Social Sciences

Social Sciences Scholarships and Grants

“As long as there are entrenched social and political distinctions between sexes, races, or classes, there will be forms of science whose main function is to rationalize and legitimize these distinctions” – Elizabeth Fee

Social sciences are in essence the study of humanity and human behavior. For the student who is a natural in this field the application process will be easy. These students will have established excellent work and school relationships and will have easy access to references and letters. They will know how important it is to methodically compile all relevant data into a folder, which is easily accessible and available, for when a scholarship opportunity arises. Right!

Afro-American and African Studies Pre-doctoral Fellowship

These fellowships are for the support of projects in those disciplines of the humanities and social sciences, which concern themselves with Afro-American and African Studies. Applicants for the pre-doctoral fellowship must have completed all requirements for the Ph.D., except the dissertation. Recipients must be in residence at the University of Virginia for the duration of the award.

Award: Fellows receive funding for two years. This includes an annual stipend of $26,000, plus health insurance.
Deadline: December 1st

Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral & Dissertation Fellowship for Minorities #1

Candidates must be members of minority groups enrolled in, or planning to enrol in, a research-based Ph.D. or Sc.D. program in behavioural sciences, social sciences, earth sciences, humanities, life sciences, physics and astronomy, engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and computer sciences. Individuals must aspire to a teaching and research career.
Award amount: $12,000
Ford Foundation
320 E 43rd St
New York, NY 10017
USA
212-573-5000

Minority Fellowship for Graduate Study in Human Resource(SHRM Foundation)

Candidates must be members of one of the following racial or ethnic groups: African American, Hispanic, Native Alaskan, Native American, or Native Hawaiian. An undergraduate degree in one of the social sciences, such as economics, psychology, sociology, or political science is appropriate preparation for graduate work in HRM/IR. Candidate must be accepted by one of the 13 consortium graduate schools.
Award: $10,000 a year for up to $20,000 in total toward a graduate degree
Deadline: October 12, 2023

National Institute of Health (NIH)

The NIH offers an undergraduate scholarship program. Any student from an economically disadvantage family may apply if they have been accepted as a full-time student into a 4 year accredited college. Students must show a commitment to pursuing a career in biomedical, behavioral or social science health-related research at the NIH and must have a 3.5 GPA or be in the top 5% of their class.

For those with an adventurous spirit the MIT scholarship, awarded by the French Embassy to an American student, could be just the ticket. Take a look at this.

Chateaubriand for Humanities and Social Sciences

The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Office for Science and Technology of the Embassy of France in the United States. Every year, it allows students enrolled in American universities – PhD Candidates or Post Doctorates, to conduct research in a French research institution (public or private) for a 6 to 10 month period. This program has two main goals: to allow American researchers to benefit from an experience in one of the best research groups in France and to develop scientific cooperation between France and the United States.

Chateaubriand recipients receive allowances of 1300 Euro a month for fellows, a round-trip ticket to France and health insurance abroad.

The Iranian Association of Boston’s IAB Scholarship Fund

The Iranian Association of Boston’s IAB Scholarship Fund was created by Mr. And Mrs. Darehshori in 2002, with the purpose of granting scholarships to students who are of Iranian descent and/or have a strong, proven interest in Iranian culture. The primary mission of the IAB Scholarship committee is to award grants based on merit; however, student’s financial needs will also be an important component of consideration for the award. The eligibility rules are as follows: the applicant must be of Iranian descent or have active interest in Iranian culture and heritage. The applicant must be a full time student of an accredited New England graduate or from an undergraduate institution in any of the following states: ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, or RI.

As with all other scholarships the criteria is varied but the process is similar. Good rules of thumb are to prepare early, research a lot and prepare paperwork and references before you begin the process. That means looking at all of the different scholarship offers that may apply to your situation or abilities. Getting the criteria and application guidelines for each and compiling these in some sort of priority order.

Prepare a folder in which you keep this information and other important details and documents which are related to the application process. Also include in the folder, copies of references, personal details and financial data so that if an opportunity arises there is no reason to delay an application.

When you have all your paperwork organized and well written and all your data and references compiled you are ready to go. Any of the scholarships above and a plethora more are available to the student willing to take the initiative and apply. Good luck!