Financial support for graduate students
Teaching assistantships, research assistantships, fellowships, and loans are the most common forms of graduate student support. It is important for advisers to provide students with information on what may be available within their track or within the department or to direct them to other sources.
Department funding
Teaching or research assistantships
A number of research and teaching assistantships are available in C & I. Many of the teaching assistantships involve supervision of student teachers in the initial licensure programs. Each program area (with the exception of Learning Technologies and Contexts of Curriculum & Instruction) supports several people to supervise the student teachers in that area. If students have experience teaching in a U.S. public school and are available during the day, they may be eligible for one of these positions. In order for graduate students to teach a course, they must meet the qualifications for teaching status as specified by the Graduate School’s Education and Psychology Policy and Review Council. Beginning Ph.D. students may teach courses for M.Ed. students (e.g., courses in the initial licensure programs) or undergraduate students. Only advanced Ph.D. students (preferably ABD) are permitted to teach graduate courses that other Ph.D. students take.
Travel and research support
Twice a year (October and March) the CI Graduate Studies Committee considers requests for graduate student travel and research. Travel requests are to support students presenting papers/posters at professional conferences. A pre-requisite for being considered for travel support is that students must apply to either COGS or GAPSA first. If support is granted, it’s as a reimbursement once travel is complete. For more information on travel support, please review the Travel Support Request. (Note: the maximum a student may receive while in the program is $3000.) For Research requests, Ph.D. dissertation and M.A. Plan A theses are given priority, but requests for other research projects are also considered. Dissertation support will only be considered after the study has been approved by the Thesis Panel. All Ph.D. students should first submit the Thesis Research Grant application to the Graduate School for dissertation support before applying to C&I. For more information on research support, please review the Request for Research Support.
Tuition fellowships/C&I graduate studies fellowships
Using Block Grant funds awarded to the C&I graduate program by the Graduate School as well as department funds, the Graduate Studies committee awards fellowships to incoming and continuing students. Each year the Graduate Studies Committee announces a competitive process for tuition and monetary fellowships to Ph.D. students to offer a competitive package to a new student or to support degree completion. Announcements are sent to students and faculty by the Graduate Studies assistant.
Fellowships offered by program areas
A number of program areas within the department have endowed funds which may be used to support graduate students. These funds are used both as recruitment tools and to offer fellowships to current students on a competitive basis. The program area is responsible for announcing the funds but is asked to inform the Graduate Studies assistant so that an email announcement may be sent to eligible students.
Campus-wide assistantships
Students are eligible for research and teaching assistantships and administrative fellowships in other University departments. The Graduate Assistant Employment Office posts campus-wide openings, and students frequently contact specific departments seeking available assistantships.
Graduate School
The Graduate School offers a variety of fellowships and assistantships. Some require departmental nominations (see below) and others, e.g., Graduate School Thesis Research Grants, require direct application by students. These special grants [up to $2,500 (national) and $5,000 (international)] are available to support doctoral dissertation research; deadlines are October 1 and March 1 each year. All Ph.D. students are required to apply first to the Graduate School for dissertation support before making an application to C&I Graduate Studies.
In addition, each year the Graduate School holds a competition to award Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships. This program gives outstanding final-year Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to complete the dissertation within the upcoming academic year by devoting full-time effort to the dissertation. Candidates must be nominated by their graduate program’s Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to an all-University competition. C&I typically nominates 1-4 students per year for the award. Faculty may nominate students or students may self-nominate; an announcement, which outlines deadlines and eligibility requirements, is sent to all Ph.D. students and faculty in the fall. Nominations must first be made to the C&I Graduate Studies Committee, which identifies the final nominee(s) in January. The adviser and DGS work with nominee(s) to ready the nomination materials, which are typically due to the Graduate School in late February or early March.
More information is available in the Graduate School Fellowship Office in 321 Johnston Hall (612-625-7579).
College of Education and Human Development
The College of Education and Human Development lists many fellowships, assistantships, awards and other financial aid resources available within the College, the University, and in the community.
Revised Fall 2008
