Hot Metal Bridge: A funded post-baccalaureate fellowship program (University of Pittsburgh)

"For five years, our department (University of Pittsburgh) has participated in Pitt's Hot Metal Bridge (HMB) post-baccalaureate fellowship program, which aims to help talented students from groups traditionally underrepresented in their academic disciplines bridge the gap between an undergraduate degree and a graduate training program. You can find more information about the program here.

"During the two-semester fellowship, the HMB fellow receives full tuition and a stipend (ca. $26,000), formal mentorship by faculty and graduate students in our department, and focused support in applying to future opportunities. While the majority of our HMB fellows to date have gone on to graduate school in art history or allied fields, we are happy to see them put their training to use in whatever ways they find most fulfilling. To date, four of our HMB Fellows have gone on to graduate programs in art history and area studies at Pitt, Yale, and Stanford, while a fifth transitioned into a curatorial fellowship at Carnegie Museum of Art.

"Our department’s Director of Graduate Studies will be holding an informational meeting at 4pm (eastern) on Wednesday February 15th, during which faculty advisors and prospective students can ask questions about eligibility, the application process, etc.

"Applications are due March 15th, 2023. As you are mentoring promising students and alums, please bring this program to their attention. Moreover, if your department is in the process of graduate admissions, please consider sending applicants from underrepresented backgrounds our way if they are not yet competitive for your program and might benefit from a year of intensive mentorship.

"The HMB program is most successful when we can admit a cohort of more than one fellow at a time, and so we sincerely hope that you will lend a hand in spreading the word about this excellent opportunity."