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Department of English

Graduate Fellowships and Financial Aid

Graduate Teaching Fellowships

Most graduate students in English are eligible for Graduate Teaching Fellowships (GTFs) on the basis of teaching experience, proficiency, and progress toward their degree, an award which amounts to $10,475 per year in financial support for those entering with B.A. degrees, or $11,831 per year for those with M.A. degrees.  This comes with a waiver of Oregon graduate tuition (except for certain fees), worth $11,055 for resident or $15,591 for non-resident tuition, plus medical insurance and other benefits. GTF salaries increase with teaching experience. Teaching appointments are not available for first-year graduate students who have only a BA and no college-level teaching experience.

If you wish to be considered for a GTF appointment, you must write a letter to the Admissions Committee fully describing your previous teaching experience, mentioning courses taught, dates, schools, etc. Supervisors' evaluations are required, as are student evaluations (no more than 15 pages) when available. Your letter, with all the supporting documents and your completed application for admission, must reach the Department of English by January 15 if you wish to be considered for admission and a teaching appointment for the following Fall term. (There are no specific forms for GTF applications.)

The English Department provides a year-long training program for new graduate students who wish to make themselves eligible to apply for GTF appointments for their second year of study. The program consists of English 611, Composition Graduate Teaching Fellow Seminar I, in Winter term; English 613, GTF Composition Apprenticeship, in the Winter and/or Spring terms (depending on demand and the availability of supervising teachers); and a series of class observations during the non-apprenticeship term. First-year GTFs are also required to take English 612, Composition GTF Seminar II, during the Fall term of their first year of teaching. (Because of variable funding, we cannot guarantee that every student who completes this program successfully will be given a GTF appointment, although most students have received GTF appointments in the past.)

In addition to meeting the above requirements, international students whose native language is not English are required to have a score of 50 or better on the TSE (Test of Spoken English) or UO's SPEAK test in order to be eligible for appointment as GTFs.

Teaching Assistantships

The English Department has available each year a small number of one-year teaching assistantships (TAs), an award which amounts to $4275 per year in financial support for those with B.A. degrees or $4830 per year for those with M.A. degrees along with a waiver of Oregon graduate tuition (except for certain fees) in the amounts listed above. TAs serve as exam readers and discussion group leaders for professors who teach large literature courses, writers and editors for the department newsletter, tutors, and assistants for other jobs related to the profession. All applicants may ask to be considered for these awards, which are offered to those individuals with the best academic records who have no previous teaching experience and are therefore not eligible for Graduate Teaching Fellowships during their first year of study.

Research Assistants/Readers/Graders

Some graduate students also serve as research assistants for faculty or readers/graders for lower-division courses at an hourly rate. Interested students with appropriate backgrounds should submit an application to the English Department.

English Department Fellowships

Each year, the Department offers the following fellowships:

English Department Prizes

The Sarah Harkness Kirby Prize for the best essay written for a seminar. The prize, chosen from among faculty recommendations each term, includes a cash award of $150.

The Jane Campbell Krohn Prize for the best essay written for a Literature and the Environment course, which includes a cash award of $300.

 

University Fellowships and Funding Opportunities

Questions about general scholarships, loans, and financial aid information should be addressed to the Office of Financial Aid (541-346-3221).

Information about financial aid for graduate students is also available on the Graduate School website under "Funding Sources for Graduate Students":
http://gradschool.uoregon.edu/?page=fundingResourceCenter  

For information on funding opportunities for international students, contact the Office of International Education and Exchange (541-346-3206).

Some of the many graduate fellowships offered by the University of Oregon and awarded to English department students include the following:

 

For information on these and other internal and external funding opportunities such as Ford Foundation Fellowships, Fulbright Fellowships, NSF Fellowships, Woodrow Wilson Grants in Women's Studies, etc., students may visit the UO Funding Library in the Graduate School, 125 Chapman Hall. The Funding Library has information in print and electronic form and sponsors workshops each term on funding searches.

 

International Student Applicants

International students are eligible for the departmental teaching and research fellowships described above and may apply for general university scholarships through the Financial Aid Office once they have enrolled in the University. Such applicants are encouraged to look into government and private sources for financial assistance in their home countries; financial aid may also be available through the International Cultural Service Program (contact the University's Office of International Education and Exchange for further information: 5209 University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403; 541-346-3206).