Doctoral Dissertation

    The Advanced Research Collaborative (ARC) is the focal point of the collaborative research activities of the Graduate Center. It promotes interdisciplinary research, partners with GC Research Centers, Institutes and Interdisciplinary Committees, connects the research activities of CUNY faculty at the Colleges to GC research programs and seminars, and provides a home for outstanding visiting scholars to collaborate with faculty and students. ARC offers support to GC doctoral students pursuing research as well as to postdoctoral students who have completed their initial projects.

Doctoral Dissertation

Graduate Center: Dissertation-Year Fellowships and Awards

The following awards and fellowships are designated for students who are in the final stage of their doctoral studies. In most cases, it is assumed that the recipient of a dissertation-year fellowship will complete the dissertation during the fellowship year. In all cases, students who will have completed the dissertation, oral defense, and revisions within the first semester of the fellowship year will receive half the award. The student must complete a general Dissertation Fellowship Application, available in the Provost's Office. The deadline for applications is February 1 preceding the academic year for which the award is requested. All of the awards are contingent on renewal of funding and are offered in selected years. Unless otherwise noted, no service is required for any of these awards. Not all awards are available every year.

Dissertation-Year Fellowships: General

Sponsored Dissertation Fellowships, awarded to third-level students who are advanced to candidacy in any field by the time of application for the award. Award Amount: $18,000 plus in-state tuition. At Level III, only the base tuition is covered. Any additional courses taken for credit are at the student's expense.

B. Altman Foundation Dissertation Fellowship for a dissertation-level student from any program. Award amount:  $18,000.

Mario Capelloni Dissertation Fellowship for students of high academic merit who show exceptional promise in their field of study. Award Amount: $18,000 plus in-state tuition. At Level III, only the base tuition is covered. Any additional courses taken for credit are at the student's expense.

Carell Dissertation Fellowship, for students of high academic merit and financial need who plan to pursue careers with limited earnings expectations. Award Amount: $20,000 plus in-state tuition. At Level III, only the base tuition is covered. Any additional courses taken for credit are at the student's expense.

Special Focus Fellowships and Awards

Helaine Newstead Dissertation Fellowship in the Humanities, named in honor of the late Professor Newstead, who was a faculty member in English and in Comparative Literature. Award Amount: $18,000 plus in-state tuition.

Mina Rees Dissertation Fellowship in the Sciences, named in honor of the founding president of the Graduate Center, who was a faculty member in Mathematics. Award Amount: $18,000 plus in-state tuition.

Frances Degen Horowitz Dissertation Fellowship is named in honor of Dr. Horowitz, President Emerita and Professor of Developmental Psychology. Award Amount: $15,000, no in-state tuition.

Randolph L. Braham Dissertation Award, an award for dissertation-level students whose doctoral research is in the area of Eastern European, Jewish, or Holocaust-related studies. Award Amount: $10,000.

Ralph Bunche Dissertation Fellowship, an award for a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or foreign national who is an advanced social science doctoral candidate working on areas that preoccupied Ralph Bunche, especially the United Nations and multilateralism, international politics, African and Middle Eastern affairs, U.S. foreign policy, race relations, and human rights. Award Amount: $12,000.

Lane Cooper Dissertation Fellowship in the Humanities, for a student in the humanities who shows promise as a scholar and teacher. Award Amounts vary annually from $8,000 to $17,000.

European Union Studies Center Dissertation Fellowship for a dissertation in the Social Sciences on topics relating to the European Union. Award Amount: $5,000 to $20,000.

William Randolph Hearst Dissertation-Year Award is for an African American or Latino/a doctoral student (citizen or permanent resident) who expects to complete the dissertation during the award year. Award Amount: Ranges from $5,000 to $8,000 plus in-state tuition. At Level III, only the base tuition is covered. Any additional courses taken for credit are at the student's expense.

MAGNET Dissertation Fellowships are established to aid outstanding African American and Latino/a doctoral students (citizens or permanent residents) in completing the dissertation. Award Amount: $20,000 plus in-state tuition. At Level III, only the base tuition is covered. Any additional courses taken for credit are at the student's expense.

Leon Levy Center for Biography Dissertation Fellowship is available to students whose dissertations take a biographical approach to their subject matter. The Center encourages the connection between university-based and independent biographers working in print, visual arts, and other media.  Fellows are required to attend public programs and a seminar throughout the academic year. Award amount: $22,000.

Mellon Dissertation Fellowships are supported by the Mellon Foundation and sponsored by the Center for the Humanities, which directs the selection process. The theme and guidelines for each year's fellowship will be available in December on the Center for the Humanities website. Award Amount: $22,000.

Athena Pollis Fellowship in Human Rights, for outstanding Political Science students whose research involves international, comparative, or theoretical human rights studies, with preference for applicants of color or from other countries. Selection is made by the Political Science program. Award Amount: $10,000.

Harold M. Proshansky Dissertation Fellowship, for an outstanding student writing a dissertation that addresses the human condition in urban settings, with a focus on New York City. Award Amount: $18,000 plus in-state tuition. At Level III, only the base tuition is covered. Any additional courses taken for credit are at the student's expense.

Martin E. Segal Fellowship, awarded to a student currently writing a dissertation on a New York City-based subject. Preference will be given to dissertations that explore New York’s cultural life, its theatre, its music, its arts, and its letters, but any New York-focused dissertation will be considered.  Award Amount: $18,000.

Awards for Dissertation Proposal and Research Expenditures

Ford Foundation Award for Dissertation Research Expenditures is for students whose dissertation research deals with issues of gender, race, identity, sexuality, or higher education policy. The stipend covers expenses such as travel, transcriptions, materials and other costs and may be combined with other grants, subject to approval. An itemized budget is required. Award Amount: $2,000.

Frances Degen Horowitz Travel Award, named in honor of the President Emerita of the Graduate Center and Professor of Developmental Psychology, is for travel expenses related to dissertation research. Award Amount: $2,000.

Alexander C. Naclerio Research Award for doctoral student conducting research in the area of housing and urban development. Award Amount: $2,000.

Rose Kfar Rose Dissertation Award, for an outstanding chemistry student, to be selected by the program. Award Amount: $5,000.

The Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Dissertation Proposal Award recognizes an outstanding proposal for research into historical aspects of a topic involving America's past, present, or future. All appropriate Dissertation Fellowship applications will automatically be considered for this award. Award Amount: $2,000.

Andrew Silk Dissertation Award for a student whose dissertation proposal focuses on people suffering economic hardship, social discrimination, or political repression. Award Amount: $5,000.

Martin M. Spiaggia Dissertation Award in the Arts and Humanities for students of high academic merit who can demonstrate financial need. Award Amount: $5,000.