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Financing Your Education

English Department Sources

Teaching Assistantships

Each program has its own requirements regarding eligibility for teaching assistantships. In general, though, students must have a Master's degree or have completed a year of Master’s training in our literary studies program in order to teach in our programs. Additionally, in order for International students whose first language is not English to be eligible for a Teaching Assistantship, the English Department requires a score of 60 (a perfect score) on the SPEAK test administered by the ESL program while in residence.

  • Applied English Linguistics - Students in Applied English Linguistics generally will not teach. However, exceptions are sometimes made for students who have had previous experience teaching ESL.
  • Creative Writing- Most MFA students begin teaching in their first year. MFA teacher training includes the Creative Writing Pedagogy Seminar, a non-theoretical 3-credit practicum in which MFA students who are teaching a writing class are provided with supervision, one-on-one mentoring, individual and group support, as well as ideas and techniques to help them structure, conduct, and improve their classes.
  • Literary Studies - Students in the Literary Studies program who enter without an MA will usually not teach until they complete their first year in Madison. Students are typically awarded a multi-year contract as a Teaching Assistant to begin after a year of Master’s training.[at the doctoral level]. The support is contingent on their satisfactory completion of seven courses during [all requirements for] the first (Master's) year. Literary Studies students who enter the program with an MA from another institution are usually [may be] eligible for teaching appointments in their first year at Madison.
  • Composition & Rhetoric- Students are typically awarded a multi-year contract as a Teaching Assistant.
  • English Language & Linguistics- Students are typically awarded a multi-year contract as a Teaching Assistant.
  • Teaching Assistant positions provide a salary, health insurance benefits and full tuition remission. Segregated fees are not covered. Provided that students remain in good academic standing in the Department and teaching or other assigned responsibilities are performed well, this [Doctoral level] support guarantee typically provides support for a period of [three] four academic years, with additional semesters of   support contingent on both good performance and availability of funding. In past years, graduate students have generally been given a fifth  year of support.

Appointments under this guarantee will be at the level of at least one-third time. The expectation for a one-third workload is 13 hours of work per week. The higher the percentage, the greater the salary, up to 60%, which is the maximum. (Anything higher requires special permission of the Graduate Director.) TA's work in various formats, including leading discussion sections for a large lecture, teaching their own composition or beginning literature courses, working in the Writing Center. Other forms of support, such as dissertation fellowships and project assistantships with individual faculty members, are made available as funds permit or competitions are announced.

Project Assistantships and Research Assistantships

Project assistants are graduate students employed to assist with research, training, or other academic programs or projects. PAs and RAs are included in a labor agreement between the State of Wisconsin and the Teaching Assistants Association (TAA). Available positions are filled in accordance with the current contract. A project assistant receives a salary, fringe benefits and full tuition remission.  Students do not apply for assistantships; they are awarded by the Admissions Committee, and often go to students entering at the first stage (M.A. level) of the Ph.D. program.

University Sources

Fellowships

The Graduate School provides a wealth of information on their Graduate Student Funding page:  http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/funding/index.html.

Work Study

Work study is part of a student's financial aid package as determined by the Office of Student Financial Services. (To find out how to apply for financial aid, including loans, please check with this office. You will want to begin the process as early as the January of the year before you begin your program.) It is a government subsidized program where the department pays 50% of the student's salary and the government pays the remaining 50%.

For graduate students who have applied for financial aid and received work study funding, positions are readily available. These positions generally entail working for a faculty member -- checking information at the library, picking up books, making copies, working on bibliographies. For a student with extremely good software skills, faculty members are always looking for assistance with databases, bibliographies, and Web sites. All work-study jobs are advertised on the UW Job Center Web site. Professors generally begin advertising work study positions in July and August.

Please note: You need not have been awarded work-study to obtain a student hourly position. A faculty member with research funding can choose a student without work study funding. However, the faculty member’s  research funds must then pick up 100% of the salary.

Jobs on campus

Check the UW Job Center to search for work both on and off campus positions:  http://jobcenter.wisc.edu/.

Project Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships Outside of English

Project Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships are sometimes available outside of the Department of English.  Availability and application procedures are posted on the Job Center website:  http://jobcenter.wisc.edu/.  PA and TA positions can be held by enrolled students only.

University Fellowships

University Fellowships are administered by the Graduate School. The English Department nominates incoming students to the Graduate School's University Fellowship Committee. The Graduate School makes fellowship award decisions. The annual application deadline for University Fellowships is December 15th.

To apply for a University Fellowship, simply check the fellowship box on the Application Form or indicate your interest on the online application and submit on or before December 15. (December 15 is correct.) This will automatically enroll you in fellowship competition. You will need three letters of recommendation (the letters which accompany your application for admission will suffice) and GRE scores. Since fellowships are competitive among graduate students from all departments in the University, an applicant should have a strong undergraduate record and all A's or nearly all A's in graduate work. Awards are announced in early March. These awards include a stipend, plus complete tuition remission (tuition is fully covered by the Graduate School and is not taken out of the stipend) and eligibility for health insurance benefits.

For more information, visit the Graduate School's web page on University Fellowships: http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/funding/index.html

Advanced Opportunity Fellowships

Applicants must notify the Graduate Division, 7195 Helen C. White Hall, by December 15 that they are interested in the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship for the following academic year. Awards are made to students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who qualify under one of the categories noted at http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/funding/aofelig.html
Awards pay full tuition (including segregated fees) and a stipend for two academic years: the initial year in the program and a year at the dissertation stage. [one annual or one academic year.] Recipients are eligible for health insurance benefits.
See the Graduate School's AOF webpage for more information.

International Grants for Research

For international grants for research, contact the International Institute Fellowships Office (http://www.intl-institute.wisc.edu/fellow/index.htm).

Vilas Travel Grant

The Graduate Student Collaborative administers the Vilas Travel Grant Competition for UW-Madison Dissertators and final year Master of Arts students.  Awards are granted for domestic or international travel to conference presentations or for research purposes to eligible students.  Applications have historically been accepted during the month of October.  For specific information, visit:  www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gsc/vilas/vilasinfo.html.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship

For intensive study of selected languages, the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship are handled through the individual area studies offices, as well as the Global Studies Program.  (http://www.intl-institute.wisc.edu/fellow/FLAS.htm)

University Dissertator Fellowships

In 2000, Phil Certain, then Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences, in recognition of Professor Nellie McKay’s efforts at recruiting and retaining excellent graduate students, provided a graduate dissertator fellowship to the Department of English for the support of a minority student.  To determine who counts as a minority student in this context, the Departmnet will follow the current Advanced Opportunity Fellowship (AOF) guidelines in targeting under-represented minorities.  To qualify, an applicant must be a graduate in good standing in the Department of English whose dissertation proposal has been approved by three internal members of his or her dissertation committee.  This is a two-semester fellowship that covers tuition, segregated fees, and eligibility for health insurance. 

Additional Departmental Sources

Joyce M. Melville Memorial Award for Best Scholarly Essay in Composition and Rhetoric

Graduate students in the Ph.D. Program in Composition and Rhetoric are eligible to compete for the Joyce M. Melville Award, a cash prize of $150 given annual for the best scholarly essay written in the previous twenty-four months.

Literary Studies Essay Competition – Chair’s Essay Prize for Master’s and PhD Students

Graduate students in the Ph.D. Program in Literary Studies are invited to compete for monetary prizes at the first-year M.A. level and during the first two years of study at the Ph.D. level, $125 and $250, respectively.  The essays originate from scholarly papers written for graduate English courses during  the corresponding academic year.  Prizes are awarded at the Fall Welcome Reception each fall just prior to the beginning of the next academic year.

Dartmouth Futures of American Studies Institute Fellowship

Each June Dartmouth College hosts a week-long summer institute in American Studies (www.dartmouth.edu/~futures).  The Institute provides research, intellectual, and professional benefits by allowing participants to interact with major figures in the field from a variety of disciplines.  The Department of English funds one or two students in the amount of $100 each to defray the seminar fee as well as travel expenses.  These students are guaranteed admission to the Institute.

External Sources

Federal financial aid

To find out how to apply for financial aid, including loans, please check the UW's information on Financial Aid for Graduate Students (http://www.finaid.wisc.edu/index.php?module=categories&catid=558). You will want to begin the process as early as January of the year you begin your program.

National Endowment for the Humanities Grant

NEH grants provide support for scholars to undertake full-time independent research and writing in the humanities. Grants are available for a maximum of one year (fellowship) and a maximum of two consecutive months of summer study.  http://www.neh.fed.us/grants/

The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships

Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships are designed to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences. In addition to topics in religious studies or in ethics (philosophical or religious), dissertations might consider the ethical implications of foreign policy, the values influencing political decisions, the moral codes of other cultures, and religious or ethical issues reflected in history or literature. 
http://www.woodrow.org/newcombe

American Association of University Women

American Fellowships support women doctoral candidates completing dissertations or scholars seeking funds for postdoctoral research leave from accredited institutions. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of scholarly excellence, teaching experience, and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research.
http://www.aauw.org/fga/fellowships_grants/american.cfm

Other External fellowships, grants, and summer funding opportunities for current students

The UW Grants Information Center is on the second floor of the Memorial Library. The librarian is very friendly and will be happy to meet with you and talk about your specific interest and needs. The Center has handbooks and reference material in abundance, as well as proprietary software databases. In the Grants Information Center online databases, try IRIS, RSP, SPIN, Grantselect, Community of Science, and Foundation Grants to Individuals. An extensive grant research tool is located online at http://grants.library.wisc.edu/.

Department of English

7195 Helen C. White

600 N. Park St.

Madison, WI 53706

608-263-3761

fax: 608-263-3709