Now Accepting Applications for the 2024-2025 Cohort.
Please read thoroughly. All documents must be submitted in order to be considered. Deadline for applications is December 15, 2024
The UTSA Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellowship Program seeks outstanding undergraduate students from underrepresented and other backgrounds who are interested in doctoral study in humanities and social science research fields. The program prepares students in academic research and professional development, and introduces them to the scholarly community.
The theme, Latinos in a Changing World, foregrounds scholarship and creative works focused on local and transnational Latinx experiences. Program staff and outside consultants are subject matter experts in Latinx studies and will direct student research in the following areas: literature, art and art history, music, history, communications, philosophy, classics, ethnic studies, gender studies, Afro-Latino identities, anthropology, sociology, geography, languages, media, and other humanities fields. This fellowship program cannot fund students in political science, education, business, economics, or sciences and engineering. Prior knowledge of Latinx studies is not required of prospective applicants.
Contact
Sophia Ortiz
Associate Director of the Mexico Center, Program Coordinator of the Mellon Humanities Pathways Program
Mexico Center
In the fall semester, fellows participate in professionalization workshops and interdisciplinary research seminars to prepare them for a scholarly career. Program consultants work with the fellows to help them identify appropriate graduate programs, prepare the necessary application materials, and to design their own research projects. In the spring semester, fellows participate in research apprenticeships with UTSA faculty mentors, participate in lectures and seminars with visiting scholars, visit universities across Texas that offer doctoral degrees in humanities disciplines. Additionally, fellows attend an intensive Spring Break workshop that yields drafts of the statement of purpose and curriculum vitae. The highlight of the spring semester for fellows is the UTSA Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Research Poster Symposium where each student presents their work. In early summer, fellows participate in a continuation of the workshop model that focuses on concluding individual research, publication, humanities academic/research careers, academic skills and methodology used in humanities programs, research design, and requirements for Ph.D. programs. In the fall of the fellows’ senior year, staff and mentors will assist fellows in applying to graduate humanities programs.
Fellows who are selected for the program receive a total stipend of $4,000 and a small research fund which will be disbursed as they participate in and complete the project activities. Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellows must complete all program activities and apply for graduate programs to receive the stipend. Applicants will be notified of their selection upon review of their application.
Applicants Must
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Be enrolled part-time or full-time in a UTSA bachelor’s program
- Have completed between 60 and 90 credit hours
- Be registered at UTSA or transferring from one of the Alamo Colleges
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
- Demonstrate potential and expressed interest in pursuing a graduate program to conduct humanities research
Other Requirements
- The fellow must identify with one or more traditionally underrepresented backgrounds (i.e., Latina/o, African American, Native American, first in the family to attend college, low income, veteran, etc.), or other backgrounds
- The fellow’s research focus must be relevant to a humanities field and the theme Latinos in a Changing World
- The fellow must respond to Mellon Foundation requests for information
- The fellow must comply with Mellon Foundation guidelines for acknowledgement of funding components as described in the Terms of Participation form (i.e., seminar activities, apprenticeship, summer workshop, presentations of research, visits to humanities graduate programs, application to graduation programs)
Applications Must Include
- Completed Application Form
- Academic Resume
- Official Transcripts
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty or persons familiar with applicant’s academic work and/or potential for success in graduate school
- A faculty member who can assess applicant’s potential for research, or
- A faculty member who can assess applicant’s work ethic
- A narrative no more than two pages long (12 point, Times New Roman font; 1-inch margins; double spaced) covering all of the following topics:
- Background and life experiences
- Your interest in the Mellon Humanities Pathways Program
- Areas of humanities research in which you are interested (related to “Latinos in a Changing World”)
- Motivation to attend graduate school
- Personal career goals
Applications and associated documents, as well as questions or concerns, can be directed to Sophia Ortiz (sophia.ortiz@utsa.edu) and UTSA Mexico Center (Mexico.Center@utsa.edu).
UTSA Mexico Center
One UTSA Circle, MH 4.03.02
San Antonio, Texas 78249
Phone: 210-458-2692
