Over the course of two years in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) program, students will engage with two credit-bearing courses, fellowship and PhD application resources, conference preparation materials and participation, mentorship, a supportive scholarly community, and more. Fellows can expect to spend 36.25 hours per week during the summer, for the rising-junior Summer Institute and senior Application Intensive, and 10 hours per week each fall and spring semester of their junior and senior year attending classes or workshops, doing required readings, completing assignments, meeting with their Mellon faculty mentor, performing committee service, participating in MMUF community events, and fulfilling other fellowship requirements.
Please see the timeline below for a visualization of MMUF programmatic responsibilities. In addition to the professional development opportunities seen below, Fellows can request funds through the MMUF Scholar Development Fund for conference and/or research travel at any point during the academic year.
- Postgraduate Pathway Summer Institute (PPSI) - Fellows have the opportunity to spend eight-weeks living on-campus and learning about research methods in the humanities and humanistic social sciences while furthering your research project in a community of like-minded individuals.
- HUM 330: Histories and Theories of the Academic Humanities - Fellows will take HUM 330 in the fall of their junior year.
- MMUF Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference - Fellows will present their summer research at the regional conference, which typically takes place in November.
- Faculty Mentorship - Fellows will meet regularly with their MMUF faculty mentor for research support, fellowship application feedback, publication preparation, and early conversations about identifying prospective PhD programs.
- Committee Work - Fellows will be paid hourly wages for working in one of three committees (Recruitment, Community, or Selection). Fellows can expect an average of one hour of committee work per week, alongside their other fellowship responsibilities.
- Fellowship Applications - Fellows begin drafting application materials for the Truman Scholarship or Beinecke Scholarship application.
- Independent Research - Fellows will continue working on their independent research project over winter break.
- Fellowship Application - Fellows will revise application materials for the Truman Scholarship or Beinecke Scholarship, and follow application deadlines as set forth by the Office of International Programs (OIP).
- Undergraduate Course Assistant Training - Fellows participate in a paid training program to prepare them to become undergraduate course assistants for HUM 330: Histories and Theories of the Academic Humanities.
- Faculty Mentorship - Fellows will meet regularly with their MMUF faculty mentor for research support, fellowship application feedback, publication preparation, and conversations about selecting PhD programs.
- Committee Work - Fellows continue paid committee work.
- Works-in-Progress - Fellows will have the opportunity to share drafts of their written work and receive feedback.
- GRE Prep Course - Fellows will complete a preparation course and take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) by the end of August.
- Application Intensive - Fellows will participate in a full-time, two-week fellowship and PhD application intensive in early August.
- Independent Research - Fellows will continue developing their independent research projects over the summer.
- HUM 330 Course Assistant - Fellows will be paid hourly wages for their work as course assistants for HUM 330: Histories and Theories of the Academic Humanities.
- Faculty Mentorship - Fellows will meet regularly with their MMUF faculty mentor for research support, fellowship and graduate application feedback, and publication preparation.
- Committee Work - Fellows will select a committee for the academic year and be paid hourly wages for completing work in one of three committees. Fellows can expect an average of one hour of committee work each week.
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference - Fellows will present their summer research at the regional conference, which typically takes place in November.
- Independent Research - Fellows will continue working on their independent research project.
- HUM 331: Power and the Professoriate - Fellows will take HUM 331.
- Faculty Mentorship - Fellows will meet regularly with their MMUF faculty mentor for research support, fellowship application feedback, publication preparation, and postgraduate educational and career planning.
- Committee Work - Fellows will continue paid committee work.
- Works-in-Progress - Fellows will have the opportunity to share drafts of their written work with each other and share feedback in community.