The Duke Graduate School Research Support
The Graduate School at Duke University provides funding opportunities for Ph.D. students to travel to conduct pre-dissertation or dissertation research. Award amounts will vary from $500 to $3,000 depending on the research project and the number of proposals funded. Funding generally includes travel costs, some living expenses, and direct research expenses. Find out more:
Dissertation Research Travel Award: Domestic
Dissertation Research Travel Award: International
The James B. Duke International Research Travel Fellowship provides an annual stipend (equivalent to the Graduate School-recommended Arts and Sciences nine-month stipend established each year), as well as tuition, mandatory fees and a $2,000 travel allowance for students who need to conduct their dissertation research abroad. Find out more:
James B. Duke International Research Travel Fellowship
Find other funding opportunities here: The Graduate School's Financial Support page.
Department of Classical Studies Research Travel Awards
Thanks to the generosity of various endowments, the Department of Classical Studies can offer funding up to $2,000 to Duke University graduate students for summer research opportunities.
Eligibility
- Graduate students may apply for support to increase their exposure to and interaction with archaeology, to study collections at first hand, to curate such collections, to conduct in-situ investigation of classical antiquity, to participate in research training programs abroad (e.g., the AAR Winter School in Greek Palaeography and Codicology), and the like. If you are planning to work in archaeology, please signal that on your application, since we have a dedicated endowment for that purpose.
- Students must early on discuss with his/her mentor and the DGS the impact of the travel or research program on other obligations such as course work, teaching, dissertation writing, and in general satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. Both advisor and DGS will be asked to approve the project before the application can be considered.
- No graduate student may receive more than one research travel award in a given academic year. (Students may, however, receive a conference travel award as well as a research travel award.)
- Students past the fifth year are not eligible for awards that do not directly aid completion of the dissertation.
- We encourage students to apply for national and international fellowships and/or programs. If the cost of taking up a fellowship is substantially higher than $2000, we may – for one such instance in your graduate career – provide additional funding.
- For dissertation research, students may apply for a departmental research travel award only if they have first applied for a Dissertation Research Travel Award from the Graduate School (domestic / international). Students whose applications are declined may apply for the departmental award; students whose applications are accepted but whose expenses exceed the award may apply for departmental supplement.
Application Instructions
Prior to submitting an application, discuss the project with your advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Classical Studies. If you have the support of your advisor and the DGS, complete the application by the deadline: March 15
The Department of Classical Studies Conference Travel Awards
Thanks to the generosity of various endowments, the Department of Classical Studies can offer graduate students in years 1-3 up to $750 per annum to assist with travel to one or more conferences at which they are presenting a paper. Conference travel funding may be applied for on a rolling basis (forms can be found in the department's Graduate Students Only Box folder, under "Conference Travel Materials"). Unused funds do not carry over. Students in years 1 through 3 should apply to the department (see Instructions below). In year 4 and beyond, students must first apply for the Graduate School’s conference travel funding (TGS pays 70% and the department pays 30%). Students whose applications are declined may apply for the departmental award; students whose applications are accepted but whose expenses exceed the award may apply for departmental supplement. Students who receive a Graduate School Conference Travel award that is smaller than the specified limit ($525 for domestic, $700 for international for TGS' share) may apply for department funding for a second conference up to the amount of the difference. Graduate students in year 4 and beyond, please note Graduate School deadlines for applying for conference travel.
Instructions:
Mentorship is an important component of the departmental conference travel awards. Please note the following guidelines for students wishing to apply for conference travel support:
1.Your conference paper should be based on work that you have done in close consultation with a faculty member (e.g. a paper from class or work on your Specials or dissertation);
2.Before applying for conference travel funding, identify a mentor who can work with you as you prepare your paper and develop your proposal/abstract;
3.Commit to practicing your conference paper as a departmental “brown bag” talk;
4.The DGS will need to approve any conference travel funding applications (found on the Graduate Students Only Box folder) before they are submitted.
Important: Notes on Funding Mechanism for Research and Conference Travel Awards
a. If you are awarded funding, you may elect to
- Pay for all costs and be reimbursed up to the specified limit upon conclusion of travel, or
- Have the department purchase your travel tickets (or other travel-related expenses) up to the specified limit, or
- Receive the award in advance. Please note that such advance payments are taxable.
Note: SAVE ALL RECEIPTS (ITEMIZED), ALWAYS, no matter which option you choose.
List of non-allowable expenses: https://finance.duke.edu/travel/reimbursement/
b. The Graduate School does not cover expenses for alcohol and snacks. The department is now following the policy for alcohol starting January 2025.
External Research Funding
The Classical Association of the Middle West and South annually awards $2000 scholarships to help cover participation in summer excavation or field school at an archaeological site in the Greco-Roman world. Applications are due in January or February. For details see camws.org.
The Classical Association of the Middle West and South also annually awards a $3000 scholarship to be applied to a summer travel program in the graduate student’s research area (Janice and Herbert Benario Award), and two full fellowships for graduate students to attend the summer session of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (William T. Semple and Mary A. Grant Awards). Applications are due in January or February. For details see camws.org.
The American School of Classical Studies in Athens offers 25 fellowships to support research in Athens for graduate and post-graduate research. Applications are generally due in January. For details see https://www.ascsa.edu.gr.