Funding consists of a combination of fellowships (including those that students earn on their own), teaching assistantships and, occasionally, research assistantships, assigned by the HASTS Steering Committee. Students should expect to TA four subjects in years two through five in the program. A nine-month fellowship for dissertation completion, including the above tuition and insurance, if needed, is available for a sixth year. All funding is contingent on satisfactory academic progress, and appropriate employment eligibility, if applicable.
All students are also welcome to seek competitive outside funding at any point in their program, particularly for dissertation research expenses, and typically have a good success rate with applications for outside grants and fellowships. The Director of Graduate Studies, the Academic Administrator, and students’ advisors are available to assist students seeking outside sources for support. Current HASTS students should also refer to the Funding Resources module on the HASTS Resources Canvas page.
HASTS Funds to Support Student Travel
Students who are presenting papers at professional conferences or who are engaged in research may request at least $1,000 from HASTS for travel expenses each academic year (June 1-May 31). The Director of Graduate Studies must approve all requests for funds prior to the proposed travel. Students must submit receipts to the STS Academic Assistant in a timely manner and before June 10 each year to be reimbursed.
MIT Funding Resources
Below is a partial list of funding resources available at MIT:
These are some of the grants and fellowships that have been received by HASTS students, in addition to numerous travel grants and research funding from organizations specific to their research topics.