Graduate Assistantships
| Students admitted to the Ph.D. or M.A. program in English typically qualify as well for financial support in the form of graduate assistantships, most often as Teaching Assistants (TAs) or Graduate Part-Time Instructors (GPTIs). Our goal, when possible, is to commit such financial support to every full-time student who wants such support and who has sufficient academic credentials to gain admission to the graduate program. M.A. students receiving assistantships begin as TAs during their first year of study, working as document instructors in our innovative program in First-Year Composition. Ph.D. students and advanced M.A. students typically work as GPTIs, serving initially as the principle instructor of English courses at the freshman level but subsequently--in the case of Ph.D. students--in sophomore-level courses in literature and/or creative writing. All students holding a TA or GPTI appointment in the Department of English have substantial portions of their tuition and fees waived. In addition, graduate assistants receive a stipend and other benefits as nine-month employees of the University. During 2007-2008, the stipend for TAs is $13,000, for GPTIs at the M.A. level $13,500, and for GPTIs at the Ph.D. level $14,850. The Department of English is proud to have stipends among the highest in the Big XII, and in an area with a significantly lower cost of living than places like Austin, Boulder, and College Station. Domestic and international students are eligible for assistantship support, and each year the Department is also able to offer non-teaching assistantships (as editorial assistants, technology assistants, and in other roles) to students whose interests fall beyond the margins of the classroom. To be considered for an assistantship when you make application to the Department of English, simply check the appropriate box on the application form. |
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