The American Heraldry Society offers the William Barton Graduate Scholarship in an amount up to $1,500 to support masters or doctoral students in the preparation and completion of a thesis, dissertation, or equivalent degree capstone project relevant to the use of heraldry–coats of arms, seals, badges, and related symbols–within the present territory of the United States of America and its territories and possessions. Not more than one scholarship is awarded each academic year; the amount awarded will be based on the costs expected to be incurred in research and writing of the thesis. Recipients are expected to acknowledge the American Heraldry Society in any public presentations and publications resulting from work supported by this scholarship.
Students may apply for the scholarship at any time once they have reached the stage of active preparation of the thesis prospectus. For masters students, this will typically be in or after the second semester of graduate study. Doctoral students will normally be in or have finished their last semester of coursework, generally at the end of the second year of study.
The scholarship is given in honor of William Barton (1754-1817), a lawyer and public official from Philadelphia who was not only instrumental in the design of the great seal and coat of arms of the United States but played a pioneering role in developing and articulating a theory of the role of heraldry in the American republic.