Application and Eligibility

  • Rising junior or first-year transfer majoring in the Humanities
  • GPA of 3.5 or higher
  • Plan to pursue a doctoral degree in one of the Mellon-approved fields of study (see list below)
  • A completed application, two strong letters of recommendation from faculty, transcripts, writing sample, and resume/CV.

  • Anthropology and archaeology
  • Area/cultural/ethnic/gender studies
  • Art history
  • Classics
  • Geography and population studies
  • English
  • Film, cinema, and media studies (theoretical focus)
  • Musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory
  • Foreign languages and literatures
  • History
  • Linguistics
  • Literature
  • Performance studies (theoretical focus)
  • Philosophy and Political Theory
  • Religion and theology
  • Sociology
  • Theater (theoretical focus)
  • Interdisciplinary studies: Interdisciplinary areas of study may be eligible in they have one or more eligible fields at their core, but must be approved by the MMUF staff at the Mellon Foundation on a case-by-case basis.

Application Information

Applications will open Spring 2025

Application Requirements

View all application questions and requirements: 

1.  MMUF Application Materials Guide 2024- 2025

2.  Academic Writing Sample 

3.  MMUF Essay (details included in link above)

4. Resume 

5.  Confidential letters of recommendation from two faculty. They must be emailed directly from the faculty member to
      aa-mmuf@csulb.edu on or before the deadline  

***Incomplete applications will not be reviewed***

Questions should be directed to aa-mmuf@csulb.edu

Selection Committee

An interdisciplinary committee of CSULB faculty members will review student applications and conducts admissions interviews.  Fellowships begin in the Summer 2025. Awards are for two or one year (contingent upon adequate levels of participation).

Note: Applicants who are invited to interview MUST be available to interview at specified times.

To assist students with their applications and to answer questions about MMUF, information sessions/application workshops will be held by the CSULB MMUF coordinators and current students.