Guide to Postgraduate Fellowships

Firestone Library holds dozens of reference works to assist you in selecting graduate programs, whether in the United States or abroad, and in identifying financial support of all sorts. What follows is only a partial list of tools available in the Trustee Reading Room (i.e., the General and Humanities Reference Room) on the first floor of Firestone, with emphasis on those that concern the United Kingdom. Do not hesitate to discuss your interests with reference librarians who will help you find additional information on particular institutions, degree programs and funding possibilities.

Reference librarians are on duty at the times indicated under Hours on the Library home page, http://library.princeton.edu; use the menu of posted hours and choose Firestone Library – Reference Assistance in Trustee Reading Room. You can also reach a reference librarian by calling (609) 258-5964, or by clicking the CHAT, E-MAIL, or APPOINTMENT buttons on that same page.

A note about locations: The symbol “(DR)” precedes the call number for cataloged items located in the Trustee Reading Room. “Ready Reference” refers to the area just inside and to the right of the door.

A note about publication dates: Since the British academic calendar differs from ours, universities may not issue their bulletins for the academic year until late in the fall. If the new editions are not available on the Web before your deadlines, it is okay to rely on last year‘s information when you apply for admission and/or fellowships.

Europa World of Learning (London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group), is an annual international directory covering major cultural organizations. For each country it lists national academies and their members; learned societies, arranged by general subject; major research centers; libraries and archives; museums and art galleries; universities (usually listing full-time faculty members); and other postsecondary institutions. Electronic version at www.worldoflearning.com.

Call number: (DR) AS2.W6 in Ready Reference

Note: Princeton pays for access to this database. If you are not on campus, you must use the VPN or proxy service so you will be authenticated to search this resource. See http://library.princeton.edu/help/remoteaccess.php for step-by-step directions.

The International Handbook of Universities, 20th edition (Houndsmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), is a country-by-country directory of postsecondary education, appearing in two very large volumes. For each country this work gives an overview of the structure of higher education, followed by lists of public and private institutions. For each institution the handbook supplies mail, e-mail and Web addresses, central telephone and fax numbers, the names of chief academic officers, a brief history of the school, areas of instruction, what degrees are offered and other basic information. There are indexes of regional and international organizations focused on higher education, of institutions by name and of fields of study.

Call number: (DR) L900.I58q in Ready Reference

Peterson’s Study Abroad 2008 (Lawrenceville, NJ: Peterson’s, 2008), is organized by country with indexes by field of study, program sponsor and host institutions. There is also an index to internships abroad. Preliminary essays cover practical advice for anyone planning to attend a university in another country.

Call number: (DR) LB2375.S882 in Ready Reference

Study Abroad=Études à l’étranger=Estudios en el extranjero, 2006-2007, 33rdedition (Paris: Unesco, 2005), describes international study abroad programs as well as education opportunities in individual countries. Indexes cover international organizations that sponsor study abroad programs, national institutions and subjects of study.

Call number: (DR) LB2338 .S86q in Ready Reference

IIEPassport: Academic Year Abroad, 38th edition 2009-2010 (New York: Institute of International Education, 2009), lists opportunities for foreign study, first by continent, then by country. Indexes provide approaches by sponsoring institutions, consortia, fields of study, special options (such as study tours or internships) and cost ranges.

Call number: (DR) LB2376.U46 in Ready Reference

Commonwealth Universities Yearbook 2007, 82nd edition (London: Association of Commonwealth Universities, 2008), appears annually and is a good place to start exploring institutions in Great Britain or any other Commonwealth nation. It is arranged by country, with British universities appearing in volume 2 under “United Kingdom,” and gives basic directory information for each school plus an invaluable list of departments and programs, including faculty members, their degrees and often their alma maters. At the start of each country section is a map showing the location of each institution and an extremely helpful table that charts what disciplines can be studied at which institutions and for which degrees. Also in volume 2 are four indexes to institutions, subjects of study, research interests and personal names.

Call number: (DR) LB2310.Y5 in Ready Reference

Prospects Postgraduate Directory 2008/09 (Manchester: CSU Ltd., 2009) appears in four volumes, the first three of which are organized by broad discipline groups. Volume 4 answers the questions of people considering postgraduate programs in the U.K. and includes display ads from lesser-known institutions. This work identifies both taught courses and research opportunities and provides a short paragraph about the distinctive features of each program. There is a very helpful “Course Finder” section at the end of each volume, serving as a discipline index to the set.

Call number: (DR) L915.P767q in Ready Reference

For quick access to university home pages, arranged by country, use www.mit.edu:8001/people/cdemello/geog.html. (This leads to a commercial website with sponsored ads, but the links are all valid.)

Annual Register of Grant Support: A Directory of Funding Sources 2009 (Medford, NJ: Information Today, 2008) is organized by broad categories, for example, “International Studies and Research Abroad,” and identifies groups that support such interests and their criteria for eligibility. There are also several more specific subject indexes. As a tool that describes prizes and awards as well as fellowships and grants, it is an excellent place to start any funding investigation.

Call number: (DR) AS911.A2A67 in Ready Reference

Directory of Financial Aids for _________ (El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press) is a set of five volumes, each of which describes scholarships, fellowships, loans, grants, awards and internships available to members of the group in question. Each volume also has a bibliography of other directories and several indexes, including ones to residency qualifications, tenability requirements, plus a calendar of deadlines. The different titles and their call numbers are:

Women (DR) LB2338.D564 in Ready Reference
African Americans (DR) LB2338.F5643 in Ready Reference
Asian Americans (DR) LB2338.F5644 in Ready Reference
Hispanic Americans (DR) LB2338.F5645 in Ready Reference
Native Americans (DR) LB2338.F5646 in Ready Reference

The Grants Register 2009: The Complete Guide to Postgraduate Funding Worldwide, 276th edition

(Houndsmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), is intended “for students at or above the postgraduate level, or those who require further professional or advanced vocational training” (preface) to assist them in identifying all sorts of financial support. Main arrangement is by sponsoring body. Use the subject and eligibility approaches in the back to get entry numbers for the full descriptions of each grant.

Call number: (DR) LB2338.G7 in Ready Reference

Foundation Grants to Individuals, 17th edition (New York: Foundation Center, 2008), has a large section on sources of educational support, complemented by indexes to types of support and interests of foundations, among others.

Call number: (DR) LB2336.F599 in Ready Reference

Encyclopedia of Associations, 47th edition (Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2009) is a directory of organizations devoted to almost every conceivable field or endeavor. Separate sets of volumes exist for U.S. associations; regional, state and local associations; and international associations. Each set is arranged by broad subject — for instance, broadcasting — and has an index of association names and keywords. Entries provide contact information, Web address, number of members and a description of the organization’s purpose. If you have a highly specific research interest or career goal, you should consider contacting relevant associations to see if they provide money to help underwrite your pursuits after Princeton.

Call numbers, all in Ready Reference: (DR) AS22.E5 [national associations in the U.S.]
(DR) AS22.E52 [regional, state, and local associations]
(DR) AS22.E54 [international organizations]

Electronic version, is part of the Gale Directory Library at http://find.galegroup.com/gdl Note. Princeton pays for access to this database. If you are not on campus, you must use the VPN or proxy service so you will be authenticated to search this resource. See http://library.princeton.edu/help/remoteaccess.php for step-by-step directions.

Library information compiled in June 2009 by Mary George, senior reference librarian, mwgeorge@princeton.edu.