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Applications

How to Apply

To apply for MAA Project NExT, please submit an application electronically at the link below. The application system is open each year from February 1st to April 15th. ALL applications for the next cohort are due April 15th (For the last few years, we have had two deadlines, one in October and another in April. Moving forward, we will return to having just a single deadline. Everyone should apply by April 15th, no matter if you are new to your position or have been there for a few years already.)

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Eligibility

Research suggests that faculty early in their careers are more open to trying new teaching methods and benefit more from the kind of professional development MAA Project NExT provides. Thus our program is designed for faculty in the mathematical sciences who are early in their careers, at any higher education institution (including community colleges.) Although most applicants apply in the year before they start their first or second year of full-time teaching (not including research-intensive post-docs), we welcome applications from faculty who don't fit this traditional profile. We encourage anyone thinking about applying to please consult the Project NExT applicants' FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). The most common reason applications are rejected is because the advice in the FAQ was not followed. (Especially important: your personal statement should not be a quickly recycled teaching philosophy.)

Cost Structure

Participants in Project NExT will be provided with all programming, snacks, and most of the meals at the Project NExT Workshops prior to MAA MathFest. Each Fellow’s home institution is asked to support its participating faculty member by funding the travel, lodging, and conference registration for participation in all three meetings. Costs vary depending on location, but we estimate that they total approximately $4500. A small number of travel grants are available, especially targeting faculty from underrepresented minority groups and faculty at Minority Serving Institutions. Incoming 2023 NExTers from California public schools are being offered a mechanism to partially compensate for state travel prohibitions; details are included on the FAQ page. Additional opportunities for professional development include the Early Career Mathematician Committee's MAA Mentoring Network.

Application Procedure

The deadlines are different depending on your situation. Applicants who want to join MAA Project NExT should apply by April 15th. They will hear a decision on June 1st. The application will open around February 1st. 

Outside of exceptional cases (contact us), we only accept applications online. A completed application includes:

  • a personal statement (as a pdf) not to exceed two pages (Note: this is different from a Teaching Philosophy, and should speak to what you hope to gain from participation in the program–see the applicant's FAQ for more)
  • a research statement (as a pdf) not to exceed one page (<250 words would be even better!) 
  • a one-page vita (as a third pdf) 
  • a completed application form (this requires contact information for your dean/chair and contact information for the Teaching & Learning Center or similar office if the institution where you will be teaching has one)
  • a letter of support from your chair or dean. In the application system, submit their email as a Reference Letter writer.

Before applying, read the applicant's FAQ. Then, after writing the two statements and CV, fill out the online application form. You will be asked to upload both statements and the one-page CV as part of the process. If you have questions, please contact us at projectnext@maa.org.