Graduate funding available for the Art History program is awarded on a competitive basis to outstanding applicants. All applicants are automatically considered (no separate application is necessary).
In addition to grants awarded with University funds through the Department, the amounts of which are determined by the Graduate Admissions Committee, there are 4 basic ways to finance your graduate studies at McGill:
1. Competitive fellowships: These are scholarships awarded to students through national, international and university level competitions. Fellowships are the most prestigious awards because of the high level of competition. In general they range from a minimum of $5,000 per year to $35,000 or more per year. Fellowships are awarded by a variety of organizations and there are a number of internal fellowships (see lists below).
*Students who are eligible are strongly urged to apply in the fall before application to McGill to SSHRC and FQRSC (the main federal and provincial granting agencies).
2. Stipends: These are scholarships paid to graduate students from a professor's research grant. Because they are paid from a professor's grant, the recipients and value of these awards are at the discretion of the professor.
3. Assistantships: Graduate students can be offered two types of assistantships: teaching assistantships and research assistantships. Both are open to all graduate students, regardless of nationality.
4. Loans and bursaries: The McGill Student Aid Office is responsible for administering all needs-based financial aid. For more information visit http://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/.
McGill Graduate Fellowships Competition Awards
The following are fellowships and awards for recruitment, research and study internships, and travel and research that are offered or administered by McGill University.
Recruitment Fellowships:
Max Stern-McCord Museum Fellowships (For applicants in Canadian Art History)
Offered to meritorious graduate students who will register in a department of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University and whose research will directly involve the collections of the McCord Museum. Please consult the McCord website to find information on the various collections of the Museum. It is recommended that you consult with one of the curators at the McCord while preparing a statement identifying ways in which the McCord's collections will support your proposed research. No citizenship restrictions.
Website: http://www.mcgill.ca/arts/graduate/fellowships/
Deadline: late February
Value: MA $15,000 renewable (once)
PhD $20, 000 renewable (twice)
Sir Yue-Kong Pao Fellowship (For applicants from China)
Master's or Doctoral Fellowships awarded by the Faculty of Arts to outstanding graduate students on the basis of academic merit. Preference shall be given first to students from Ningbo University, and, secondarily, to students from the People's Republic of China. Website: http://www.mcgill.ca/arts/graduate/fellowships/
Value: $25,000 (non-renewable)
Research/Study Internships:
For applicants studying any aspect of Architectural or Landscape History, the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal offers research grant and curatorial programs:
Doctoral students at McGill University, who are interested in the CCA Collection Research Grants Program, can apply online (www.cca.qc.ca/researchgrants) for a residency of 1, 2, 3 or 4 months at the Study Centre.
Graduate students at McGill University, who are interested in Curatorial Opportunities at the CCA, can apply online (www.cca.qc.ca/curatorialopportunities) for the Curatorial Internships Program and the Young Curators Program.
Deadlines: early April.
For students of Canadian Art History, the McCord Museum offers an internship:
The Fred and Betty Price Award: To support meritorious graduate students whose research directly involves the historic collections of the McCord Museum, furthers understanding in the fields of Canadian art history and material culture studies, and whose work disseminates the significance of the McCord collection.
For more information, contact sarah [dot] kaderabek [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Sarah Kaderabek), Liaison OfficerFaculty of Arts.
Travel and Research Awards:
Arts Graduate Student Travel Awards
Administered by the Faculty of Arts, for graduate student travel for the purposes of research (including archival research or field work) and the dissemination of research (including conferences and talks).
Deadlines: September and January.
Value: Up to a maximum of $2000.
Website: http://www.mcgill.ca/arts/awards/travelaward/
SSHRC Grants
This program provides grants to cover travel and cost of research for doctoral students in the Social Sciences and Humanities. It is administered by the Research Grants Office.
Deadlines: October, January, April.
Value: up to a maximum of $5000.
Website: http://www.mcgill.ca/rgo/funding/internal/sshrc_grants/
Online application form: http://www.mcgill.ca/files/rgo/SSHRC-StudentGuidelinesandApplicationForm.doc [.doc]
Making Publics: Media, Markets and Association in Early Modern Europe (1500-1700).
Students of Early Modern Art and Visual Culture can become Graduate Student Associates (GSAs) of this SSHRC Major Collaborative Research Initiative. GSAs are nominated by their supervisors and are eligible for Travel Assistance Funds (conference papers or project-related research)
Deadline: October.
Website: http://makingpublics.mcgill.ca/
Media@McGill
Applicants whose research deals with Media, Technology and Culture may be eligible for travel grants and scholarships offered by Media@McGill:
Website: http://media.mcgill.ca/en/information_for_students
Margaret Gillett Graduate Research Award
Applicants whose research deals with aspects of Women's Studies are eligible for the Margaret Gillett Graduate Research Award for travel and research-related expenses (excluding conference travel).
Value: up to $1000
Website: http://www.mcgill.ca/mcrtw/awards/grads/
East Asian Art History
Applicants in East Asian Art History should consult the fellowship and funding information on the Department of East Asian Studies website: http://www.mcgill.ca/files/eas/EASGrantOrientation.pdf [.pdf]
More detailed information on Graduate Funding and Fellowship awards can be found on the Graduate and Postdoctoral website at http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/fellowships and the Faculty of Arts website at http://www.mcgill.ca/arts/awards/
External Graduate Fellowships Competition Awards
Students who are eligible are strongly urged to apply in the fall BEFORE application to McGill for SSHRC and FQRSC awards. We hold grant writing workshops in the department in September to help students prepare applications. The majority of our students are funded through these two granting agencies.
FQRSC (MA/PhD, Québec residents only)
Deadline: October
Value: PhD-$20,000 (3 years); MA-$15,000 (2 years)
Website: http://www.fqrsc.gouv.qc.ca/fr/accueil.php
SSHRC (MA/PhD, Canadian citizens)
Website: http://www.sshrc.ca/web/apply/students_e.asp
Masters SSHRC
Deadline: October.
Value: $17,500 (up to 12 months).
SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships
Deadline: October.
Value: $20,000 (up to 48 months).
CGS Doctoral SSHRC
Deadline: October.
Value: $35,000 (up to 36 months)
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
For Canadian and International students: application by invitation through academic departments only. Administered through SSHRC.
Deadline: October.
Website: http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/fellowships/grad/externalagencies/vanier/
Trudeau Foundation Scholarships
For Canadian doctoral students working on one of the following four themes: human rights and social justice, responsible citizenship, Canada and the world, and humans and their natural environment.
Deadline: October.
Website: http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/fellowships/grad/externalagencies/trudeau/
Canada-US Fulbright Student Awards
Intended for Canadian and American graduate students and junior professionals who wish to enrol in a graduate studies program or continue their current course of graduate study and/or research at a university or research centre in the United States or Canada, respectively.
Website: http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/fellowships/traveling-fellowships/fulbright/
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ)
The BAnQ is located in Montreal and offers a number of research grants to MA and PhD students registered in Quebec universities whose research directly involves their extensive collections.
- cinq bourses de mise en valeur: doctorat (12 500 $ chacune) ou maîtrise (9500 $ chacune);
- deux bourses thématiques: doctorat (12 500 $ chacune) ou maîtrise (9500 $ chacune);
- une bourse concernant les relations France-Québec (3500 $);
- une bourse exceptionnelle pour une recherche portant sur la collection de l'Institut canadien de Montréal (15 000 $).
For application instructions, see their website: www.banq.qc.ca/PSR
This is by no means a comprehensive list of external funding opportunities. Many museums, research institutes, collections, and libraries offer various types of funding for art historical research. Most of these are field-specific, so consult with your supervisor.