The Fellowship Program at The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers graduate students, museum professionals, and senior scholars the opportunity to undertake study and research related to their work in art history, art conservation, and scientific research, either at the Museum or abroad.

As part of the annual program, weekly gatherings in the fall are arranged to enable the fellows to meet and interact with each other as well as with members of the Museum staff and academic community at large. Behind-the-scenes tours of the Museum, coffees hosted by the curatorial or conservation staff, as well as gallery talks through special exhibitions can also be expected. Every spring, the program offers a series of fellows' colloquia, providing an opportunity for fellows to present short papers on their work in progress to university colleagues and Museum staff.

Art History Fellowships

Proposed projects should generally relate to the Museum's collection. Possible fields of research for art history candidates include Western art; Asian art; the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas; antiquities; arms and armor; costumes; drawings; illuminated manuscripts; paintings; photographs; sculpture; and textiles. Some fellowships for travel abroad are also available for students whose projects involve firsthand examination of paintings in major European collections. Learn more about art history fellowships.

Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship

A postdoctoral curatorial fellowship funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is being offered in alternate years for curatorial training and scholarly research at the Metropolitan Museum. This two-year fellowship (renewable to a third) is available to eligible individuals who demonstrate scholarly excellence as well as a strong commitment to the museum profession. Learn more about the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship.

Conservation and Scientific Research Fellowships

Conservation and scientific research fellows may work with paintings, textiles, musical instruments, costumes, paper, or objects (including sculpture, metalwork, glass, ceramics, furniture, and archaeological objects). Applicants for the conservation and scientific research fellowships should have reached an advanced level of experience or training. Learn more about conservation and scientific research fellowships.

Research Scholarship in Photograph Conservation

A two-year research scholarship in photograph conservation is offered in alternate years. Applicants for this position are expected to have a graduate degree in conservation or equivalent experience and should be completely committed to the conservation of photographs as their area of specialization. Learn more about the research scholarship in photograph conservation.

View a list of 2009–2010 recipients of fellowship awards. Lists of 2002–2003, 2003–2004, 2004–2005, 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008, and 2008–2009 recipients are also available.