Departmental Financial Support
The Department has a number of ways of supporting graduate students while also contributing to their professional development. Our teaching, research, and editorial assistantships and associateships are all designed to provide financial assistance as well as valuable professional. Eligibility guidelines for assistantships and fellowships are outlined in the Graduate Student Handbook.
Teaching Assistantships and Associateships
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship
Applicants must complete the B.A. before beginning service. In addition to paying a stipend of $7226, the assistantship remits fees for fall, spring, and summer semesters. There are minor charges for activities, diploma, and thesis. Teaching duties are assigned for fall and spring only. Assistants normally devote three-fourths of their time to graduate study and one-fourth to departmental duties which are planned specifically as preparation for teaching. Each Teaching Assistant is assigned to an experienced staff member for five hours a week, observes at least one class regularly, reads student papers, holds student conferences, and teaches at least one week (i.e., three hours) each term under supervisionall at the freshman level. Students also are assigned to the Writing Center for five hours per week. Permission of the Director of Graduate Studies is required for any outside employment.
- Graduate Teaching Associateships
Normally an applicant from another university must have completed the M.A. and had experience either as a teacher or as an intern. Graduate Teaching Assistants at UT, if their work is satisfactory, and if they have completed eighteen semester hours of graduate English courses, will be promoted to Teaching Associates in their second year. In addition to paying a stipend of $12,460 to second-year M.A. students and $14,600 to Ph.D. students, the associateship remits fees for fall, spring, and summer semesters. There are minor charges for activities, diploma, and thesis or dissertation. Teaching duties are assigned for fall and spring only. Appointees with the M.A. have the option of teaching up to four courses during the regular academic year and may teach an additional class in the summer if it is available. Teaching Associates must take at least six hours of graduate courses each semester of the regular academic year and teach a minimum of two courses. To retain a fee waiver, a student must teach at least one course a term. Permission of the Director of Graduate Studies is required for any outside employment.
There is no separate application for a Teaching Assistantship or Associateship. Simply complete your application form to the program and indicate that you wish to be considered for.
NOTE: The Ph.D. Program is considered a three-year program for candidates working full time on their doctorates. Ph.D. candidates who hold Teaching Associateships are expected to complete their doctoral work within four to five years under normal circumstances; the Graduate School must review Teaching Associateships after the fourth year.
Research and Editorial Assistantships
The department has instituted a number of awards for graduate students that utilize special departmental endowments, especially the Better English Fund, established by John C. Hodges, and the John B. Emperor Fund. The following awards are currently available to our graduate students:
- Richard Beale Davis Editorial Assistantship
Founded in honor of a former member of the department and distinguished scholar in American literature who was one of the original editors of Tennessee Studies in Literature. Each assistantship reduces the teaching load of the student selected and obligates the recipient to assist in editing the department's publications: Journal of Second Language Writing, Sidney Journal, and the Tennessee Studies in Literature. Ordinarily, Davis Fellowships are not awarded to first- or second-year students.
- Nathalia Wright, John Hurt Fisher, Alwin Thaler, and Percy Adams
Research Assistantships
Founded in honor of distinguished scholars who are former department members. These assistantships are awarded competitively and reduce a TA's teaching load from 2-2 to 1-1 and assign him or her to a professor for a research experience roughly equivalent to the two courses of released time.
- Research Assistant for John C. Hodges Chair of Excellence
A three-year research position (one class release time each term of the first and third year and two classes release time each term of the second year).
Fellowships and Awards for Scholarship and Teaching
- John C. Hodges, First-Year M.A. and Ph.D. Fellowships
Several fellowships of varying amounts to support first-year graduate students in the M.A. and Ph.D. programs. These may be held in addition to a graduate assistantship or associateship.
- Bain and Irene Stewart Fellowship
The fellowship is awarded to the top-ranking first-year Ph.D. candidate. The recipient will receive the full stipend amount, a teaching load of 1-1, and remission of tuition and fees for a calendar year (except charges for activities). The fellowship may be renewed for a second year.
- W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship
Named in honor of the humane man of letters and African American scholar who taught in the rural countryside of Tennessee during his years of undergraduate study in Nashville, this fellowship of $2500 annually is available to African American U.S. citizens of scholarly potential and talent to pursue graduate studies in English. This fellowship may be renewed upon demonstration of solid performance and progress toward a degree. This award may be held in addition to a Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Associateship.
- John C. Hodges Award for Exceptional Scholarship
A candidate for this award of $1000 is nominated by one or more professors by March 1. No student may win this award more than once.
- V. Carolyn Martin Summer Fellowship
Founded in honor of a former member of the department, these fellowships pay part of the tuition fees of Tennessee high school and Community college teachers who wish to attend summer sessions and either work for advanced degrees in English or otherwise increase their knowledge and expertise. These awards are made only for courses taken for graduate credit. Applications should be mailed to the Director of Graduate Studies before February 15.
- Roscoe Parker Linguistics Fellowship
Founded in honor of a former member of the department and scholar in Medieval literature and the English language, this grant enables students to travel to the Linguistic Institute of America. Normally this award is made to a student committed to a career in linguistics and well advanced in a program of doctoral study.
- F. DeWolfe Miller Graduate Student Travel Grants
Travel support is available for full-time graduate students in residence to attend national or regional professional meetings if they participate actively in the program.
- Edward Bratton Summer Stipends for Hilton Smith Fellows
These stipends provide full tuition support for Hilton Smith Fellows who wish to take summer school courses in the summer following their fellowship year.
- Internships/Fellowships for International Students
Small stipends are occasionally available for academically well-qualified students not yet qualified for Teaching Assistantships or Associateships.
- Hodges Excellence in Teaching Awards
Two Hodges Teaching Awards of $1000 each, one for an experienced Graduate Teaching Associate and one for a first-year Graduate Teaching Associate, are given each year to recognize excellence in teaching.
Dissertation Fellowships
- For travel
- Thomas Wheeler Traveling Fellowship
Founded in honor of a former member of the department and scholar of Renaissance literature, three competitive fellowships, normally $900 each, are available each year to students who need to travel in this country in pursuit of research on the dissertation, or two competitive fellowships of $1350 for students who need to travel abroad.
- Durant da Ponte American Literature Fellowship.
Founded in memory of a former member of the department and scholar in American literature, one fellowship, normally $1000, is awarded annually to an outstanding student writing a doctoral dissertation in American literature. The award may be used for either travel or research. If research is elected, the students may teach two courses while holding this fellowship.
- Thomas Wheeler Traveling Fellowship
- For released time
- Norman J. Sanders Dissertation Fellowships
Ph.D. Graduate Teaching Associates who reach ABD status within three years of the first date of matriculation will receive a two-course reduction in their teaching load for their fourth year to speed work on their dissertations.
- John B. Emperor Fellowships.
Several grants are available to doctoral students to enable them to be released from some teaching duties (one class, normally during the spring semester) to work on their dissertations. These awards are made on the recommendation of faculty members supervising the dissertations who are satisfied that their candidates have made substantial progress in research leading to the completion of the dissertation. Not applicable during summer.
- Norman J. Sanders Dissertation Fellowships
- Job Interview Stipends
A number of grants are available to help students travel to professional meetings or colleges or university campuses for job interviews.
Post-Doctoral Instructorships
Post-doctoral full-time instructorships are available on a competitive basis to Ph.D. recipients who have competed their degree the previous year.