Awards, Fellowships and Programs

Departmental Awards

For further information regarding deadlines and application guidelines for these awards, please consult the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Daniel Smith.

Seshat Prize

The Philosophy Department at the University of Memphis is pleased to announce the inaugural Seshat Prize for Spring 2021, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor. Seshat was the ancient Egyptian goddess of wisdom and writing, and the prize will recognize the convergence of wisdom and writing in an essay. A prize of $1,250 will be awarded to the best graduate student essay. Two prizes, one of $700 and one of $400, will be awarded to the first and second best undergraduate student essays. Click here for a PDF.

Hillary Johnson Memorial Graduate Student Teacher Award

This award is in memory of Hillary Johnson, a graduate student in philosophy whose life was tragically ended. The award is given each year to a student who has exhibited exceptional teaching skills. Award recipients receive $500.

Graduate Student Departmental Service Award

This award is given each year to a graduate student who has exceeded expectations regarding departmental service. Award recipients receive $250.

Bornblum Graduate Student Travel Award

This award was made possible by the generous donation of David Bornblum and was made in honor of his father Bert Bornblum, a long time friend of the philosophy department. It provides, on a competitive basis, funds to curb the expense of professional travel for graduate students. Further information is available here. Applications for the Bornblum Travel Award should be submitted to Dr. Kas Saghafi. To apply, click here.

Philosophy Study Abroad Program

The Philosophy Department at the University of Memphis is pleased to make available to eligible PhD students the opportunity to study overseas. Given eligibility and approval, the student may study in an approved university or more generally in an approved city for one semester. The program is intended to allow our best students to further their study of Continental or Analytic philosophy by means of attending university philosophy seminars and by means of investigating archives such as those at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Further information is available here.

Graduate School Awards

For further information regarding deadlines and application guidelines for the following awards, please consult the Graduate School's website.

Provost's Predoctoral Diversity Awards

These awards are bestowed by at least two departments each year, based on how well various requirements have been met. The amount of the awards vary by discipline and will be renewable for up to five years. All include a tuition scholarship. Each year departments compete based on their record of recruiting and graduating minority students. Students must be nominated by the department in order to apply for these awards.

The University of Memphis Society, Inc. Doctoral Fellowship

Established by UMS, Inc., this fellowship is awarded annually to a full-time doctoral student based on exceptional academic achievement. The amount varies from year to year.

Morton Thesis/Dissertation Awards

The result of a generous donation by S. Morgan Morton ('63), these awards honor an outstanding master's and doctoral student whose thesis or dissertation prospectus has been approved by their committee. The thesis award is $500 and the dissertation award is $750.

Graduate Assistant Meritorious Teaching Awards

These awards are given to two outstanding teaching assistants. Candidates are nominated by faculty, students, alumni, or their respective college dean. Each recipients is awarded $500.

Part-Time Master's Fellowships

Awarded to entering students, these $1500 awards ($750 per semester) do not include a tuition scholarship.