Undergrad Grants

Senior Thesis Grant for Summer 2024

The Charles Warren Center, Harvard’s American history research center, awards 4-6 summer fellowships to Harvard College juniors undertaking a senior thesis on any topic in American history. The award amount is commensurate with the research budget, up to a maximum of $2,500 each. Undergraduates in any concentration are welcome to apply, but the focus of the thesis must be on American history and the methodology must be primarily historical. The purpose of the fellowship is to enable students to spend a significant period of time on thesis research in the summer preceding the senior year.

A complete application consists of the following:

* The research proposal, (no more than four pages, double-spaced) including the following three elements: 1) statement of the subject proposed, 2) list and discussion of the sources, libraries and archives to be consulted, and 3) itinerary and plan of summer research. This proposal should be developed in consultation with the recommender (see next item). If the recommender will not be the thesis adviser, please say so in the research proposal, with an indication of progress to date towards the identification of the thesis adviser.

* One letter of recommendation from either a faculty member, tutor or teaching fellow should be uploaded electronically to the CARAT system.  When you (students) reach this part of the application, you’ll receive reference instructions for recommenders who are Harvard Affiliates and for Non-Harvard recommenders. Please follow these instructions. The deadline for submitting recommendation letters in CARAT is February 9, 2024.

* An unofficial school transcript (through the fall semester) or grade report must be uploaded to the CARAT system.

* Current one page resume.

* The submission deadline for this grant is February 9, 2024. Your application and supporting material are due online, via the CARAT application. You must hit “submit” in CARAT by the February 9, 2024 deadline.

Applicants will be notified of the Center's decisions in late March. Note that you must inform the Warren Center immediately in the unlikely event that you receive an award for the same or similar research from another source.

Successful applicants will receive the total stipend in May. Each fellowship winner is required to submit in the fall a brief report of his or her summer's research and to give a copy of the completed thesis to the Center.

 If you have any questions, please contact Monnikue McCall (momccall@fas.harvard.edu).