FELLOWSHIPS FOR YALE GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS 2009-2010

Frequently Asked Questions
Lists of Fellows

The Beinecke Library offers, on a competitive basis, Research Fellowships to Yale Graduate and Professional School students who wish to use Beinecke collections as a primary resource for their dissertations or culminating projects. The program offers two application deadlines: October 20 and March 20 -- please click on the Research Fellowship link for details.

The Beinecke offers Pre-Prospectus Summer Fellowships to enable Yale Graduate students to determine how Beinecke collections may serve their research needs as they prepare and hone their prospectuses.

The Beinecke also offers up to two Academic Year Research Fellowships to support Yale graduate students whose dissertations involve materials from the Beinecke collections. The purpose of the fellowships is to provide Yale doctoral students the opportunity for uninterrupted dissertation research during the academic year at a time optimal for their academic progress.

Please note that only students whose proposals demonstrate a need for extensive use of Beinecke materials have been chosen for these awards.  Awarded fellows may not hold concurrent teaching positions or any concurrent fellowships (other than, when appropriate, the standard Graduate School support).

All awarded fellows are expected to dedicate a minimum of 25 hours of research in the Beinecke collections per week throughout the fellowship period.  Please note that attendance will be monitored and stipends will be adjusted to reflect shortened research period.  At the end of the research period, fellows are also asked to provide a brief statement indicating how this fellowship support was used to accomplish research goals. 

PRE-PROSPECTUS SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS
June 1 - August 31, 2010

Application Requirements

Pre-prospectus applicants may request fellowships of six weeks to three months between June 1 and August 31. Applicants spending at least four weeks in Beinecke may apply for funding to support another four weeks working in relevant research libraries elsewhere. The fellowship stipend is $1,000 per month.

Pre-Prospectus applicants for summer 2010 must submit the following items to the Director of the Beinecke Library by March 20, 2010:

• an application form
• a curriculum vitae
• a proposal (1200 words maximum) outlining the work to be accomplished in the Beinecke collections and the manner in which those collections may support the student's prospectus research
• two confidential letters of recommendation sent to the Beinecke Director from the DGS and the Dissertation Advisor

Applications for Pre-prospectus Fellowships should be addressed to the Director and sent to the following address:

Fellowship Program
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Yale University
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven, CT 06520-8240

Awards will be announced approximately five weeks following application deadlines.

For more information, write to beinecke.fellowships@yale.edu

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
June 1, 2010 - May 31, 2011

Application Requirements

Graduate students seeking these fellowships must have completed their course work, passed their qualifying examinations, and be prepared to pursue research based upon an approved prospectus. Students who expect to complete these requirements within 10 weeks of the application deadline may apply, but any award offered to them will be contingent upon their meeting all requirements.

Professional school students seeking these fellowships must be engaged in research for an approved culminating project required for their degree, with the expectation that their project will be undertaken in the final year of their program.

Short-term and long-term fellowships are available, depending on students' needs. Short-term fellowships, available for one, two or three months, may be held at any time. Long-term fellowships are for one full semester. Recipients are required to be regular readers in the Beinecke reading room during the course of their fellowship and may not hold concurrent teaching positions. The short-term stipend is $3,000 per month. The long-term stipend is $13,000.

Applications from previous recipients of a Beinecke Fellowship will be considered only in exceptional circumstances.

Research Fellowship applicants are required to submit the following materials to the Director of the Beinecke Library:

• an application form
• a curriculum vitae
• a proposal (1200 word maximum) explaining in detail the specific relationship between the Beinecke Collections and the applicant's research
• two confidential letters of recommendation sent to the Beinecke Director, one of which must come from the principal director of the applicant's dissertation or culminating project
• Graduate Students must submit an approved or pending prospectus
• Professional School students must submit a statement explaining how their project fulfills the culminating requirement in their school

The Library offers two deadlines for Research Fellowship applications:

Students who meet the fall deadline of October 20, 2009 may apply for awards from January 1, 2010 through May 31, 2010.

Students who meet the spring deadline of March 20, 2010 may apply for awards from June 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011.

Applications for Research Fellowships should be addressed to the Director and sent to the following address:

Fellowship Program
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Yale University
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven, CT 06520-8240

Awards will be announced approximately five weeks following application deadlines.

For more information, write to beinecke.fellowships@yale.edu

ACADEMIC YEAR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
September 1, 2010 - May 31, 2011

Application Requirements

Beinecke Academic Year Research Fellowships are intended to provide Yale doctoral students with an opportunity for uninterrupted dissertation research during the academic year at a time optimal for their academic progress. These fellowships must be used exclusively to support research primarily rooted in the Beinecke collections. They may not be used for purposes of writing the dissertation. One fellowship will be awarded specifically for the use of American materials, and the other may be in any field.

The fellowship stipend is $22,500 and is offered in addition to the financial aid package awarded to students upon admission, effectively providing a sixth year of support. Students are expected to be in residence, working full-time on their dissertations. If a particular project requires the use of materials elsewhere than at the Beinecke, additional travel funds may be available. Applicants must have advanced to candidacy at the time of application.

Academic Year Research Fellowship applicants are required to submit the following materials to the Director of the Beinecke Library no later than March 20, 2010:

• an application form
• a curriculum vitae
• a proposal (2000 word maximum) explaining in detail the work they intend to do in the collections, and the specific relationship between the Beinecke Collections and the applicant's research
• an approved or pending dissertation prospectus
• two confidential letters of recommendation sent to the Beinecke Director from the DGS and principal dissertation advisor

Students who wish to spend time working in collections elsewhere should state this intention, along with any requests for additional travel funds, in the research proposal. The DGS and advisor should also address this need in their letters of recommendation.

Applications should be addressed to the Director and sent to the following address:

Fellowship Program
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Yale University
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven, CT 06520-8240

Awards will be announced approximately five weeks following application deadlines.

For more information, write to beinecke.fellowships@yale.edu