PhD Funding & Employment

The Department of English supports graduate students in a variety of ways.

First, we employ graduate students as graduate assistants (GAs) and as research assistants (RAs) in the department and in the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (IAH). These positions are posted each spring for employment in the following academic year. The application process is competitive, based upon GPA, progress toward degree, and letters of recommendation.

Second, we support graduate students in their applications to teach in Writing, Rhetoric, and American Culture (WRAC) and in the Writing Center.

Third, the department offers several fellowships for students, including:

  • John A. Yunck Endowed Scholarship
    This award, named after a former faculty member in the English department, recognizes outstanding graduate students who “have demonstrated the capacity to achieve educational and professional goals, and the initiative to seek opportunities to further their progress.” Preference is given to doctoral candidates. 
  • Graduate Completion Fellowships
    Through special funds provided by the Office of the Provost, the English graduate program is able to award three to four Graduate Completion Fellowships each year. The purpose of these fellowships is to support graduate students who will be completing their dissertations and earning the Ph.D. in the following academic year. Since these fellowships are intended to provide substantial time to the individuals selected in order to complete the dissertation, and since the time commitment to the professional development opportunity attached to each fellowship is no more than 10 hours/week, recipients may not, at the same time, hold a graduate assistant position. This allows the student to devote as much time as possible to research and writing toward the completion of the dissertation.

Fourth, we nominate our best students at every stage of graduate education for college and university fellowships and awards, including:

Qualified students are also encouraged to pursue external grant opportunities, including:

For post-doctoral funding opportunities, refer to: