Doctoral students in international affairs may apply for summer support for dissertation research; research on a broad range of international issues will be considered. CIS Summer Study Fellowship awards are intended to support student stipends and/or field research expenses. The competition is open to advanced doctoral students in international affairs at MIT, regardless of their home department.

The main criteria for determining which proposals will be funded, are:

1) The significance of the research question
2) The quality of the proposal
3) The strength of the letter of support submitted by the candidate’s dissertation supervisor

Individuals may receive no more than two awards during their doctoral studies at MIT.

Award amount – up to $4,000.00

Proposals should include *ONE CONTINUOUS* PDF file with the following items collated in the order listed below:

• Official Cover Page ** This is a fillable pdf form. Please fill out the form electronically;
• Statement of the research problem, how it will be addressed, methodology to be employed, and its overall relationship to the applicant’s doctoral thesis (maximum 6 pages, double-spaced);
• Budget delineating the amount requested for stipend payment and/or field research expenses. Detail of field research expenses required (e.g. travel, lodging, data collection).
• A current curriculum vitae; and
• One letter of support to be sent directly to Rodney Walkes

FRIDAY, March 15, 2024 by 5 p.m. EDT. Applicants are responsible for the timely arrival of all materials, including letters of support. Materials should be emailed to Rodney Walkes.

Applicants will receive confirmation of submission within one business day, and competition results by mid-April.

Every applicant MUST HAVE REGISTERED RESIDENT student status over the summer in order to receive a CIS summer award. For further information, see the MIT Graduate Policies and Procedures page. (If a student is registered only for the thesis, it is likely that no tuition will be charged.) It is the applicant’s responsibility to ascertain which MIT and departmental requirements may pertain, including tuition and fees, and to comply with them. Failure to do so may entail loss of summer support.

Summer study fellowship awards are paid by direct deposit. Awardees receiving stipend support will be paid in three installments at the end of June, July, and August. Contact MIT Human Resources Payroll Department to setup direct deposit if not already setup. Awardees receiving field research expense support will receive a one-time pre-paid reimbursement in late May. Payment cannot be made if a student has not registered for the summer. Although awardees must have “registered resident” STATUS, they do not have to physically reside in Boston/Cambridge area over the summer.

While tax is not taken out of award payments, awardees are required to claim fellowship stipend payments as income when filing taxes. Field research expense payments are reimbursements and therefore are not required to be declared as income.

All awardees must abide by MIT policies, procedures, and travel restrictions in addition to any existing economic and trade sanctions enforced by the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

All other things equal, preference will be given to applicants who have not previously received CIS summer support. Consideration is also given to the applicant’s track record in acquiring external support, or at least in energetically pursuing it.

Students may not apply for or receive stipend support during a period when they are already receiving support through their academic department (e.g. RAships or fellowships) or from other sources. Students already receiving stipend support may still apply for and receive funding for support of their field research, including travel, lodging, data collection, and any other expenses related to their research. However, students who are receiving stipend support and conducting home-based writing and research will not be eligible for support.

The awards do not carry any reporting requirements.

The CIS Summer Study Fellowship competition is open to advanced doctoral students in international affairs, regardless of home department. If you have any questions as to whether your project would qualify as "international affairs," feel free to consult with the CIS Administrative Officer, John Congdon, at least the two weeks in advance of the application deadline.

Q: What class do I register for in order to have registered resident student status?
A: Please check with your home department’s graduate administrator.

Q: What are my chances of receiving the award?
A: Typically, we receive approximately 30 applications and are able to fund approximately 15-17 awards each year. All other things equal, preference will be given to applicants who have not previously received CIS summer support. Consideration is also given to the applicant’s track record in acquiring external support, or at least in energetically pursuing it.

Q: Are taxes taken out of the award?
A: While tax is not taken out of your award up front, you are required to claim any fellowship stipends as income when you file your taxes. See IRS guidelines for Publication 970 (2021), Tax Benefits for Education. Field research expense payments are reimbursements and therefore are not required to be declared as income.

Q: How will I receive the award money?
A: Summer study awards are paid by direct deposit. Awardees receiving stipend support will be paid in in three installments at the end of June, July and August. You will receive the funds the same way you receive your monthly RA stipend or graduate fellowship stipend. If you will not be on campus, and do not have direct deposit set up, you should contact the Payroll Department to arrange so. Awardees receiving field research expense support will receive a one-time pre-paid reimbursement in late May. Payment cannot be made if a student has not registered for the summer.

Q: When will the competition results be announced?
A: Applicants will be notified of the competition results by the middle of April.

Q: How many times can I apply for/receive the award?
A: There is no limit to how many times students can apply for the award; however, normally, an individual may receive no more than two of these awards in their MIT graduate student career.

Q: Can I see sample proposals?
A: Yes. Sample proposals will be available in early February. Please e-mail Rodney Walkes at that time if you wish to see a sample.

Q: Can I accept the CIS Summer Study Fellowship Award in addition to another summer award?
A: Students may not apply for or receive stipend support during a period when they are already receiving support through their academic department (e.g. RAships or fellowships) or from other sources. Students already receiving stipend support may still apply for and receive funding for support of their field research, including travel, lodging, data collection, and any other expenses related to their research. However, students who are receiving stipend support and conducting home-based writing and research will not be eligible for support.

Q: How do I fill out the cover sheet which is in PDF form?
A: The PDF is a fillable form.

Q: I can’t fit everything on the one cover page. Can I go onto a second page?
A: Yes.

Q: Can I insert graphs/figures into the proposal in excess of the six-page limit?
A: If necessary, graphs/figures may extend onto a seventh page.

Q: Who should I contact if I have any questions as to whether my project would qualify as “international affairs”?
A: Please e-mail CIS Administrative Officer John Congdon at least the two weeks in advance of the application deadline.