Work-Study and Loan Programs
The deadline for applying for federally subsidized Work-Study is March 31. The deadline for filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is also March 31; therefore, students should not wait to hear from the English Department about fellowship offers before investigating work-study and loan programs and contacting the University's Financial Aid Office.
Financial Support for PhD Candidates
As of fall 2018, PhD students entering the program will receive a financial package consisting of tuition, fees, one-person health-insurance coverage, and approximately $30,000. This award, made up of fellowships and teaching-assistantships, will be maintained up to a total of five years contingent on satisfactory academic performance. Standard teaching responsibilities for a doctoral student in English involve teaching two courses per year across years 2-4 of the program (with no teaching in years 1 and 5); fellowship funds beyond teaching wages complete the support we are presently offering for years 1-5, with some annual funding for conference travel and additional dissertation research funding awarded if and as our resources permit. (A few merit fellowships are available on a competitive basis: all applicants to the PhD program are automatically considered for these.) Students in their sixth year and beyond, who continue to make good progress toward the degree, are eligible for a select number of sixth-year dissertation fellowships and for teaching when such assignments are available.
PhD students may apply for up to $500 per year to attend conferences where they are giving papers or chairing panels. They may also apply for any available positions as graders or research assistants, enabling them to earn up to $3,000 per academic year.
To qualify for the department’s program of support, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress. In cases of serious academic deficiency (e.g., a pattern of poor grades in courses or repeated failure to complete work on time), a student may be asked to leave the program.
Financial Support for MA Candidates
The department does not have fellowship funding for MA students. Students admitted to the MA program with a *Concentration in Teaching Literature and Writing,* however, receive support in their second year of the program. As part of their training, such students teach one course per semester in their second year, receiving tuition, one-person health insurance coverage, university fees, and a salary of $5,000 per semester (as of Fall 2018). Like PhDs, MAs may apply for up to $500 per year to attend conferences where they are giving papers or chairing panels. MA students may also apply for summer research funds. In addition, they may apply for any available positions as research assistants or graders, enabling them to earn up to $3,000 per academic year. By and large, however, students enrolling in the MA program should plan to defray their own expenses.