March 1 is the deadline for interested college students and graduates to apply for the 2019 James Madison Fellowships, says Dr. Patrick Huber, professor of history at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

The fellowships are awarded by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, a federally endowed program designed to strengthen instruction about the U.S. Constitution in the nation’s schools. The grants are for graduate-level study of the framing and history of the U.S. Constitution.

College seniors and college graduates who plan to earn master’s degrees and become secondary school teachers of American history, American government or social studies are eligible for the awards. Fellowships carry a maximum stipend of $24,000 for up to two years of full-time study for graduate students. The stipend is used to cover the costs of tuition, required fees, room and board, and books. Fellows must enroll in graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in American history, political science or education at an accredited university.

This year, James Madison Fellowships will be awarded competitively to at least one legal resident of each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories. After completing graduate school under their fellowships, James Madison Fellows are required to teach American history, American government or social studies in grades 7-12 for at least one year per academic year of graduate assistance they received.

Participation in an accredited four-week summer institute at Georgetown University on the principles, framing, ratification and implementation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights is required of all fellows. The cost of attendance is paid by the Madison Foundation.

The deadline to apply for a James Madison Fellowship is March 1.

More details about the program are available by email from Huber at huberp@mst.edu. Information is also available online at jamesmadison.gov.

Interested students may also write the James Madison Fellowship Program, 1613 Duke St., Alexandria, VA, 22314. The foundation can be reached by calling 800-525-6928.