PhD students have the opportunity to complete formal certification in interdisciplinary programs and to participate in interdisciplinary special seminars.The certificates below offer additional funds for those eligible:
Instructor of record in a First-year Writing-Intensive Seminar (FWIS) administered by the Program in Writing and Communication (PWC).
Tutoring work at the Center for Written, Oral, and Visual Communication (CWOVC).
Special Graduate Fellowships for Continuing Students
- Lodieska Stockbridge Vaughn: To provide a fellowship for a graduate student whose record at Rice shows evidence of outstanding achievement and promise. Four or five awards are usually given. Each department nominates one student for the Vaughn Fellowship. The fellowship amount is about $16,000.
- James T. Wagoner Fellow- Foreign Study Scholarships: Applicants are expected to enroll in a foreign university or conduct research in a foreign country. Funding ranges from $3,500-15,000 and is related to the scholar’s projected expenses for a year, semester, or summer.
An exhaustive list of fellowships and grants administered by Rice, as well as outside organizations, can be found in the Current Students section of the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) office website.
School of Humanities Award
John Gardner Prize - The School of Humanities offers the $1,000 John Gardner Prize to the student with the best dissertation in the School of Humanities. Submission is determined by department. Dissertations are read by a committee of 3 humanities faculty from departments with graduate programs, and a joint recommendation is made to the Dean of Humanities for final approval.
Department Awards
Barbara Field Kennedy Prize in American History - John Hines Kennedy established this prize in 1971 for the "graduate or undergraduate student in American history whose overall academic performance is rated highest by the faculty of the Department of History." The faculty submits nominations to the Director of Graduate Studies. The amount of award varies.
Clifford Lefton Lawrence Award in British History - Given annually to the best student—undergraduate or graduate—in British History at Rice University. To be eligible the student must have done distinguished work in some aspect of British history from ancient times to the present. Faculty members nominate students. Amount of award varies.
Captain Charles Septimus Longcope Award in History - Mrs. Amy Longcope Hopkins established this prize in 1958 in memory of her grandfather. It is awarded annually for the best History dissertation. The faculty submits nominations for the prize. Amount of award varies.
James Scott Peterson Distinguished Service Award - The faculty and graduate students of the History Department established this award in 1987 in memory of Jim Peterson, a fellow grad student who had passed away. It is awarded occasionally to an exceptional graduate student who embodies and fosters in others the qualities of scholarly excellence, maturity, and humanity. Nominations for eligibility may be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies. The amount of the prize is set by the Department Chair.