Allan R. Millett Dissertation Research Grant

The Society for Military History is pleased to offer the Allan R. Millett Dissertation Research Grant. The grant honors Professor Allan R. Millett, a former President of the Society and an eminent, prolific scholar who directed over fifty dissertations in his long career. The winner receives $1,200 for doctoral dissertation research on a topic in any field of military history.

Applicants must be full-time graduate students in an accredited doctoral program and members of the Society for Military History. The committee welcomes applications from graduate students working on any time period or region who use historical methodologies to investigate war and its consequences, militaries, and war and society.

Email the following to the chair of the Millett Grant Committee as a single PDF:

• a proposal of no more than 3 pages (double-spaced, 12-point type) outlining the research goals of the project, its methodology, and a research budget. The proposal should demonstrate a sound knowledge of the historiography, a realistic research plan, and the promise of the project making an important contribution to the field;
• a curriculum vitae of no more than 2 pages.

In addition, the dissertation advisor must email a confidential letter of support to the chair separately.

Committee members score each proposal against a shared rubric, out of 70 points:

• 10 points: the proposal clearly describes the project’s topic in a way that is understandable to anyone familiar with military history.
• 10 points: research goals are clearly stated and reasonable. The author outlines appropriate archives, libraries, or sources and has a clear plan for pursuing the research, which will clearly advance the project.
• 20 points: the proposal makes a clear intervention in existing historiography about the specific topic. A proposal about Napoleon, for example, will make clear how the author’s conclusions will change or reframe what historians think about Napoleon.
• 20 points: the proposal demonstrates how the project will make important contributions to the broader field of military history, so that historians of all persuasions can grasp its significance.
• 10 points: the recommendation suggests confidence in the proposal and the author’s ability to produce an admirable dissertation.

Each member submits three top choices to the chair; the committee then deliberates, by email or video call, and votes if it cannot reach consensus. Applicants are notified only after the winner has accepted the award.