Social Sciences
ACLS offers fellowships and grants in more than a dozen programs for research
across the humanities and related social sciences at the doctoral and
postdoctoral levels.
The APA’s website has links to scholarships and grants available to graduate
students studying psychology and neuroscience.
NAU Representative: Melissa Riggs, Scholarship Coordinator
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is an educational
organization in Washington, D.C., which conducts programs of research,
discussion, publication, and education in international relations and
U.S. foreign policy. Eight to ten graduating seniors/recent alumni are
hired annually as Junior Fellows to work at the Endowment on a full-time
basis for a period of one year. Carnegie junior fellows work as research
assistants to the endowment's senior associates. Those who have begun
graduate studies are not eligible for consideration.
The fellowship will support master’s and PhD students who want to serve in professional positions within foreign-government ministries while also conducting research in policy areas like public health, energy, and economic development. The awards are available in Haiti, Thailand, and nine other countries around the world. Under the Obama administration, the Fulbright Program has put an emphasis on supporting fellowships that help develop ideas that contribute to meeting global challenges, like developing renewable energy or fighting HIV/AIDS.
Idealist.org provides a listing of national and international fellowships in public service, nonprofit, and public policy.
The NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral and social science health-related research. The program is designed to improve access to education leading to research careers for those who have had fewer opportunities than others, and is designed to provide an incentive for exceptional scholars to pursue research careers at the NIH.
Contact Melissa Riggs, Scholarship Coordinator
The purpose of the program is to attract outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. If you have completed an
advanced degree (masters, doctoral, or professional) from a qualifying university during the two years prior to the opening
date of the PMF application announcement in a given year (usually November), you are
eligible to apply.
The Rangel program is a collaborative effort between Howard
University and the U.S. State Department that seeks to attract and prepare outstanding
young people for careers as diplomats in the Foreign Service. The program seeks
individuals interested in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous
world through formulating, representing, and implementing U.S. foreign policy.
The program encourages the application of members of minority groups
historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service and those with financial
need. Each year, the Rangel Program offers twenty Graduate Fellowships
to outstanding seniors and recent graduates. These fellowships help finance two-year
graduate programs, provide paid internships and other professional development
activities, and facilitate entry into the Foreign Service.
The Rangel program also accepts 15-20 undergraduate students
to participate in the six-week Summer Enrichment Program that prepares global-minded
undergraduate students for careers in international affairs. Both programs are
competitive and seek applicants with a strong academic background, a commitment
to service and an interest in making a difference in the world around them.
The Social Science Research Council funds several fellowships for dissertation research. The largest, the International Dissertation Research Fellowship, supports the next generation of scholars in the humanities
and social sciences pursuing research that advances knowledge about
non-U.S. cultures and societies. Since 1997, the program has funded
some 400 graduate students to conduct research in more than 100
countries on a wide range of subjects.
Listing of fellowships, internships, and service programs. Links are not functional, but opportunity titles give you a starting place for research.
The goal of the Fellowship Program is to attract outstanding students who enroll in two-year master's degree programs in public policy, international affairs, public administration, or academic fields such as business, economics, political science, sociology, or foreign languages, who represent all ethnic, racial and social backgrounds and who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career in the U.S. Department of State. The program develops a source of trained men and women who will represent the skill needs of the Department and who are dedicated to representing America's interests abroad.
The Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship seeks to recruit talented students in academic programs relevant to international affairs, political and economic analysis,administration, management, and science policy. The goal is to attract outstanding students from all ethnic, racial, and social backgrounds who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career in the U.S. Department of State. The Program develops a source of trained men and women from academic disciplines representing the skill needs of the Department, who are dedicated to representing America's interests abroad.
The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship is a
highly-competitive national fellowship program that provides recent
college and grad school graduates an opportunity to gain a
Washington perspective on key issues of peace and security. Twice
yearly, the Fellowship's Board of Directors selects a group of
outstanding individuals to spend six to nine months in Washington.
Supported by a salary, the fellows serve as full-time junior staff
members at the participating organization of their choice.
NAU Representative: Melissa Riggs, Scholarship Coordinator
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship provides funding to students planning to pursue graduate degrees in preparation for a career in government or other public service/public policy fields. Students must be college juniors at the time of selection with a strong record of public service, government, and political activities and capable of being "change-agents" and policy-makers.
NAU Representative: Melissa Hatfield Riggs, Scholarship Coordinator
The Udall Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship for outstanding sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue careers related to the environment, or who are Native American or Alaska Native intending to pursue careers in Native American health care or tribal public policy.
The Payne Fellowship is designed to attract outstanding young people to
careers in international development as foreign service officers with the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID). The program
provides benefits valued at up to $90,000 over two years toward a two-year
master's degree, arranges internships on Capitol Hill and USAID missions
overseas, and provides professional development and support activities. At the end of the two-year fellowship, Fellows
enter the USAID Foreign Service. Applicants must be college seniors or
graduates planning to start graduate school in the fall of the year they apply,
have GPAs of at least 3.2, and be U.S. citizens. The program welcomes
applications from those with any undergraduate major and encourages
applications from members of minority groups historically underrepresented in
the USAID Foreign Service and those with financial need.
The White House Fellows Program is an
excellent way for early-career professionals to
get the experience of working at the highest levels of government. The applicant must have completed his or her undergraduate education, but there is no formal age restriction. There is an application and interview. The White House Fellows are looking for individuals with a record of remarkable professional achievement early in their career, evidence of leadership skills and the potential for further growth, a demonstrated commitment to public service, and the skills to succeed at the highest levels of the federal government and the ability to work effectively as part of a team.
Also see opportunities under Government Resources, Graduate Study in the UK and International Opportunities.