SSDD Fellowships are awarded to students of exceptional ability and promise who are enrolled in programs leading to the PhD in the social sciences.
Awards are made on an annual basis. Fellowships include a stipend and tuition scholarship for the academic year for which the award is made. Persons holding SSDD Fellowships are expected to engage in full-time study during the period of their fellowship. No additional duties are required or permitted.
The Department of Economics can award three SSDD Fellowships each year. There is no formal application process; candidates are selected by the Economics Graduate Committee. Selections are made based on the following criteria:
Eligibility
Students should be in good academic standing, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and must be at the dissertation stage of the program: i.e., they must have completed 72 graduate-level degree credits and must have held or be prepared to hold the dissertation overview by the end of the fall term in which the SSDD is awarded. Primary advisors will be consulted to determine whether the student will be able to hold an overview by that deadline.
Selection Process
In general, students aspiring to an SSDD Fellowship should first apply for a Mellon Fellowship. The Graduate Committee will follow the internally established ranking among Mellon applicants to determine SSDD awards. Priority will be given to students who applied for but did not receive a Mellon Fellowship.
Students who applied for the Mellon but whose names were not forwarded to the Arts and Sciences Mellon Selection Committee will be considered for SSDDs. If the committee decides not to award an SSDD to such a student, he/she will be encouraged to re-apply for the Mellon the following year.
Students who have previously won a Mellon Fellowship may submit a new research proposal to be considered for an SSDD award. The proposal must be on a different research project than the one they used to apply for the Mellon.
SSDD awards are announced in March.