Each year, the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music brings a group of long-term and short-term fellows from around the world to join its community of scholars and artists. In our flagship program, long-term fellows are in residence at the Institute for one year to pursue interdisciplinary projects and teach at Yale. Short-term fellows are in residence at Yale for a period of one to three months to pursue research in relevant Yale collections.

The Interdisciplinary research projects that long- and short-term fellows pursue touch a broad array of disciplines including Anthropology ~ African American Studies ~ Area Studies ~ Art ~ Architecture ~ Composition ~ Creative Writing ~ Ethnomusicology ~ Film Studies ~ History of Art or Architecture ~ Latinx Studies ~ Literature ~ Liturgical Studies ~ Musicology ~ Native American and Indigenous Studies ~ Religious Studies ~ Ritual Studies ~ Sociology ~ Theatre Studies ~ Theology

Long-term Fellowships
A diverse cohort of Long-term Fellows are in residence at the Yale ISM each year to pursue scholarly and creative projects that connect with the mission of the Institute and are informed by various interdisciplinary perspectives. ISM Fellows are exceptional scholars, artists, and practitioners at all career stages whose projects range from studies of Buddhist chant to African American sacred music, and analyses of Medieval ritual to Jewish art. With access to Yale’s unparalleled resources, ISM Long-term Fellows join a vibrant interdisciplinary community for the academic year where they convene regularly with their cohort to share their work in progress. Fellows also have the option to teach interdisciplinary courses based on their area of research at Yale.

The fellowship year normally lasts from August 20 to May 15. Fellowships may also be given for either fall or spring, though applicants who are available for the entire year are strongly favored. All fellows are expected to be free of commitments that would prevent them from devoting themselves full time to the work outlined in their proposal and to live in residence within five miles of the Yale campus.

Candidates are eligible to apply as fellows if they are employed as regular full-time faculty or if they have more than six years of related experience following the terminal degree. These fellowships are typically one-year long, though shorter residencies (e.g. one term) are possible in special circumstances. Teaching is an option for fellows, though the ISM encourages fellows to offer one course.

Candidates are eligible to apply as postdoctoral associates if they have fewer than six years of related experience following the terminal degree, and are not yet employed as full-time regular faculty. These fellowships are typically one-year long, though in rare circumstances, fellowships may be granted for two or even three years. Teaching is required for postdoctoral associates.

Short-term Fellowships
The Yale Institute of Sacred Music supports short-term fellowships in Yale collections for research on the aural, material, visual, ritual, and textual cultures of religions. These fellowships are restricted to work in Yale’s non-circulating collections, particularly at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, the Collection of Musical Instruments, the Yale Center for British Art, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, and the Yale University Art Gallery. The fellowships are residential for one to three months. Researchers must free themselves of most other work during the fellowship period and are expected to reside in the vicinity of Yale. Yale faculty, staff, and students are not eligible for these fellowships.

Fellowships are available both for doctoral students who are at the dissertation stage, and for any other scholars who hold the Ph.D or equivalent terminal degree. They are granted for a consecutive one- to three-month period at any time during the academic year when the collections are open to the public.