American Studies Thesis Research Grants ($100–$500) are intended to fund students’ independent thesis research. Students must include a specific research question that they hope to answer in their proposals, indicating how the question relates to their Concentration in the major.
FALL APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 15, 5:00 pm PT
The fall application period opens in mid-September.
Funding decisions will be communicated by December 8.
SPRING APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 15, 5:00 pm PT
The fall application period opens in mid-February.
Funding decisions will be communicated by May 1.
Thesis Research Grants are disbursed as a stipend via your Cal Central account. Stipend payments are restricted to UC Berkeley students who are registered for the current academic semester for which they are seeking an award, or in the grace period immediately after academic semester registration (grace period defined as a semester or summer, whichever is after the period of enrollment). Stipends must be spent on research expenses, otherwise your financial aid package may be impacted. You may be asked to submit receipts to substantiate your stipend was spent on authorized research expenses.
Complete applications include the following:
Student submission of a complete Thesis Research Grant Proposal (see below)
Faculty submission of a Faculty Mentor Endorsement Form (see attachment)
Your Thesis Research Grant Proposal must include the following:
1. Researcher (who?)
Your name and email address; a working title for the project; and the Semester/Year for which you are applying for thesis research support.
2. Narrative (what?)
Describe the purpose and goals of your research. And provide a brief overview of the subject matter background.
3. Timeline (how?)
Include research plan that includes both methodologies and a timeline.
4. Budget (why?)
Detail the purpose of the funds and your requested amount. Be as transparent as possible and provide a rationale for each budget item. Thesis research grants may not be spent for personal expenses or the paying of debts.
Submit your completed application to: amerstd_assocdir@berkeley.edu
