Computational Cultural Heritage Fellowship
The Computational Cultural Heritage Graduate Fellowship Program (CCH), administered by the Department of Anthropology in partnership with the Lab for Educational Advancement in Digital Research, offers MSU graduate students the skills to creatively and thoughtfully apply computational approaches to cultural heritage collections, materials, data, questions, and challenges.
While the fellowship, which spans an academic year, involves workshops, collaborative development work, and technical experimentation, the overall organizational focus of the fellowship is the development (either individually or collaboratively) of a significant and innovative computational cultural heritage project. Projects might include (but are certainly not limited to) a mobile application, a digital exhibit, a digital archive, or a collaborative digital publication. The project must also have a significant public component.
To support their work, fellows will receive a stipend of $2500 per semester. While applicants may have previous technical experience, such experience is not required to apply. The focus of the Fellowship Program is the application of digital methods and computational approaches within cultural heritage.
In its focus, the program leverages the definition of cultural heritage commonly used by UNESCO:
Material culture (artifacts and objects, monuments, structures, landscapes, etc) and intangible cultural attributes (oral traditions, language, ritual, social practices, traditional knowledge performing arts, cuisine, etc) of a group, community, or society that are transmitted intergenerationally, used and maintained in the present, and preserved for future generations.
The fellowship is interested in both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Students whose work or interest in the fellowship is driven by this particular framing of cultural heritage are encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities
The Computational Cultural Heritage Graduate Fellowship carries the following obligations:
- All Grad Fellows must attend the weekly meeting on Fridays from 1-3pm in LEADR (Old Horticulture 112) .
- All Grad Fellows must be in-residence at LEADR for 10-3 each week on Fridays (part of this time will be dedicated to the fellowship program’s weekly group meeting, while the rest of the time will be dedicated to collaborative/communal work between all of the fellows).
- All Grad Fellows must complete a series of prerequisites technical tutorials before the beginning of the fellowship in the fall. Failure to complete these prerequisites by 8/31 will result in the fellowship offer being withdrawn.
- All Grad Fellows must submit a project proposal at the end of the fall semester.
- All Grad Fellows much complete and launch their project by the end of the spring semester.
- All Grad Fellows must submit all final reporting materials after the launch of their fellowship project.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible to apply for a Computational Cultural Heritage Graduate Fellowship, applicants:
- must be enrolled and be in good academic standing in a graduate program at Michigan State University (either at the Masters or Doctoral level). A primary focus of their work must be cultural heritage (as broadly defined above).
- must be enrolled (and remain enrolled) full-time in the year for which they are applying.
- must demonstrate positive progress in their graduate programs.
Awards will be made to individuals who demonstrate academic achievement, are committed to a career that embraces the application of digital methods and computational approaches, and show potential to make meaningful contributions in the domain of digital cultural heritage.
Required Materials
Materials required for application to the CCH Program are:
- Cover Letter
- Current CV
- Brief statement on proposed project and fit for the program
- Unofficial Transcripts
Fill out the application form below for 26-27 school year. Please be sure to attach the required materials (cover letter, current cv, brief statement, and unofficial transcripts) as 1 PDF document please note the limit of 10MB).
Please make sure you use this naming convention for your materials: Lastname_Firstname_ApplicationPacket.
Application form here: https://forms.gle/qfouwVu1HpBPUqEr5
Application Deadline: July 10th 2026. All Applicants will be informed by July 15th of outcome.