PhD Students 

All PhD students may be eligible to receive fellowships, tuition waivers, medical insurance, and payment of most fees during their time in the program, conditional on their good standing, determined by completion of annual progress-to-degree milestones and available funding. See fellowship details (including teaching and non-teaching GEs as well as competitive first-year PhD fellowships) below. 

Competitive Fellowships for First-year PhD Students 

The English Department offers the following named fellowships for first-year PhD students. Fellowships supplement the GE appointment and last for one year. The amounts offered vary between fellowships and from year to year.  

• Stanley Maveety Fellowship to an entering PhD student working on Renaissance studies
• Hermine Zwanck Graham Fellowship to an outstanding first-year PhD student
• Steingart Fellowship to an outstanding first-year PhD student
• Wegelin Fellowship to an outstanding first-year PhD student

No application for these fellowships is necessary. Candidates for these fellowships are chosen by the department from the annual pool of applicants based on the merits of their applications, their fields of interest, and their previous academic backgrounds. Depending on available funding, not every fellowship is awarded every year. 

Non-Classroom-Teaching Graduate Employees 

Each year, the English Department has a small number of one-year non-classroom teaching Graduate Employee (GEs) appointments available for first year PhD students. This award is made at a .40 FTE (176 hours per term) and includes a tuition waiver. These GEs serve as tutors in the Center for Teaching Writing where they work with undergraduates in composition courses to improve writing skills. Other various assignments, such as assisting faculty in lower-division literature courses, are assigned on an individual basis. 

Master’s Students

First-year MA students do not receive Graduate Employee (GE) appointments or tuition waivers from the English Department. (For tuition rates see the UO Tuition and Fees; MA students should expect to be enrolled for 9-16 credits.) However, first-year MA students may seek GE appointments elsewhere in the university–some listings are provided through the Division of Graduate Studies. During their first year, MA students will be trained to teach in our composition program. Upon successful completion of this training, they will be eligible for a Graduate Employee (GE) appointment with tuition waiver, medical insurance, and payment of most fees during their second year in the program, conditional on their good standing, determined by completion of annual progress-to-degree milestones, and available funding. 

Graduate Employee (GE)

All English Department PhD and second-year MA students are eligible for GE positions based on teaching experience, proficiency, progress toward degree, years of eligible funding (as determined by transfer courses) and available funding. A GE appointment comes with a waiver of graduate tuition (except for certain fees) plus medical insurance and other benefits. Current salary and fee figures can be found on the Division of Graduate Studies website on the Funding and Graduate Employment tab and tuition rates at the Office of the Registrar. GE appointments are guaranteed for PhD admits, so long as the student meets all eligibility requirements, and at a minimum of 5 years support for PhDs. This typically includes $14,003.91 salary in their first year at .40 FTE as a tutor (not teaching) and $19,379.97 salary in years 2-5 at .49 FTE, each academic year, with typical assignments being as teachers in the first-year writing sequence. Please note these are the rates for AY 22-23, where the rates are as published by the UO Division of Graduate Studies. Classroom 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 GE appointment, you must complete the appropriate sections in the Department Applications. This will include previous teaching experience, including courses taught, dates, schools, etc. Supervisors’ evaluations are required, as well as graduate level teacher training course information. 

The English Department offers a year-long training program for new graduate students who wish to make themselves eligible to apply for GE appointments for their second year of study. The program consists of: 

• English 611, Composition Graduate Teaching Fellow Seminar I, in Winter term;  
• English 613, GE Composition Apprenticeship, in the Winter and/or Spring terms (depending on demand and the availability of supervising teachers);  
• A series of class observations during the non-apprenticeship term.  

First-year GEs are also required to take English 612, Composition GE 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 GE appointment, although most students have received GE 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 GEs. 

For the yearly academic progress requirements for GE appointment and reappointment see the Department of English GE Yearly Academic Progress Requirements. 

University-wide 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 Division of Graduate Studies website. 

For information on funding opportunities for international students, contact the International Student and Scholar Services office. 

The University of Oregon offers numerous additional fellowships, awards, and forms of funding, available to English Department graduate students. A complete list of Graduate School awards can be found with the Division of Graduate Studies. 

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 Division of Graduate Studies, 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 Office of International Affairs: International Students and Scholars Services.