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The Experiential PhD gives PhD students in College of Social Sciences and Humanities opportunities to collaborate with, and work in, arts and education organizations, local and state agencies, non-profits and businesses in the Boston area and beyond.

CSSH provides PhD students with new paths to integrate the Social Sciences and Humanities into the public sphere. The Experiential PhD focuses on:

  • Meaningful engagement with community partners
  • Integrative research experiences related directly to their own scholarly agenda
  • Teaching graduate students to communicate the results of humanistic and social science research to various public audiences
  • Opening up career paths outside academia for PhD students after graduation
  • Preparing PhD graduates for jobs in universities and colleges of the twenty-first century

Experiential Fellows engage in a long-term collaboration with an organization that brings social science and humanities methods and expertise into the community, supports and enriches the student’s PhD research, and provides students with experience and training in an intellectually rich and challenging work setting. Experiential fellows work within a partner organization closely aligned with their doctoral research program. These placements facilitate the student’s dissertation work providing students with a depth of knowledge that cannot be easily gained through traditional classroom learning.

Doctoral Summer Scholars placements are short-term work and research experiences with relevant partners. The Summer Scholars will hold positions for twenty hours per week for two to four months in the summer (half summer or full summer). Both the experiential fellowships and the summer scholars program will help students extend their professional networks and deepen their commitment to community engagement.

Summer 2021 Experiential Fellows

Spring 2021 Experiential Fellows

Summer 2020 Experiential Fellows

Fall 2019 Experiential Fellows

Spring 2019 Experiential Fellows