Dissertation Fellowship for Research Related to Education
Applicants need not be citizens of the United States; however, they must be candidates for the doctoral degree at a graduate school within the United States.
All applicants must document that they will have completed all pre-dissertation requirements by June, and must provide a clear and specific plan for completing the dissertation within a one or two-year time frame.
The Dissertation Fellowship Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world. These fellowships are not intended to finance data collection or the completion of doctoral coursework, but rather to support the final analysis of the research topic and the writing of the dissertation.
Although the dissertation topic must concern education, graduate study may be in any academic discipline or professional field. In the past, fellowships have been awarded to candidates in anthropology, architecture, art history, economics, education, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, political science, public health, psychology, religion, and sociology, but eligibility is not restricted to these academic areas. Candidates should be interested in pursuing further research in education once the doctorate is attained.
Fellows stipends are to support completion of their dissertations and are to be expended within one or two years and in accordance with the work plan provided by the candidate in his/her application. Fellows may not accept employment other than as described in the application, nor may they accept other awards providing duplicate benefits without the written permission of the Spencer Senior Program Officer.
Application form, a list of publications/presentations, a dissertation abstract, a personal statement, a narrative discussion of the dissertation, a work plan, two letters of recommendation, and a graduate transcript.
Fellows' stipends are to support completion of their dissertations and are to be expended within one or two years and in accordance with the work plan provided by the candidate in his/her application. Fellows may not accept employment other than as described in the application, nor may they accept other awards providing duplicate benefits without the written permission of the Spencer Foundation.