History Department Graduate Funding
We provide 5 years of funding to all admitted PhD students (pending satisfactory progress in the program). The following outlines the primary funding opportunities available to our students, although all funding is contingent upon continued support from several sources, including the College of Liberal Arts, the Graduate School, and Purdue University.
Teaching Assistantship
Our PhD funding usually takes the form of a Teaching Assistantship (TA). TA duties typically include grading exams in one of our larger lecture courses (20 hours per week). In academic year 2024-25, that teaching assistantship included the following benefits:
• A stipend of $22,000 per academic year
• Covers all tuition and fees (except about $300)
• Entitles you (and any spouse and dependents) to enroll in our subsidized University Graduate Student Staff Health Plan, which cost about $680 a year in 2024.
• We also try to ensure that every admitted PhD student gets 2 semesters of that 5 years of funding in the form of a research assistantship. This gives you the same benefits as a teaching assistantship with no teaching requirements. Students usually take one semester of that research assistantship to conduct research away from campus once they have completed their preliminary examinations, and one semester to focus on writing later in the process.
Competitive Recruitment Fellowships
The following competitive fellowships may also be offered to highly qualified applicants. Applicants do not apply directly for these fellowships:
Ross Fellowship
In Academic year 2024-25, the Ross Fellowship included the following benefits:
• A stipend of $28,000 per calendar year
• Covers all tuition and fees (except about $300)
• Entitles you (and any spouse and dependents) to enroll in our subsidized University Graduate Student Staff Health Plan, which cost about $680 a year in 2024.
• One year of Ross funding comes without any responsibilities, meaning students can conduct research or write without teaching obligations.
Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship
Currently $28,000 per calendar year
• Tuition remission and covers most fees
• No responsibilities on campus, meaning students can conduct research or write without teaching obligations
• Students receiving this grant must graduate upon completion
Additional Travel and Research Funding Opportunities
In addition to these fellowships, students making satisfactory progress in the PhD program also have access to the following travel and fellowship funding opportunities:
The College of Liberal Arts PROMISE fund
• Tier 1 will provide up to $750 in approved funding for expenses related to scholarship/creative activity including research or domestic travel for graduate students to present original scholarship/creative works.
• Tier 2 will provide funding up to $1,500 for expenses related to scholarship/creative activity with an international focus including research or international travel to present original scholarship/creative works.
• Students may apply for this travel and research funding once a year. Priority will be given to students who are advanced in their programs, and especially to those presenting original research or creative works at major domestic or international conferences or exhibitions or conducting primary data collection.
• Further details are available here: https://cla.purdue.edu/students/graduate/promise/index.html
Departmental Travel Funding
The Department also has a number of competitive research awards for students researching and writing their dissertations:
Harold D. Woodman Graduate Research Award
Named in honor of Harold D. Woodman, a member of the Department of History faculty from 1971-1997 and former Louis Martin Sears Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue, the Harold D. Woodman Graduate Research Award provides grants for travel to libraries and archives to conduct research for doctoral dissertations and master's theses. Applications for grant funding are reviewed twice yearly by the Graduate Committee which recommends awards to the department head.
M.L. Flaningam Graduate Award
Professor Miletus Lafayette Flaningam taught history at Purdue for more than thirty-three years, and he had a special interest in the graduate program from its inception. After his untimely death in 1979, his colleagues, friends, and students established a memorial fund, the M. L. Flaningam Graduate Award, in his name to reward excellence in graduate student achievement. The award of $500 is presented during the spring semester to the author of the best paper submitted.
Paul and Reed Benhamou Graduate Scholarship in History
The Paul and Reed Benhamou Graduate Scholarship in History grants one scholarship in the amount of $1000 for the academic year. The scholarship funds are not payable in cash but will be applied by the university to the students' tuition and fee balances. The scholarship may be renewed but you must reapply each year.
George Mayer Award for History
The George Mayer Award for History is awarded annually to a graduate student who exhibits exceptional leadership in the classroom, the department, the College, the University, or the broader community.
James J. Shelvin Study Abroad Scholarship
The James J. Shelvin Study Abroad Scholarship has been made available for undergraduate history majors by the Shevlin Endowment established by Catherine Shevlin Pierce and Thomas J. Pierce to help defray costs of travel and expenses. The scholarship may be awarded to undergraduate history majors who will participate in the Study Abroad Program for either a full semester (includes summer sessions) or the entire academic year. Please note: history graduate students may also apply and will be taken under consideration following disbursements to undergraduates.
Departmental Funding
Modest funds may also be available from the Department for conference attendance and research trips.