The Richard Bland Fellowship Professional Pathways Program

• Eligibility
• Selection Criteria
• Award Amount
• Nomination
• Deadline
• How to Apply
• Application Guidelines
• Contact Us

The Richard Bland Fellowship Professional Pathways Program supports doctoral students at they explore non-faculty career paths through the design and experience of a unique summer internship opportunity.

Students work with a host organization to propose an internship plan (200 hour minimum). The proposal includes information on their professional goals and learning objectives and identifies a professional mentor. Both the student and the mentor will evaluate the experience upon the conclusion of the internship. The fellowship includes a $5,000 summer stipend to enable the student to engage exclusively in this unique learning internship for the summer.

See how this innovative fellowship program is helping doctoral students explore exciting professional opportunities.

Submit Application »

Eligibility

You are eligible if:

• You are a full-time, doctoral student in a residential program administered through The Graduate School
• You are enrolled full-time for Spring 2019 and will be enrolled full-time for Fall 2019
• You will not hold a TA or RA position during the summer or take summer courses
• The internship you propose does not fulfill a requirement of your graduate program

You must be willing to provide a report on your internship experience, and your professional mentor must be willing to provide a written evaluation of your work to The Graduate School at the conclusion of your fellowship.

Internship Experience

The Richard Bland Fellowship supports students who design an internship as an opportunity to explore a non-faculty career path. The internship must be in collaboration with a professional mentor within the host organization and should be at least 200 hours in length.

The fellowship cannot be used for the purpose of advancing the student's research (though some overlap may be inevitable.) Applicants must be able to clearly articulate how the internship relates to their career goals and what they hope to gain from this experience, both intellectually and professionally. The fellowship cannot be used to fulfill a graduate program internship requirement or supplement a similar required graduate program experience.

Students who have not had opportunities to explore non-faculty careers previously will be given priority.

This fellowship is designed to support internship opportunities that would otherwise be unpaid. Students should not receive funding for this opportunity from another source (including the host organization) simultaneously with this fellowship. Additionally, the fellowship should not replace other available funding.

The fellowship cannot be used to support internships where the primary work tasks involve advocating for a particular political party, candidate or platform.

Selection Criteria

We select awardees based on how ready they are to productively use the time of this summer internship. You must have a well-articulated internship plan, definitive career exploration and learning objectives, and preparations in place regarding a host organization and professional mentor to support your plans.

Previous Bland Fellows

Award Amount

The award is a one-time $5,000 stipend at the beginning of the summer.

Depending on funding, this award may change from year to year.

Deadline

Deadlines are posted on the funding deadlines calendar.

How to Apply

Submit Application »

1. Prepare an internship plan, career plan, description of your learning goals, and curriculum vitae. Arrange for a recommendation letter of commitment from your professional mentor. Be sure to follow the application guidelines.
   View Frequently Asked Questions about the online award application.
2. Submit your materials to The Graduate School Award Online Application.
3. Ask your mentor to submit the Letter of Commitment to gradfunding@unc.edu with "Richard Bland Fellowship Mentor Letter of Commitment" as the subject line.
4. Your department does not need to rank your application or submit a nomination.
5. We will notify awardees in the middle of April.

Application Guidelines

We cannot consider your application if you exceed any of the page limits or if you do not follow the proper format. All materials must be double-spaced, with 12-point font, 1-inch margins, pages numbered, and the applicant's name on each page.

A complete application includes:

Online Application

Internship Plan

Format: No more than 2 pages. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, your name on each page.

The plan should include:

• the nature of the work to be done and the student's role,
• a justification for why this opportunity will provide experience not otherwise available to the applicant via other means (and/or wouldn't duplicate past experience),
• and a plan for both student and mentor/host organization evaluation of the experience.

Career Plan

Format: No more than 1 page. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, your name on each page.

• Describe your non-academic career goals and how they relate to your internship plan.
• Include a projected plan for achieving these career goals, including the skills and professional development, resource access, and professional relationship building necessary.

Learning Goals

Format: No more than 1 page. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, your name on each page.

• Describe what learning objectives you have for this internship opportunity, including any particular skills you hope to learn, and how they relate to your career trajectory.
• Your learning goals should be focused on achieving your stated career plan, and not on furthering your dissertation research.

Curriculum vitae or resume

Format: No more than 2 pages. 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, and your name on each page.

• Include recent professional activities, awards, honors, and courses you have taught.

• Other sources of funding awarded or pending

Letter of Commitment from your Professional Mentor

Your mentor should submit the Letter of Commitment to gradfunding@unc.edu with "Richard Bland Fellowship Mentor Letter of Commitment" as the subject line.

Instructions for mentors:

Each letter of commitment should be no more than 4,000 characters (spaces included), which is approximately 600 words or one single-spaced page.

Address the letter of recommendation "To the Fellowship Committee."

Include:

• A statement of support confirming that the sponsoring organization is in full support of the proposal
• A description of how the student-mentor relationship will be developed and maintained over the course of the fellowship, including a plan of supervision as appropriate
• An assessment of the value of the proposed plan as a learning experience and contribution of the mission of the organization
• A description of possible end products and general time commitment expected
• A description of how the student's work will be evaluated
• A confirmation that to the best of the mentor's knowledge, no other funding is available for this internship opportunity
• A confirmation that a written evaluation of the student's summer internship will be provided no later than September 15th of the same year.

Contact Us

Graduate School Fellowships Office
gradfunding@unc.edu