Financial Support & Resources

Applicants for admission to the program must indicate their wish to be considered for financial aid with their application. Continuing stu​dents in the program must indicate their request for financial aid in the coming year by February 1st. All graduate fellowships, teaching assistantships and research assistantships offered by the Department are accompanied by a grant of the full cost of tuition and include a stipend. Tuition scholarships carry no stipend. See the Graduate Program's Rules and Regulations for more information about our financial support policy.

The Department of Art History offers Global Dissertation Development Grants. These grants are primarily intended for students who have completed their Ph.D. exams and language requirements and are beginning to develop their dissertation proposal. It may also support students already researching and writing their dissertation. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis, with a maximum of one award per student during their career in the Department.​

The maximum grant is $4,000, which may be used as a stipend or to offset travel expenses anywhere in the world: Europe, Africa, Asia or in the Americas, including the United States. Stipends are paid to awardees through the University of Delaware payroll system. Funds can be used as a stipend only if the recipient will not be receiving any other financial support (such as teaching assistantship, fellowship or internship) from the University of Delaware during the award period. Travel funds may be combined with funding received from sources outside the University.

Funds will not be disbursed until all doctoral candidacy requirements, except the dissertation proposal, are completed. However, students may apply for a grant prior to that time. The grant must be fully expended within one year of being awarded, or remaining funds will be forfeited. Students who receive a grant must submit a written report, no longer than 500 words, to the Director of Graduate Studies and to their advisor within thirteen months of being notified of their award.

Grants will be awarded in the s​pring, with applications due by mid-February.

Applications must include:

• a proposal, not to exceed 1,000 words
• a personal statement, not to exceed 500 words, which includes a statement of the student's current stage in the program, a timeline and plan of research, and a list of other funding sources received or applied for
• a budget
• a detailed travel itinerary, if applicable

Applicants will be evaluated on the merit of their proposal, their record of achievement while in the Department, and reasons for travel, if applicable. Students will be notified of the faculty's decision regarding their proposals before the end of March.​

​​Thanks to a generous challenge grant from the Choptank Foundation, UD Art History and Art Conservation students now have the unique opportunity to gain hands-on museum experience in any of three major areas: education, collections management and curation. The program is open both to undergraduate and graduate students and can be fulfilled at the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover, Delaware, and at other arts organizations throughout the state. Student interns work with curators, registrars and education specialists to create interpretive materials, develop curricula following national standards, work with children, families and the general public to enhance visitors’ experience. By doing so, they gain valuable experience to help launch their own careers in many arts-related fields.​

With the generous support of the McGuigan Collection​, the Department of Art History can offer up to two funded summer internships at a renowned private art collection that will provide hands-on experience in archival research, collections management, conservation or digitization work.​

This program places a Ph.D. student from the University of Delaware in the Curatorial Department of the Delaware Art Museum (DelArt) for approximately 20 hours per week during the academic year. The stipend for the Fellowship is $25,000 per academic year for two consecutive academic years. Details and application instructions are circulated every two years in the spring semester.

Students in their final year of dissertation writing may also apply to the Sewell C. Biggs Dissertation Writing Award in Art History and Preservation Studies. A call for applications is circulated in the spring semester.

​One or more grants will be awarded to help support students in their final year of dissertation writing in the Department of Art History and/or the Ph.D. Program in Preservation Studies at the University of Delaware. Students nominated by their department or program for the grant will send an application letter (750-1000 words) describing the topic, the work completed to date on the dissertation, and a timeline for its completion and defense, together with their original dissertation proposal and a c.v. to the Director of Graduate Studies. Application materials are distributed in the spring. Supporting letters by each nominee's principal advisor and one other recommender involved in the direction of the dissertation must be submitted with the application.​

Our Department also provide some support for graduate students who are presenting papers at scholarly conferences, or conducting dissertation research with primary materials away from the University campus. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but must be submitted at least one month prior to the beginning of travel. Applications are competitive and should be made using the forms provided by the Department office. For more information about departmental travel grants regulations, see the Graduate Program's Rules and Regulations. To apply go to our Forms for Graduate Students. We also encourage students to seek other travel support opportunities, through the Graduate College or other external agencies.

Every year UD's Graduate College offers the following fellowships and awards that require departmental nomination:

• University Doctoral Fellowship: one-year fellowships awarded to students enrolled in at least their third year of doctoral study at UD at the time of nomination on the basis of academic achievement and progress since being admitted to the doctoral program.
• University Graduate Scholars Award: awarded to US citizens, permanent residents, or students approved for DACA status, on the basis of academic achievement, as well as membership in racial/ethnic groups historically underrepresented in the discipline, documented disability or chronic medical conditions; evidence of financial need; first-generation college student; or unexpected extenuating personal circumstances and hardships.
• University Dissertation Fellowship: in support of PhD students in their final year of completing a dissertation. ​

Graduate students can also apply directly to these other opportunities:

• Summer Doctoral Fellowship: up to $4,500 to cover summer expenses related to off-campus training opportunities related to dissertation research, internships or traineeships.
• Graduate Student Travel Award: up to $1,500 to support travel for academic activities, including research, presentations, exhibitions or performance and professional development related to their program of study.
• Unidel Louise Roselle Collections-Based Research Travel Award: up to $4500 in summer support for students' research travel to libraries, archives and museums worldwide. Priority is given to proposals related to doctoral dissertation and master's thesis research, and internship placements.
• UD Collection-Based Research Grant Program: up to $300 for doctoral and Master's students to support short-term collection-based research travel. More information about the Graduate College's Competitive Awards can be found in the College website.​

The CMCS offers a limited number of $4500 ten-week DELPHI summer fellowships to M.A. and Ph.D. students in the arts, humanities, and social sciences pursuing research in material culture studies at the University of Delaware. The DELPHI fellowships aim to support material culture research while also promoting public engagement in the interpretation and preservation of our cultural heritage.

The Center also provides funding to graduate students through these programs:

• The CMCS Graduate Research Travel Fund
• The CMCS Graduate Research Presentation Fund
• The CMCS Graduate Research Publication Subvention Fund
• Collections-Based Seminar or Workshop Grant
• The Finkel Fund
• The Friends of Rockwood Fund ​

Each year our Department nominates several students for these competitive external fellowships:

• CASVA Predoctoral Fellowships
• Kress Foundation's Predoctoral Fellowships in the History of Art
• Dedalus Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
• CASVA Predoctoral Fellowships for Historians of American Art to Travel Abroad
• Carter Manny Award, Graham Foundation

We also encourage our students to apply for outside aid. Below is a partial list of external grants and fellowships that are open to all students and to which you can apply on your own. Be aware that the Department, and especially your primary advisor, can offer you valuable assistance in formulating your application. Note: Deadlines listed below are approximate and may change from year to year:

• ACLS Competitions (Deadline: check individual grants)
• Center for Craft: Craft Research Fund Graduate Grant and Craft Research Fund Project Grant (Deadline: October 1st)
• Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art (Deadline: late October)
• Getty Research Grants (Deadline: November 1st)
• The Rome Prize, American Academy in Rome (Deadline: November 1st)
  
• International Dissertation Research Fellowships, Social Science Research Council (Deadline: November 10th)
• Bibliographical Society of America Fellowship Program (Deadline: December 1st)
• Fellowships at the Walters Art Museum (Deadline: December 1st)
• Wolfsonian Fellowship Program (Deadline: December 31st)
• Winterthur Research Fellowship Program (Deadline: January 15th)
• Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowships (Deadline: January 15th)
• CAA Professional Development Fellowships (Deadline: January 31st)
• Newberry Library Short-Term Fellowships (Deadline: March 1st)
• Society of Architectural Historians Fellowships (Deadline: check individual grants)​