College of Humanities & Social Sciences

College Scholarships

To be eligible for a college scholarship, students must be a declared major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and must be in good academic and financial standing at the university. Additional restrictions are listed underneath each award's description. All award amounts are contingent upon funding.

College Research Awards

To be eligible for a college research award, students must be a declared major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; registered full-time in the semester of their application, and be in good academic and financial standing at the university. All award amounts are contingent upon funding. Additional restrictions are listed below.

College Scholarships

To be eligible for a college scholarship, students must be a declared major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and must be in good academic and financial standing at the university. Additional restrictions are listed underneath each award's description. All award amounts are contingent upon funding.

College Research Awards

To be eligible for a college research award, students must be a declared major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; registered full-time in the semester of their application, and be in good academic and financial standing at the university. All award amounts are contingent upon funding. Additional restrictions are listed below.

Dr. Nicole LaRose Student Research Fund

Nicole M LaRose, Assistant Professor of English at the University of Houston-Downtown passed away in 2011. This young scholar's published work examines how questions of community, identity, and technology are explored in texts centered in and around the sprawling metropolis of London, a city that exerted a particular fascination to her. Dr. LaRose invited her readers to see cities as places of contradiction and confusion, but also as sources of discovery and community.

LaRose Funds are intended to support the research and creative activity of students in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at UHD. Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty from CHSS. All funds must be used to support student research or creative activity. Applicants may request funding to support any research or creative activity needs, including but not limited to the following: purchase of books or materials to conduct research, travel to attend a conference, travel/admissions costs to gather data or view materials (books, art, etc.), etc.

The committee will review all materials and make awards based on the strength of the overall set of materials, with special attention to applicants who demonstrate strong writing skills and a research interest that suggests potential for creative/independent thinking. While a proposal may be based on work done for a course, these scholarships are not intended to fund the purchase of materials required for a course or course project that is assigned as part of the regular coursework.

To be considered for this award, applicants must:

• be a certified full-time undergraduate (at least 12 semester credit hours) or graduate (at least 9 semester credit hours) certificate or degree seeking student in good financial and academic standing at the University of Houston-Downtown.
• have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at the time of application.
• be in good financial standing with the university at the time of application.
• plan to be enrolled at UHD during the period in which the award will be used.

Appply for the Nicole LaRose Scholarship
Download the Recommendation Form (PDF)

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Alicia Spencer Castillo Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is named for Alicia Spencer Castillo, the late mother of Max S. Castillo, former president of UHD, and Martha Spencer-Castillo Nitschke.

This award is restricted to expenses associated with credit bearing coursework at UHD, including tuition, books, fees, and/or supplies for the coming academic semester. To be considered for this award, students must:

• be a declared undergraduate major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
• have a cumulative grade point average that is above 3.0

Please note that awardees must enroll in at least 12 semester credit hours during the semester s/he receives a Castillo scholarship.

To be eligible for the Alicia Spencer Castillo Memorial Scholarship, students must be a declared major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and must be in good academic and financial standing at the university.

Apply for the Alicia Spencer Castillo Memorial Scholarship

Christy Drennan Memorial Scholarship

Established by The Association for Women Journalists, the Christy Drennan Memorial scholarship is given to no more than two students, annually.  This award is restricted to expenses associated with credit bearing coursework at UHD, including tuition, books, fees, and/or supplies for the coming academic semester. To be considered for this award, applicants must

• be enrolled in a degree or certificate undergraduate or graduate program at UHD.
• demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in print, electronic, or online journalism.

To be eligible for the Christy Drennan Memorial Scholarship, students must be a declared major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and must be in good academic and financial standing at the university.

  Apply for the Drennan Scholarship

Donald R. Engstrom Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 1994 thanks to the generosity of Bruce M. Engstrom and Betty J. Engstrom. This scholarship is intended for undergraduate English majors who have proven to be leaders in the University and/or the greater Houston Community.

This award is restricted to expenses associated with credit bearing coursework at UHD, including tuition, books, fees, and/or supplies for the coming academic semester.

To be considered for this award, applicants must:

• be a declared English major
• have a cumulative grade point average that is above 2.0

To be eligible for the following award, students must be a declared English major; registered full-time in the semester of their application and award; and be in good academic and financial standing at the university.

Apply for the Donald R. Engstrom Memorial Scholarship

Susan Kiernan Ahern Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Susan K Ahern came to UHD in 1983 to teach English. As an associate professor, she received the Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence. Later, she served as Department Chair before becoming Dean in 2003. Through her tenure as faculty member and dean, Dr. Ahern had a passion for exposing students to visual, literary, and cultural arts and she worked diligently to develop opportunities to expose UHD students to these creative endeavors. This award is restricted to expenses associated with credit bearing coursework at UHD, including tuition, books, fees, and/or supplies for the coming academic semester. To be considered for this award, applicants must have a cumulative grade point average that is above 3.0. Please note that awardees must enroll full-time during the semester s/he receives an Ahern scholarship.

To be eligible for the Susan Kiernan Ahern Endowed Scholarship, students must be a declared major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and must be in good academic and financial standing at the university. .

Apply for the Susan Kiernan Ahern Endowed Scholarship

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40th Anniversary Gala Undergraduate Scholarship

This award was established as part of UHD's 40th anniversary celebration and was made possible thanks to the generosity of members of the Houston community.

This award is restricted to expenses associated with credit bearing coursework at UHD, including tuition, books, fees, and/or supplies for the 2017-18 academic year ($1,000 is disbursed each semester). To be considered for this award, applicants must be seeking a bachelor's degree and have a cumulative grade point average that is above 2.5. Please note that awardees must enroll full-time (12 semester credit hours) during the semester s/he receives a CHSS 40th Anniversary Gala Undergraduate Scholarship.

To be eligible for a CHSS 40th Anniversary Gala Scholarship, students must be a declared major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and must be in good academic and financial standing at the university.

Apply for the 40th Anniversary Gala Undergraduate Scholarship

40TH Anniversary Gala Graduate Scholarship

This award was established as part of UHD's 40th anniversary celebration and was made possible thanks to the generosity of members of the Houston community.

This award is restricted to expenses associated with credit bearing coursework at UHD, including tuition, books, fees, and/or supplies for the 2017-18 academic year ($1,000 is disbursed each semester). To be considered for this award, applicants must be seeking a master's degree and have a cumulative grade point average that is above 3.0. Please note that awardees must enroll full-time (9 semester credit hours) during the semester s/he receives a CHSS 40th Anniversary Gala Graduate Scholarship.

To be eligible for a CHSS 40th Anniversary Gala Graduate Scholarship, students must be enrolled in a College of Humanities and Social Science graduate program (NPM, MARC, or MSTC) and must be in good academic and financial standing at the university.

Apply for the 40TH Anniversary Gala Graduate Scholarship

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