Teaching Assistantships

The more common form of graduate aid consists of Teaching Assistantships. Teaching Assistants support the educational mission of the School and gain valuable experience by assisting faculty members with instruction in undergraduate courses and by staffing the programs and research Centers within the School.

Teaching Assistantships must be applied for annually and are awarded on the basis of academic merit. The selection of Teaching Assistantships is thus highly competitive. Decisions concerning Teaching Assistantships are made by the School’s Graduate Studies Committee, which contains two faculty representatives from Aesthetic Studies, History of Ideas, and Studies in Literature. Students who apply for a Teaching Assistantship after the annual deadline cannot be guaranteed consideration.

The University requires Teaching Assistants to enroll for nine credit hours each semester and to work twenty hours each week. Teaching Assistantships normally carry a modest monthly stipend, tuition and fee benefits, and partial medical benefits. Precise terms of compensation will be specified in the letter of offer awarding a Teaching Assistantship. Teaching Assistants accepting outside employment may do so only with written permission of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. Failure to meet these requirements may result in loss of the Assistantship.

The School has a limited number of summer appointments (approximately one-third to one-half the number for the regular academic year), and only those students offered appointments during the academic year are eligible for summer positions.

M.A. students awarded Teaching Assistantships are eligible for support through 4 semesters of graduate study, and Ph.D. students remain eligible through an additional 12 semesters provided they do not exceed 100 hours of doctoral credit.

The TA Application must be filled out and submitted to the Arts and Humanities Office (Jonsson 4.510) by February 15, 2009. Offers for the next academic year will be made in April.

TA Application (.DOC format)
TA Application (PDF)

Recommendation/Evaluation Form (.DOC format)
Recommendation/Evaluation Form (PDF)

The Armstrong Fellowship Program

The privately endowed Armstrong Fund in the School of Arts and Humanities at UTD permits the graduate program to award a few modest fellowships each academic year.  In contrast to teaching assistantships, which involve part-time work for the school and are based solely on students’ academic record, these awards are based on financial need as well as academic merit.  Thus, applicants must provide the fellowship committee information on their incomes as well as estimated expenses.

While the awards are direct payments to recipients, the school requires Armstrong fellows to study full time and expects that they use the grants toward university tuition.  Indeed, most of the grants would qualify recipients for in-state tuition, should they not otherwise qualify for it.  Although a student may hold a teaching assistantship and Armstrong grant simultaneously, students holding a Graduate Student Scholarship are not eligible for the Armstrong grant.  If a student is awarded the Armstrong grant but withdraws from classes, the amount of the award must be paid back to the university.

Return the attached application form for academic year 2008-2009 to the Arts and Humanities Office.  Review of applications will begin on March 14, 2008.

Armstrong Fellowship application form (PDF)

Armstrong Fellowship application form (Word Doc)

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For more information on financial aid, please visit UTD's Office of Financial Aid (Javascript must be enabled)

Other sources on scholarships, grants and fellowships: All of the following titles are in the McDermott Library at UTD and are accompanied by their LC call numbers

National Endowment for the Arts website
http://arts.endow.gov

Overview of Endowment Programs (by the NEH)
NF 3.15

How to Find Out About Financial Aid: A guide to over 700 Directories
LB2338.s345 1987

Fullbright Scholar Program
LB 2357.f96

Directory of Research Grants
LB2338.d57

National Guide to Funding in Arts and Culture
NX396.6.n358 1990

The A's and B's of Academic Scholarships
LB 2338.143

State and Regional Program of the NEA
NF 2.8/2-17

The Awards Almanac
LB2338.a94

Fellowships in the Humanities
LB2338.g73 1992

Peterson's Grants for Graduate Study
LB2337.2.p46

National Endowments for the Humanities Fellowships
NF 3/13/14

Fellowships and Summer Stipends (NEH)
NF3.13/4

Directory of Financial Aid for Minorities
LB2338.d564

Literature Fellowship Application Guidelines (NEA)
NF2.16

Paying for Your Education: A Guide for Adult Learners
LB2337.4.p39 1983

Film/Television: Grants, Scholarships, Special Programs
PN1994.A54 no 12

Higher Education Opportunities for Minorities and Women: Annotated Selections
ED1.42

Financial Aid for Study and Training Abroad
LB2337.2f576

Post-Baccalaureate Grants and Awards in Music
ML3795.m79 1974 (really dated)

Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families
LB2337.2.f58

Foundation Grants to Individuals
LB2336.f6

Directory of Financial Aids for Women
LB2338.s342

Arts in Education
NF2.8/2-37

The International Scholarship Book: Study Abroad
LB2337.2.c354 1988

Scholarships for International Students
LB2337.4s33