The Monson Seminar is an 18-day residential course for undergraduate students at participating colleges* offered in partnership with Monson Arts, a nationally competitive artist residency program in Monson, Maine. Accepted students will receive fellowships funding the full cost of their tuition (for 3 credits). Credits are provided through the University of Southern Maine. Preference will be given to Pell-eligible and first-generation college students who have completed 45 credits. Students who will graduate in May 2027 are still eligible to take the Seminar. Room and board costs are covered by the Monson Seminar and Monson Arts. 

Seminar students will participate in an honors-level interdisciplinary course and work with an advisor on an independent creative or scholarly project in the arts and humanities. Students may use the Seminar to deepen their practice in a chosen field or medium, or as an opportunity to explore a new subject area or discipline. Specific subject areas will be dependent on faculty availability, but students in all disciplines–excluding those requiring lab or production equipment–are encouraged to apply. Students will be admitted to the program based on academic record, the quality and feasibility of the proposed project, and recommenders’ confidence in students’ ability to live productively in a close community. 

Previous projects have included: poetry chapbooks, paintings, research papers, song collections, portions of novels, sculptures, chamber music compositions, ambient sound art pieces, short stories, graphic novels, comics, and lyric essays. 

Dates for the 2027 Seminar are June 13th-July 1st and August 8th-26th . Transportation assistance is available.