger Shakespeare Library, Fellowships
• Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
• Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS)
• Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, Research Fellowships
• Frick Collection
• Fulbright US Student Program Fellowship
• Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship
• George A. and Eliza Howard Foundation Fellowships
• Georgia OKeeffe Museum Dissertation and Postdoctoral Fellowships for the Study of American Modernism
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• Getty Foundation Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Fellowships
• Goethe Institut Postdoctoral Fellowship at Haus der Kunst
• Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
• Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation
• Harvard University, Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (Villa I Tatti), Fellowships
• Haverford College, John B. Hurford '60 Center for the Arts and Humanities , Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowship
• Hilla Rebay International Fellowship: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
• Huntington Fellowships
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers History Center , Fellowship in Electrical History
• John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress , Chairs & Fellowships, Scholars in Residence
• Kress Foundation History of Art Institutional Fellowships
• Lemmermann Foundation Scholarship Award (for study in Rome)
• Leonard A. Lauder Fellowships for Modern Art (MMA)
• Lewis Walpole Library Fellowship (for research at Yale University)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art *On your application, please list the Graduate Program Coordinator's email for the "Institutional Statement of Support"

• Medieval Academy of America
• Medieval Academy of America - Baldwin Fellowship
• Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships
• Mellon/SSRC International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF)
• Metropolitan Museum of Art—Art History Fellowships
• Middlebury College Language Fellowships
• Morgan Library and Museum, Drawing Institute
• Museum of Modern Art
• National Academies , Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships
• National Science Foundation , Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
• New England Regional Fellowship Consortium
• Newberry Library Fellowships
• Philadelphia Museum of Art, American Art and Barra Fellowships
• Princeton University, Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts, Fellowships
• Rijksmuseum Fellowship Programme
• Rubenianum Fellowship
• Science History Institute, Fellowships
• Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowships
• Smithsonian American Art Museum Luce Curatorial Fellowship
• Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program
• Society for the History of Technology , Hindle Fellowship
• Society of Architectural Historians
• Stanford University, Center for East Asian Studies , Chinese Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Terra Foundation
• Thoma Foundation Research and Travel Awards in Spanish Colonial Art
• UC Humanities Research Institute , Grants
• UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• UCLA Center for Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Studies, Postdoctoral Fellowships
• University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) , Funding Opportunities
• University of Pennsylvania Wolf Humanities Center , Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities
• Walters Art Museum
• Wesleyan University Center for the Humanities , Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• Winterthur Research Fellowships
• Wolfsonian-Florida International University Fellowships
• Yale Institute for Sacred Music Interdisciplinary Fellowship
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• PhD Program in History of Art and Architecture and Middle Eastern Studies

The joint program in History of Art and Architecture and Middle Eastern Studies is designed for students interested in enriching their program of study for the PhD in History of Art and Architecture with firsthand knowledge about the Middle East based on literacy in its artistic traditions. As a student in an interdisciplinary program you are a full member of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture cohort, but also have an intellectual home at CMES and access to CMES faculty, facilities, and resources.

Students in the joint PhD Program in History of Art and Architecture and Middle Eastern Studies fulfill all the  requirements for the PhD in History of Art and Architecture  in addition to the language and area studies requirements established by the Committee on Middle Eastern Studies.

Language Requirements

Each student must demonstrate a reading knowledge of English and a European language (French, German, Russian, or Italian). Students must also demonstrate a thorough knowledge of a Middle Eastern language. The expectation is that the student learns the languages necessary to teach and work in his or her chosen field, chosen in consultation with their advisor. Language requirements are fulfilled by a departmental examination that must be passed by the end of the fourth term.

Program of Study in History of Art and Architecture and MES

In the first two years, students must take a minimum of sixteen half-courses. Required courses in the first year include "HAA 310—Methods and Theory of Art History,” and one seminar in another period of art history. In the second year, students must take “HAA 300—Reading and Research,” and one seminar in another aspect of Middle Eastern Studies.

Students must take one course in at least three fields of art/architectural history other than their own, one of which must be in Western art. Non-field-specific courses may be taken in place of one of the three field requirements. In non-field-specific courses, a topic should be studied which promotes extra diversification methodologically and geographically.

A list of current Middle East–related courses is available on this site at the beginning of each semester; the History of Art and Architecture Department courses are available at my.harvard.edu .

General Examinations and Qualifying Paper

Students take a general examination of four parts: two in Near Eastern art (either different periods or different techniques, the scope being determined by the student’s committee), one in another period of the history of art and in Near Eastern studies, and a language examination in Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, or an ancient Near Eastern language consisting of a translation (with dictionary) of one or two passages from a list of sources provided at least a year before the examination, and of a commentary. Detailed information about departmental examinations can be found on the Department of the History of Art and Architecture's website.

Students propose and write a Qualifying Paper in the spring term of their second year. Specific details and deadlines for this requirement are listed on the Department of the History of Art and Architecture’s website.

Dissertation

In the third year doctoral students identify a three-member dissertation committee and topic. The final prospectus should be approved within three months of the general examinations in order for progress toward the degree to be considered satisfactory. Students ordinarily devote three years to research for and writing of the dissertation, and complete it prior to seeking full-time employment. The dissertation will be judged according to the highest standards of scholarship, and should be an original contribution to knowledge and understanding of art. More details on the requirements for the dissertation are available on the Department of the History of Art and Architecture’s website.

Timeline for Student Progress and Degree Completion

• Coursework: One to three years.
• Examinations: General exams must be passed by the end of the third year of study, or sixth term in residence.
• Dissertation Prospectus: Must be approved no later than three months after passing the general examinations.
• Dissertation Defense and Approval: The candidate’s dissertation committee decides when the dissertation is ready for defense. The doctorate is awarded when the candidate passes a defense of the dissertation.
• Graduation: The program is ideally completed in six years.

For more details on these guidelines, see the Middle Eastern Studies section of the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) Policies site and the Department of the History of Art and Architecture’s information for prospective PhD students . Admissions information can be found in the Applying to CMES section of this site and on the Harvard Griffin GSAS website .

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Graduate Program

Graduate program overview  .

The goal of the doctoral program is to train students to become both skilled scholars and conscientious teachers. Throughout the program students work with advisors and other faculty members as they engage in coursework , prepare for and take the  general exam , work as teaching fellows , and research and write the dissertation . On average it takes seven years to receive the doctoral degree*. Most graduates have pursued academic careers at universities and colleges in the United States and abroad, while others have gone on to successful careers in law and in government.

As a large research university, Harvard offers many resources and opportunities for its students in the form of lectures , conferences , research centers , fellowships, and grants . Students have access to the more than 80  libraries and 15 million volumes that comprise the Harvard University Library, the largest university library in the world.

Additionally, students may take courses offered by other departments in the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, or at other Harvard schools , such as Harvard Divinity School , Harvard Law School , Harvard Graduate School of Education , and Harvard Kennedy School .

In coordination with Harvard Law School, students may pursue both a PhD in history and a JD at the Law School . To learn more about this course of study consult the Coordinated JD/PhD program overview.

* The History Department does not offer a terminal master's program.

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Joyce Chaplin

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Dan Bertwell

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Artist Development Fellowships

Office for the Arts, Artist Development Fellowships: 

The OFA awards 10-15 artist development fellowships annually to promising and/or accomplished student artists and creators who have an unusual opportunity for artistic growth and transformation. Fellowship applications are evaluated by the Council on the Arts, a standing committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Read Acting Out , a Harvard Arts Blog post by ADF Fellow Enosa Ogbeide '20.

This program supports projects across all arts disciplines, and their range is as varied as the student artists. Successful proposals might afford the student artist an opportunity to apprentice to a great artist or artistic company, to research and develop an unusually innovative idea, to finish a body of work, or to live and work in an environment that will feed the applicant’s creative development. In addition, in collaboration with the Office of Career Services (OCS), the program is able to support a number of summer international projects that are eight weeks or longer. To be eligible for OCS funding, students must be in good standing, complete the spring semester, must be returning in the fall after their summer experience and must not have previously received Harvard funding for an international experience of four weeks or longer.

The Artist Development Fellowship program is jointly administered by the OFA, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and the Office of Career Services. It is open to sophomores and juniors currently enrolled in Harvard College.

Please read the Harvard Summer Funding Policy before applying.  2023-2024 Academic Year:

Deadline:   CLOSED

Application: Available via CARAT   

Eligibility: sophomores and juniors currently enrolled in the University.

Sydney M. Williams Traveling Fund

2023-2024 Academic Year

Deadline:   Thursday, February 15, 2024  

This fund supports students who make original works of visual art. Projects can include visiting museums and monuments and can be any type of experience or research project provided that it does not involve taking formal classes and is closely related to an ongoing or projected creative project.

Application Materials : Apply through CARAT. You must submit a description of your proposed creative visual arts project (400 words or less), your resume, a link to some example(s) of your creative work and a screenshot proving you are currently enrolled in direct deposit. Follow these instructions for how to enroll in direct deposit . 

Details:  The project may vary in length from three to ten weeks. Funding will be based on location and length of the project.

Questions:   Email the MCS Summer Funding Office  at or call at 617-496-6221.

This application process is coordinated by the Mignone Center for Career Success in collaboration with the Department of Art, Film and Visual Studies and Harvard University Art Museums under the aegis of its Curator of Contemporary Art. 

Music Lesson Subsidies

The Music Lesson Subsidy Program provides scholarship support to full-time Harvard undergraduates. Recipients are selected on the basis of financial need and demonstrated musical ability and/or potential. In 2022-23 87 students were awarded subsidies to study with music instructors from all over the Boston area, including affiliates of Berklee College of Music , Boston Conservatory,  New England Conservatory and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. 

Mia and David Alpert Harvardwood Artist Launch Fellowship

This fellowship supports graduating seniors or recent Harvard alumni working or seeking to work in the arts, media, and entertainment fields. The multiyear gift, generously donated by Harvardwood Co-Founder Mia Riverton Alpert ’99 and her husband, producer and media entrepreneur David Alpert ‘97, includes a $24,000 grant, awarded annually, to support one recent graduate from the College for one year as they pursue their artistic projects. Each Alpert Harvardwood Fellow will also be paired with a mentor in their field of interest to help guide their creative endeavors and will receive additional assistance through Harvardwood.

For further information and to read about the 2003-24 fellows visit: https://www.harvardwood.org/harvardwood_artist_launch_fellowship 2023-24 Academic Year Applications will be accepted starting on  October 7, 2023  and will be due January 9, 2024  (letter of recommendation due Jan. 23, 2024), with the grant announcement to be made by TBD. Funds will be distributed monthly to the Alpert Harvardwood Fellow beginning on June 1, 2024 and ending by May 31, 2025.Applications will be accepted starting on October 7, 2023 and will be due January 9, 2024 (letter of recommendation due Jan. 23, 2024)

Information Sessions: TBD Application Materials : Forthcoming

Questions : Email Harvardwood at [email protected]

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U.S. News Releases 2024 Best Graduate Programs Rankings

Find the top-ranked graduate schools in business, education, law, nursing and other fields.

U.S. News Ranks Best Graduate Schools

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To help prospective graduate students find a school that fits their needs, U.S. News released the 2024 rankings for multiple graduate fields.

Depending on the job or field, earning a graduate degree may lead to higher earnings, career advancement and specialized skill development.

But with several types of degrees and hundreds of graduate schools, it can be difficult to narrow down the options. To help prospective graduate students find a school that fits their needs, U.S. News released its 2024 Best Graduate Schools rankings today. They evaluate business, education, fine arts, health, law, library studies, nursing, public affairs, science, and social sciences and humanities graduate programs. Medical school and engineering rankings are not being released at this time.

A notable methodology change includes a new salary indicator based on profession in the business rankings.

Additionally, for the first time in four years, there are new rankings for a blend of doctoral and master's programs in audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, nurse midwifery and speech-language pathology. Graduate programs in nurse anesthesia and social work are also ranked for the first time since 2016 and 2022, respectively. Those and other specialty rankings are based on reputation ratings from scholars at other surveyed schools.

Read each program's specific methodology for the most detailed explanations of all the changes. The rankings are one source of information among many that prospective college students can use to inform their college decision. Below is a summary of the top-ranked schools in four major graduate program areas:

Best Law Schools

Best business schools, best nursing schools, best education schools.

Among the top 10 law schools . Yale Law School in Connecticut and California-based  Stanford Law School shared the top spot again. The  University of Chicago Law School in Illinois maintained its No. 3 rank, followed by a four-way tie at No. 4: Duke University School of Law in North Carolina, Harvard Law School in Massachusetts, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and the University of Virginia School of Law .

Columbia Law School in New York ranked No. 8 again, while there was a three-way tie for No. 9: New York University School of Law , Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law in Illinois and the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Law School .

Looking beyond the top 10, multiple law schools moved up in the rankings. William & Mary Law School in Virginia, for instance, jumped nine spots from a tie at No. 45 to a five-way tie at No. 36.

U.S. News also ranked 13 law specialties: business/corporate, clinical training, constitutional, contracts/commercial, criminal, dispute resolution, environmental, health care, intellectual property, international, legal writing, tax and trial advocacy. (You can filter by specialty on the  main ranking page .)

Meanwhile, in the  part-time law school rankings – which consists of law schools with at least 20 part-time students enrolled in fall 2022 and fall 2023 – the top three stayed the same. The  Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., is once again at the top while D.C.-based  George Washington University Law School , now No. 3, switched places with the  Fordham University School of Law in New York City, which claimed second place.

Previously ranked at No. 3 and No. 6 respectively, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and Stanford Graduate School of Business took the top spot in this year's full-time MBA program rankings . Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business moved down from their previous places in the top two to tie at No. 3.

While the top 10 mostly consists of the same schools as last year, both the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business joined those ranks this year. UC Berkeley rose from a three-way tie at No. 11 to a three-way tie at No. 7, while UVA moved up four spots from No. 14 to a tie at No. 10.

Farther down the full-time MBA rankings, there were some big changes. For example, Pitt's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business soared 39 spots from a tie at No. 86 to a tie at No. 47.

Meanwhile, the very top of the part-time MBA rankings looks similar to last year, with the same schools in the top 5: UChicago, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, NYU's Leonard N. Stern School of Business and the Anderson School of Management at the University of California—Los Angeles. But UChicago took the No. 1 spot from UC Berkeley this year.

Moving up from No. 2, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Maryland tied with Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Georgia to claim the top spot in this year's nursing master's program rankings. Duke University School of Nursing in North Carolina climbed up by one to claim the third spot.

Johns Hopkins ranked No. 1, as it did last year, in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program rankings. George Mason University School of Nursing in Virginia – which reported more graduates and resources per faculty – soared from a four-way tie at No. 39 to take the No. 2 spot. Duke tied with the University of Washington School of Nursing to round out the top three.

Duke also ranked No. 1 in all of the ranked nursing master's nursing practice specialties, including administration, family, both acute and primary care adult gerontology, and mental health.

Once again, Teachers College, Columbia University in New York was No. 1 in the graduate education schools rankings. This year, however, it tied with the University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Education , which climbed two spots.

The University of Michigan—Ann Arbor's School of Education dropped from the top position to tie with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies at No. 3. UCLA was previously tied at No. 7.

U.S. News also ranks nine education specialties, with the College of Education at Michigan State University claiming the top spot in the following categories: curriculum and instruction, educational administration, elementary teacher education, higher education administration and secondary teacher education.

Searching for a grad school of education? Access our  complete rankings  of Best Graduate Schools.

Grad Degree Jobs With $100K+ Salaries

Tags: students , graduate schools , medical school , business school , law school , education graduate school , engineering graduate school , MBAs , nursing programs

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U.s. interior secretary deb haaland is harvard law school’s 2024 class day speaker.

Deb Haaland, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, will be this year’s speaker for Class Day ceremonies at Harvard Law School, the dean of students and Class of 2024 marshals announced today. Class Day will take place on the Harvard Law School campus on May 22, 2024.

Throughout her career in public service, Haaland has broken barriers and opened the doors of opportunity for future generations. As an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe, she was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on March 18, 2021, as the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary.

From 2019 to 2021, Haaland served as U.S. representative for New Mexico’s 1st congressional district. One of the first Native American women elected to Congress, she was vice chair of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources and chair of its Subcommittee on Federal Lands. She also led the passage of the Not Invisible Act, the first bill in history introduced and passed by four congressional members enrolled in federally recognized tribes.

A 35th generation New Mexican, Haaland earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of New Mexico and her J.D. from University of New Mexico School of Law. She grew up in a military family. Her father was a 30-year combat Marine who was awarded the Silver Star Medal for saving six lives in Vietnam. Her mother was a Navy veteran who served as a federal employee for 25 years at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As a military child, she attended 13 public schools before graduating from Highland High School in Albuquerque. 

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Harvard Center for Brain Science Receives Up to $1.7 Million Gift from NTT Research

Harvard University’s Center for Brain Science received a gift of more than $300,000 per year for up to five years from the NTT Research Foundation, the foundation announced Thursday.

According to the announcement, the program will be funded for two years with a possible three-year extension. The gift will establish a fund supporting postdoctoral research in the physics of intelligence, which intends to use physics to address fundamental questions in intelligence while bridging the areas of computer science, neuroscience, and psychology.

Kazu Gomi — president and CEO of NTT Research, the global research and development arm of NTT — said the foundation hopes “the center is going to use that money to hire postdoctoral fellows.”

Venkatesh Murthy, director of the Center for Brain Science and a Harvard professor, said that the center is looking for “a lot of amazing new Ph.D.s, graduate doctoral students who are really excited about this thinking, this interdisciplinarity new thing.”

Gomi said that allowing the Center to take “the lead on this research field, from the worldwide scale perspective” will usher in a “new wave of computations using a new physics.”

The gift — which comes after a 2021 joint research agreement between the Center for Brain Science and the NTT Research Physics & Informatics Lab — came from “some bidding process,” according to Gomi.

Before selecting Harvard’s Center for Brain Science as the gift recipient, NTT Research embarked on a process of getting to “know the professors and laboratories of each institution” to “find the professors or the directors that are in line with what we think and what we dream of,” Gomi said.

The gift is structured with the option for an extension in order to allow for innovative research “without putting too much pressure” on quickly returning a product, Gomi said.

With the gift and more postdoctoral fellows, the CBS will embark on its efforts to explain “how brains produce intelligent behavior.”

One core focus of the center is neural circuits — in particular, their structure, development, and various functions. With the rise of artificial intelligence, researchers at CBS have also begun to explore how it can be applied to fields like neuroscience.

Hidenori Tanaka, a CBS associate and NTT Research Physics & Informatics Laboratories researcher, highlighted “how interdisciplinary our research agenda is.”

“What’s really crucial when trying to build such a new field is to have people from diverse backgrounds,” Tanaka said.

Receiving industry funding from NTT Research will allow flexible recruitment of Ph.D. students from different departments, such as “physics, neuroscience, even psychology, and then electrical engineering, computer science and applied math,” he added.

Despite the Center’s broader goals to explore intelligence, Murthy said the exact next steps are yet to be determined.

“This is new for all of us,” he said. “How do you explain intelligent behavior in equations or in physics terms?”

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