Schusterman Israel Scholar Awards

The Israel Scholar Development Fund of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise is pleased to offer awards to encourage students to pursue academic careers in fields related to the study of Israel. Awards will be available to undergraduates and college graduates who have already been accepted to a graduate program, graduate students who have received master’s degrees in Middle East related fields who wish to pursue a doctorate and doctoral students who are writing dissertations related to Israel.

Each award will be for $15,000. The grants are renewable based on the following benchmarks:

1. Undergraduates and college graduates who are accepted into MA programs related to Israel (paid in the fall of entering the MA program).
2. Acceptance into a Ph.D. program (paid in the fall of entering the Ph.D. program).
3. Passage of comprehensive exams.
4. Approval of dissertation topic.
5. Grant for research in Israel after either presenting two conference papers or giving two public lectures.

An undergraduate or college graduate who goes through a Ph.D. program may be eligible for up to $75,000 in support. A master's degree candidate would be eligible for up to $60,000. A Ph.D. candidate would be eligible for up to $45,000 depending upon the progress they have made toward the degree at the time of application for the award. Thus, a candidate who has not yet passed their exams, would be eligible for $45,000, but a student who has already passed the exams, would be eligible for $30,000. A candidate whose dissertation topic has been approved would be eligible for only one research grant of $15,000. An individual may receive only one award in a calendar year.

Doctoral dissertation awards may be used for tuition, books, living expenses, travel costs, and other expenses to enable dissertation research. All other awards will be for tuition and books (any excess received over qualified tuition and related expenses may be taxable income to the recipient).

Only five new awards will be offered each year, so the process will be highly competitive. Award recipients will be invited to participate in two conferences each year for Schusterman Visiting Israeli Professors.

Proposals from candidates in all disciplines are welcome.

The competition is open only to U.S. citizens.

To be eligible, undergraduates and college graduates must:

Demonstrates an interest in Israel studies
Be accepted into a graduate program offering Israel-related courses..
Show proof of graduation before receiving the award.

To be eligible, Masters students must:

Show proof of receipt of a master’s degree before receiving the award.
Show proof of acceptance to a doctoral program.

To be eligible, Ph.D. candidates must:

Plan to do research primarily in original source material.
Write the dissertation on a topic that relates to the Middle East and specifically includes research on Israel.
Show proficiency in Hebrew and/or Arabic.

In addition, Ph.D. candidates must ,

Show evidence of passing the comprehensive exams OR
Provide evidence of approval from their doctoral adviser or committee for the subject of their dissertation OR
Present two conference papers or public lectures AND submit a plan to conduct research in Israel with documentation of approval by an Israeli institution.

Selection Criteria:

Applications will be judged on a number of criteria, including:

Candidate’s record of achievement and leadership potential.
Commitment to scholarship and an academic career.
Originality and creativity of the research proposal (for doctoral candidates).
Importance of the proposed dissertation to the applicant’s field (for doctoral candidates).
Competence of the applicant to complete the dissertation (for doctoral candidates).
Extracurricular activities related to Israel.
Language skills, with a preference for knowledge of Hebrew.

Application Process:

Complete application form
Submit transcripts
Submit two letters of recommendation that evaluate the student's potential to contribute to Israel studies.
Undergraduates and masters students must also submit a 1,000 word essay that explains how they plan to translate their background and interests into an academic career in Israel studies. The essay should discuss why the student wishes to pursue an advanced degree, what area of research they are interested in, and what they hope to do with this knowledge.
Doctoral students should write an essay that describes their dissertation topic and methodology and how their research will advance the field of Israel studies.
Submit evidence of proficiency in Hebrew and/or Arabic.