History Department Funding Options
Graduate study in History, as in any other discipline, is costly. Although a few students are fortunate enough to have independent sources of wealth to finance their graduate education, most need to find financial support. Most graduate students in History, at KU and elsewhere, are supported in part by their university, in part by external grants and fellowships, and in part from personal resources. Because graduate study is very demanding, students cannot expect to enroll full-time while holding a full-time job. However, the History Department at KU can provide some support to its students, while directing them to additional sources. In addition, many graduate students in History take GTA or GRA positions in other departments, most particularly in the program in Humanities and Western Civilization. Such positions provide indispensable experience that helps our PhDs to compete successfully for jobs after graduation.
Funding for Incoming Graduate Students
The History Department will provide funding, usually in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, to all entering students who do not have alternative sources of financing (such as through the military or an ongoing professional position). Applicants who wish to be considered for Department funding should check the appropriate place on the Application Cover Sheet. Only full-time students are eligible. Foreign students who are not native speakers of English need to demonstrate their ability to speak, understand, and write English proficiently in order to hold a GTA position.
The Department has access to a limited number of fellowships for incoming students, some specifically designated for minority applicants. Eligible students will be considered automatically. Because Department resources are limited, we expect applicants to our program to apply for all fellowships outside of the department for which you are eligible. For a list of possible sources of funding outside of the History Department, see the Financial Aid page.
History graduate students often hold GTA positions in the Humanities and Western Civilization program (HWC). All applicants for History Department GTAs in the US, European, or Latin American fields are expected to apply simultaneously for GTA positions in HWC. For information on how to apply, contact HWC.
Contingent upon budgetary considerations and Departmental priorities, GTA appointments are usually renewed for students who are making good progress in their degree program and who are performing their teaching duties in a satisfactory manner. Students are urged to apply each year for alternative teaching and research positions and most especially for fellowships, in order to gain a variety of professional experiences. Graduate students are eligible for up to five years of funding from the Department.
GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistantship) Positions in History
The History Department offers its graduate students opportunities to be employed as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA's) in its courses. Teaching Assistants (TA's) assist professors in large courses, leading discussion sections and graduateing the undergraduates' work. Associate Instructors (AI's) teach their own courses. In both cases, the graduate student instructors carry great responsibility and are expected to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct.
GTA's usually work an average of 20 hours per week, but like all professionals, they must be willing to put in the time necessary to do their work well. As compensation for their services, GTA's receive a stipend (in 2004-05 it was a minimum of $10,900 for two semesters), tuition waiver, and office space. GTA's at the University of Kansas are unionized, and work under the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement between the University and the Kansas Association of Public Employees. GTA's also receive invaluable experience in teaching that serves them well in their future careers.
GTA's' specific course assignments are made by the department Chair upon the recommendations of the Director of Graduate Studies. GTA's may express their preferences for assignments, but departmental needs take precedence, and the Director of Graduate Studies and the department Chair have the authority to designate the specific assignments. Teaching assignments will be made in late Spring for Fall Semester courses, and in late Fall for Spring Semester courses. Except in unusual circumstances, only students who have completed their M.A. degree and have taught successfully as TA's in the Department will be assigned to AI positions.
The number of GTA slots available depends upon the department budget and undergraduate student demand. In recent years, about 24 slots have been funded annually. In addition, some History students have found employment as GTA's in other units, such as Humanities and Western Civilization.
In order to be eligible for GTA funding, graduate students must be:
1. Enrolled full-time in the MA or PhD program in the department.
2. Making satisfactory and timely progress towards completion of their degree. Progress is measured by:
- Maintaining a high GPA
- No pending graduatees of Incomplete (I)
- Completing required research seminars and colloquia on schedule
- Accumulating the expected number of graduate credit hours
- Passing exams (MA, comprehensive orals) on schedule
- Certification of foreign languages and research skills on schedule
- Approval of the professional portfolio and dissertation proposal on schedule
- Applications for external funding appropriate to their field and stage of career
3. Performing teaching duties in a satisfactory manner, if already GTA's. Satisfactory performance is measured by:
- Student evaluations showing scores within the normal range
- A positive report from the GTA's faculty supervisor or teaching mentor
4. Within their period of eligibility for GTA funding.
Contingent upon department budgetary considerations, current GTA's who are still eligible for GTA positions, who are making good progress on their degrees, and who are performing their teaching duties well, will be renewed for the following year. Graduate students who were eligible for renewal but instead took funding outside the Department may return to the teaching roster, provided they still meet the criteria listed above.
Current GTA's must fill out the Current Student GTA Application Form to indicate their desire to continue, and it is their responsibility to make sure that the necessary documents of progress to degree (most importantly, the Progress Report Form) and of performance in the classroom (student evalutions) have been placed in their file in the Graduate Administrator's office. Applicants may attach a brief (500-word maximum) statement explaining their professional work to date. Applications for GTA funding from current students are due January 15.
The Director of Graduate Studies will review their files, in consultation with the faculty, to ascertain that these GTA's meet the necessary criteria for continued appointment. If so, the Graduate Director will recommend to the Graduate Awards Committee that their appointments be renewed.
Current students who are unfunded may apply for department GTA's in the annual competition. Applicants for GTA positions should fill out Current Student GTA Application Form and should make sure that their file in the Graduate Administrator's office contains all the necessary documentation of progress to degree. Currently-funded students who have not achieved the expected progress toward degree or performance in the classroom because of exigent circumstances may also apply in this competition, through the same process. Their statements should explain the circumstances that caused the departure from department norms, and how those circumstances no longer apply.
Prospective students who wish to be considered for GTA's need only check the appropriate place on the Application Cover Sheet. Their application for admission to the program doubles as their application for department funding.
Applications for GTA's will be circulated to the faculty in their subfield of specialization (e.g. Medieval, modern US, environmental), who will rank-order them. Subfield faculty will write a brief explanation of the ranking of each file for the Graduate Awards Committee. Subfield faculty many also recommend against nominating applicants for funding. The field-ranked files then go to the Graduate Awards Committee, which will mesh them into a single rank-ordered list. Then the Graduate Director and the department Chair will offer GTA appointments in the number appropriate for the department budget and enrollments. Top-ranked candidates will receive the first offers (in March or April), and lower-ranked candidates constitute the alternate list, receiving offers (when made possible through resignations, refusals, or increased funding) in rank order.
Questions about GTA's and the application and evaluation process should be directed to Professor Ted Wilson, Director of Graduate Studies.
Fellowships and grants
The History Department strongly encourages its graduate students to seek both internal and external funding. Experience in writing applications for funding proves useful to nearly all professional historians. By winning competitive grants and fellowships, students simultaneously facilitate their progress towards their degree and enhance their attractiveness on the job market.
- Funds administered by the History Department
Some funds belong to the Department and can be bestowed at the Department's discretion. In the case of other funds, the Department nominates students, who then compete against nominees from other units. Incoming students who request consideration for financial aid from the department are automatically considered for such funding for which they are eligible. They do not need to make a separate application, except for FLAS fellowships, which are administered by the appropriate language and area studies centers (see below). Current students who wish to compete for fellowship and grant funds administered by the department, or which require departmental nomination, should apply by the deadlines which will be set annually in coordination with the Graduate School's schedule. Students file a grant and fellowship application form, a description of their project, letters of recommendation (including from their faculty advisor), and a brief budget. An updated list of funding opportunities through the department will be available beforehand; check with Ellen Garber, Graduate Administrator.
- Funds administered by other units at KU or external agencies
The largest amount of grant and fellowship money available for graduate students comes from sources outside the History Department. For each funding opportunity, different rules and procedures are followed, and they have different closing dates. Read the descriptions carefully ascertain your eligibility and find out how and when to apply.
Click here for Information on Applications for Fellowships for the 2005-2006 school year.
Other Fundings
- The Hall Center for the Humanities
Provides expert advice to graduate students and faculty about how to apply successfully for external funding. The Hall Center also keeps extensive files of grant and fellowships, some of which are open to pre-doctoral applicants.
- E-Grants
An electronic database of funding opportunities.
- The Office of International Programs
Administers a variety of programs for graduate students to take courses at foreign universities. It also administers the Fulbright-Hays dissertation research program, for students who need to go abroad for dissertation research.
Graduate students specializing in East Asian, Latin American, or Russian and East European history can apply for federal Foreign Language and Area Study (FLAS) fellowships. These fellowships pay tuition and a stipend to students undertaking the study of certain languages. In some cases, applicants must already have achieved an intermediate level of competency to be eligible. FLAS grants are administered by KU's area studies centers:
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