Fellowships
All Ph.D. applicants for full-time study are automatically considered for departmental financial support. These awards are based on academic merit, not financial need. We offer long-term fellowship support for five years, and the holder of a fellowship can be assured of keeping that fellowship, provided that he or she is making normal progress toward the degree. As of 1994, all state-supported graduate assistants are unionized through the Graduate Student Employees Union, which negotiates such issues as health-care insurance, salary increases, and grievance and arbitration procedures. In addition to departmental Teaching Assistantships, outstanding applicants to the Ph.D. program in English at UB may be considered for special university-based fellowships in the following categories. They should submit all standard application materials no later than January 2. Nominations for these awards will then be made by the department and forwarded to a committee of the College of Arts and Sciences for review. Award recipients will be notified by mid-March. To find out more about these grants, see http://www.grad.buffalo.edu/general/financial-aid.htm).
Presidential Teaching Fellowships
The Presidential Fellowship Program, inaugurated in Fall 1984, is designed to support students of proven excellence in UB's various graduate departments.
Presidential Fellowships, awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences in conjunction with the Graduate School, provide a full tuition award, plus a ten-month stipend of approximately $18,000, $20,000, or $22,000. They are renewable for four years. You will be offered fifth-year funding (the base stipend level of approximately $14,000) provided you have submitted at least one chapter of your dissertation during the fourth year.
Both standard teaching assistantships and Presidential Fellowships require teaching only one course each semester, usually the ENG 101 or 201 composition courses. After successful completion of the Oral Exams, students may apply to teach literature courses.
Dean's Scholarships
Dean's Fellowships are similar to Presidential Fellowships: they offer an assistantship (which carries a stipend of approximately $14,000) and a full tuition scholarship. In addition, Dean's Scholars are awarded a four-year fellowship stipend of $4,000, which totals $18,000. In the fifth year, the student, if in good standing, will receive a base stipend of $14,000.
College Fellowships
College Fellowships are similar to Presidential and Dean's Fellowships: they offer a full assistantship and a full tuition scholarship. In addition, College Fellows will receive a fellowship enhancement of $2000-$3,000, totaling $16,000-$17,000. These fellowships are normally renewable for a total of four years of support, with fifth year funding guaranteed, if in good standing, from the department at the base stipend level of $14,000.
Dissertation Fellowships
Outstanding graduate students who have reached the stage of preparing their doctoral dissertations may apply on a competitive basis to receive a Dissertation Fellowship, which carries with its a stipend of approximately $4000 for one academic year. There are a limited number of these Fellowships, which entail no teaching or other form of obligation. They are intended to assist advanced doctoral candidates in the preparation of their dissertations. These Fellowships may be used to supplement other forms of financial support a student received, or they may be awarded to students who are otherwise unfunded.
Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship Program The Graduate Minority Fellowships were established in 1987 by the New York State Legislature and are intended to support graduate study for those individuals who have overcome significant obstacles and disadvantages. Each year there are about 20 awards university-wide, available only to full-time students entering a graduate degree program for the first time. The Schomburg Fellowships are awarded on a university-wide basis; therefore all fellowships are highly competitive. The Department's Admissions Committee will nominate prospective candidates for review by the College of Arts and Sciences Fellowship Committee and the Office of Public Service and Urban Affairs.
The Schomburg Fellowships are four-year awards with an annual stipend of approximately $7,000 plus a full award of graduate tuition. These fellowships are awarded in addition to teaching assistantships, which carries a stipend of $14,000. The English Department makes available a fifth year of support to all Schomburg Fellows in good standing in our Ph.D. program who are making normal progress. For more information on this fellowship, see http://wings.buffalo.edu/psua/psua/Schombrg.htm
