Financial Support for PhD Students

Teaching Assistantships
Teaching Assistantships with stipends ranging of $12,500 are available on a competitive basis for five years at the Ph.D. level. Prospective students interested in teaching assistantship support should indicate that on the application cover sheet. Two weeks before the beginning of the first semester, all students who receive teaching appointments will also participate in a seminar to help them prepare for their courses, covering topics such as reading assignments, writing assignments, paper grading, and classroom strategy. After a student has completed coursework and passed the Ph.D. General Exams, dissertation research can be supported with a $1000 increase in the assistantship stipend for one year.

Graduate Fellowships
Entering Ph.D. students are eligible to compete for two Graduate Foundation Fellowships, which provide an additional stipend, reduced teaching responsibilities, and travel funds for converences. All entering Ph.D. students are automatically considered for this award.

Dissertation Fellowships
Ph.D. students working on their dissertation are eligible to apply for a one-year dissertation fellowship, which will provide them financial support without any teaching duties. Students applying will need to demonstrate that substantial work on the dissertation is already completed, and that they have a clear plan for a writing schedule for the rest of the chapters. Students awarded fellowships will be expected not to take on any additional work responsibilities so that they can concentrate on research and writing.

Teaching Release Opportunities
Ph.D. students writing dissertations can apply for a one-course reduction in their teaching load for one semester, which is designed to allow them to concentrate more fully on their writing. The course reduction most often coincides with the period immediately before a student's dissertation defense, but the Graduate Committee will consider an alternate arrangement if applicants have a sound rationale for proposing it, such as a plan for completing archival research, etc. Students should apply for course release one or two semesters before the time they wish to take it. The Graduate Committee will evaluate applications with an eye toward students' degree of progress on the dissertation and the viability of their plan for a schedule of writing chapters.

Other Opportunities for Financial Support
In addition to teaching assistantships, fellowships, and special stipends, there are other sources of financial support in the English Department associated with specialized professional training. Two Research Assistantships are available for working with the Director of First-Year composition, who administers a large university-wide Freshman Composition Program. This program also offers a summer workshop with a stipend to prepare Teaching Assistants for their first year of instruction. The Sutton Endowed Chair in English provides a Research Assistantship in Literary Theory and Cultural Studies. Two Research Assistantships are available for working with the editor of Genre, the quarterly journal published by the Department. World Literature Today, the prominent University of Oklahoma journal which administers the biannual Neustadt International Prize for Literature, offers two renewable one-year Assistantships for teaching and research related to the journal's mission.

More about Graduate Fellowships
More about M.A. Financial Support