Overview
Students admitted to the History PhD program are normally offered the potential of up to 5 years of funding in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships. Students applying for the MA program are not offered funding by the department. Occasionally a need arises where funding for MA students is possible; however, this is an exception, not the norm.
In addition to these multi-year assistantships, there a number of competitive fellowships and grants available to support graduate student research, conference travel, and dissertation-writing.
Graduate teaching assistantships
Departmental funding takes the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships that include a monthly stipend, a 100% tuition scholarship, 90% coverage of health insurance premiums, and 50% of some mandatory student fees.
Stipend levels are negotiated between the University and the graduate employee union, COGS (United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, Local 896). Full employment terms for the current year can be found on the Graduate College website.
Graduate students normally serve first as section leaders for large faculty-taught courses with discussion sections. Experienced graduate students (usually ABD), then have the opportunity to design and teach their own, General Education seminars under the guidance of a faculty supervisor.
Teaching assignments are usually solidified before registration opens for the semester--for Fall assignments that is usually April and for Spring assignments it is end of October. Depending on the number of discussion sections taught, or students in a class, a TA's assignment may be supplemented by work as a grader for a faculty-led course or as a tutor in the History Writing Center.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) requires graduate students for whom English is not a first language to pass the English-Speaking Proficiency Assessment before they can be assigned teaching responsibilities. International students should be aware of this expectation and be prepared to do intensive language work if necessary. Full details are available on the CLAS English as a Second Language website.
Renewal
After the first year, an online application for funding must be completed by all students wishing to be considered for teaching assignments regardless of eligibility status. The deadline for this application is set each year for the end of January/beginning of February and will be updated on the History Fellowship and TA Applications page.
Graduate Student Teaching Assistants will be evaluated each semester by their primary instructor and/or their advisor. In addition, each graduate student will administer mid-semester and end-of-semester feedback surveys reviewed by the faculty instructor. Graduate students who are deemed ineffective instructors could lose funding.
Fellowships for graduate research
Current doctoral candidates who have passed their Comprehensive Exams are eligible for grants and fellowships that support specific research projects (travel to archives and libraries, protected time to write), language study, or other research-related work from the History Department, the Graduate College, and International Programs.
Steps to follow
Note: The links to the major aid application and information about fellowships can be found in the following steps.
These guidelines include basic instructions for applying for Graduate College Fellowships, GPSG and GSS funds, as well as the Department of History's own research and writing fellowships. Please read all instructions carefully.
- Review the Guidelines for Dept. Awards and external awards & funding opportunities
- Complete the online survey (all PhD students) by Jan 31, 2025
- Submit all materials for these scholarships/fellowships via email to Kathleen O'Neill (in either word or pdf format) on or before the requested deadline.
Don't wait until the last minute, ask your advisor (and a second faculty member when necessary) for letters of recommendation early.
The Graduate College
The Graduate College offers a wealth of information about funding for graduate students through additional methods. You can learn more about funding your education on their site: