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College of Arts & Sciences
Texas A&M University Anthropology

Funding

Funding for graduate study in anthropology is generally divided into different categories that correspond to different stages as each student progresses towards the completion of his/her degree:

For each category, funding may come from internal (i.e. Texas A&M) or external sources.

Funding for Graduate Study

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Internal Funding

All incoming students will receive a graduate assistantship.

Students in the Department of Anthropology may be considered for the following sources of funding:

  • Department of Anthropology Graduate Assistantship – The Department of Anthropology provides graduate assistantships on a competitive basis to graduate students enrolled in the PhD program. These assistantships provide support for four years if entering with a Master’s degree, and for five years if entering with a Bachelor’s degree. Graduate assistants work as research assistants or teaching assistants within the department. Some teaching assistants are assigned to assist a professor, and others serve as the instructor of record for a course. Assistantships come with a $20,000 stipend per year, and coverage for tuition and eligibility for university health insurance. Students apply for assistantships on an annual basis, and the awards generally provide two semesters of funding.
  • Texas A&M University Graduate Aviles Johnson Award – This includes an $18,000 stipend per year, for 3 years, ~$9,000 per year for tuition, and a departmental assistantship (valued at ~$9,100) for three years. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible for this award. All incoming PhD students who meet this eligibility requirement AND who will contribute to the overall diversity of the university may be considered for this award. Applicants who feel that that they would be a good candidate for this award should contact the director of graduate studies or academic advisor when they submit their application.
  • Texas A&M Pathways to the Doctorate Fellowship Award – The Pathways to the Doctorate represents a partnership between OGAPS and Texas A&M faculty members to recruit into and graduate from Texas A&M doctoral programs high quality and diverse students who received their baccalaureate degrees from Texas A&M System institutions and who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Programmatic outcomes associated with these goals are to create potential future faculty for Texas Higher Education institutions, build institutional links and pipelines, and to increase diversity at the Texas A&M University. Texas A&M faculty will mentor Pathways to the Doctorate students in gaining authentic research experiences, developing a capacity of critical problem solving, establishing relationships with research professionals, developing leadership skills to manage diverse teams, and improving their curriculum vitae.
  • Department of Anthropology Professional Development Awards – These awards can be used to offset the cost of experiences that add to the knowledge base of graduate students. Funding is provided for students to take short courses, certifications, or otherwise take advantage of opportunities that will further their academic profiles. Funding will only be given to opportunities that are unavailable at Texas A&M University. There will be two deadlines for these awards this semester, October 15th for the fall and TBD for the spring. For more information, please contact Dr. Lori Wright at lwright@tamu.edu.
  • Other Sources of Funding – Each year, several students in the department receive graduate assistantships from other departments or university units. Some students are hired for wages within and beyond the department.

External Funding

All incoming students are encouraged to apply to the following sources of external funding (if they meet the eligibility requirements):

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship – The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) provides three years of support for graduate study including a $30,000 stipend, plus tuition and fees. The GRF is intended for students who are in the early stages of their graduate study and who have excellent academic records. These fellowships are open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have not yet entered the graduate program or who are in the first or second year of the program. Applicants must have completed no more than 12 months total of graduate education. The application deadline is late October/early November, determined by discipline.
  • Jacob Javits Foundation Fellowship – These fellowships are open to PhD students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who can demonstrate both academic excellence and financial need. The Javits Fellowship provides a stipend of $30,000 per year, plus tuition and fees for up to 48 months of a student’s graduate study. Students who have not yet entered the graduate program or are in their first year of the program are eligible to apply. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required as part of the application for a Javits Fellowship in order to complete the financial need calculation. The application deadline is in early October.
  • Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Wadsworth International Fellowships – Wadsworth International Fellowships provide funds to support study leading to a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in anthropology. Fellowships are made for amounts up to $17,500 per year, with the possibility of renewal for a total of four years of funding. Applicants must be from countries where anthropology is underrepresented and where there are limited resources to send students overseas for training.
  • American Association for University Women International Fellowship. International Fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Fellowships support graduate or postgraduate studies at accredited institutions. Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. The overwhelming majority return to their home countries to become leaders in government, academia, community activism, the arts, and science.  The application deadline is November 15.

Funding for Research and Conference Travel

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Internal Funding

  • Texas A&M University Department of Anthropology Graduate Student Travel Awards – The Department of Anthropology provides limited funding on an annual basis for graduate students to offset travel expenses for conference presentations and/or fieldwork. Award amounts vary from year to year, and typically range from $200 to $1,000. Currently, the maximum amount of funds that can be requested is $750 per student. Students can request funds for both travel and research, but must submit two separate applications. There are two annual deadlines: October 15th and February 15th.  For more information, please contact Dr. Lori Wright at lwright@tamu.edu.
  • Jordan Institute for International Awareness L.T. Jordan Fellows Program – The L.T. Jordan Fellows Program program gives grants to Texas A&M students for use in research conducted abroad. Applicants design a specific independent international study or research project in another country that will enhance educational or career goals. Fellows will receive grant monies up to $2,000 to assist with travel expenses. This fellowship is designed for individual study or research and is not designed to fund a Study/Internship Abroad program.
  • Glasscock Center for Humanities Research Graduate Research Fellowships – The Glasscock Center for Humanities Research annually funds up to 10 Graduate Research Fellowships at $2,000 each. Departments can nominate up to two graduate students to be considered for these awards. To be eligible, students have to be working on a doctoral dissertation or masters thesis but could be at the initial stages of their projects. Students are expected to work closely with their advisors on a project description, rationale for the grant, and budget. The budget might include conference participation and travel, fieldwork or archival work, or it might simply be for research materials. The outcome should be a dissertation or a thesis, or a significant portion thereof. These students will make up the community of graduate scholars who populate the Graduate Colloquium Series (five each semester). They are required to participate for a semester in the Graduate Colloquium Series and use the experience as a tool to improve their own writing and projects and help each other to improve the quality of the work being produced as a group.
  • Race and Ethnic Studies Institute – The Race & Ethnic Studies Institute will award three grants of $1,500 annually in support of graduate research field of race & ethnicity. Applicants must have reached the stage in their respective programs where they are undertaking research toward the completion of a thesis or dissertation. Students will normally be doctoral candidates who have passed preliminary examinations, but advanced master’s candidates will also be considered if nominated.

External Funding

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (DDIG) – NSF DDIGs are awarded to PhD students for dissertation research. These grants provide funds for up to 24 months of field research or data-gathering activities not supported by other resources. The dissertation adviser serves as nominal PI (Principal Investigator). Budgetary limits and application deadlines vary according to the program for which the application is submitted. For example, the deadlines for applications to the Cultural Anthropology program fall in January and August, while the deadlines for applications to the Biological Anthropology fall in February and August as do deadlines for applications to the Science, Technology, and Society Program. Applications to the Archaeology program can be submitted any time.
  • Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Dissertation Fieldwork Grants – Grants of up to $20,000 are awarded to support dissertation fieldwork. These grants are open to all PhD students regardless of citizenship. Applicants for a Dissertation Fieldwork Grant may also apply for supplemental grants of up to $5,000 through the Osmundson Initiative. Application deadlines are May 1 and November 1.
  • Fulbright U.S. Student Program – Fulbright Grants are open to U.S. citizens for conducting study or research abroad in any country in which they have not previously resided for more than six months. Applicants must demonstrate a level of proficiency in a foreign language necessary to the proposed research. Fulbright Fellowships include travel expenses and a stipend for one year of study/research. The University’s deadline for applications is usually in early September. At Texas A&M, all students (including graduate students) who are currently enrolled at Texas A&M University must apply through the LAUNCH Undergraduate Research Office. The applications must be verified and endorsed by the campus Fulbright Program Advisor.
  • Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad – Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowships are open to U.S. citizens for conducting dissertation research abroad. As with Fulbright, applicants must demonstrate a level of proficiency in a foreign language necessary to the proposed research. This program provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students who conduct research in other countries, in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of six to 12 months. NOTE: This program was suspended in 2011 due to congressional budget cuts. The future of the program is uncertain.
  • Social Science Research Council (SSRC) International Dissertation Research Fellowship – The International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to twelve months of support to graduate students in the humanities and social sciences who are enrolled in doctoral programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research outside of the United States. IDRF promotes research that is situated in a specific discipline and geographical region but is also informed by interdisciplinary and cross-regional perspectives. Research topics may address all periods in history, but applicants should be alert to the broader implications of their research as it relates to contemporary issues and debates. Seventy-five fellowships are awarded annually. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $19,000. The fellowship includes participation in an SSRC-funded interdisciplinary workshop upon the completion of IDRF-funded research. The program is open to graduate students in the humanities and social sciences — regardless of citizenship — enrolled in doctoral programs in the United States. Applicants must complete all PhD requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins.
  • Primate Conservation, Inc. – Primate Conservation, Inc. will grant seed monies or provide matching grants for graduate students, qualified conservationists and primatologists to study rare and endangered primates and their conservation in their natural habitat. Grants have averaged approximately $2,500, with a maximum grant of $5,000.
  • Texas Academy of Science Research Award – The Texas Academy of Science offers awards, ranging from $1,000 to $2,000, each year to students enrolled in a math, science, or science education curriculum in the State of Texas.

Funding for Dissertation Write-Up

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Internal

  • Texas A&M University Office of Graduate and Professional Studies Dissertation Fellowships – The Office of Graduate and Professional Studies at Texas A&M offers a limited number of dissertation fellowships each year on a competitive basis (5, $15,000 awards made each semester). These one-year fellowships are intended to support doctoral students in the final writing of their dissertation. These awards are NOT intended to finance data collection or the completion of doctoral coursework.
  • Glasscock Center for Humanities Research Brown-Kruse Graduate Fellowships – The Glasscock Center for Humanities Research annually awards up to three grants of $3,000 each in support of graduate research in the humanities. An office is provided for each recipient in the Center, and it is expected that this office will be occupied on a regular basis during the fellowship year. Offices are supplied with a computer and printer access as well. Brown-Kruse Fellows will be expected to meet monthly to discuss and critique each other’s work. The stipend awarded under this program may be used to pay for tuition, it may be taken as salary, and it may fund normally reimbursable research expenses including the purchase of research materials (books, photocopies, etc.) and the support of research travel (transportation costs, lodging, meals, etc.).

External

  • P.E.O. Scholar Award – P.E.O. Scholar Awards is a competitive program that provides a generous stipend for one year to women who are nearing the completion of their PhD degree. Each year, the department nominates one applicant to the local chapter of the P.E.O. organization. Applicants must be citizens of the United States or Canada, and be within two years of completing their degree, and have at least one year remaining before completion.
  • American Association of University Women Fellowships & Grants – Dissertation Fellowships support women PhD candidates completing dissertations. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of scholarly excellence, the quality and originality of project design, and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research. To qualify, applicants must have completed all course work, passed all required preliminary examinations, and received approval for their research proposal or plan before application submission (in November). Students holding any fellowship for writing a dissertation in the year prior to the AAUW fellowship year are not eligible. Open to applicants in all fields of study. Scholars engaged in science, technology, engineering and math and also researching gender issues are especially encouraged to apply.