Graduate Student Support

1. Department-Level Resources

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

The Linguistics Department has a number of GTA positions for Ling 106 “Introductory Linguistics” and Ling 110 “Language and Mind.” These positions are typically offered to graduate students who have taken the core courses in linguistics and have demonstrated academic excellence. A 50% GTA position (20 hours) provides a stipend and full waiver of tuition and fees. A 25% GTA position (10 hours) provides a stipend and a 50% reduction of tuition and fees. GTA applications are typically due in mid March.

Linguistics graduate students sometimes also hold GTA positions in the following related areas:

The Applied English Center (http://www.aec.ku.edu) have GTA positions for instructors of English at different levels for international students. Application deadline is typically in March for the Fall semester and October for the Spring semester.

The Humanities and Western Civilization Program (http://www.hwc.ku.edu) have GTA positions for Western Civilization, a two-semester undergraduate course. Please check the program website for GTA application, which is typically due in February.

If you have a strong background in a foreign language, different language departments at KU sometimes have GTA positions available for language instruction. Check with the language coordinators in individual departments for application information. For a list of languages taught at KU, see http://languages.ku.edu.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Individual faculty members in the department may have researching funding that can support GRAs. Aside from stipends, tuition assistance may also be available for GRAs, either through the grant source or through the tuition assistance program by the Provost Office (http://www.provost.ku.edu). Please check with the faculty member you are interested in working with for more information.

2. University-Level Resources

Foreign Language and Area Studies Award (FLAS)

FLAS Awards are offered through the following Centers at KU:

Center for East Asian Studies (http://www.ceas.ku.edu/) for the study of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Uyghur, or Tibetan.

Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (http://www.crees.ku.edu/) for the study of Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Turkish, or Ukrainian.

Kansas African Studies Center (http://www.kasc.ku.edu/) for the study of Arabic, Swahili, Wolof, or Hausa.

Center of Latin American Studies (http://www2.ku.edu/~latamst/) for the study of languages spoken in Latin America, including indigenous languages. The Center also has several scholarships available for students doing research in Latin America: Stansifer Fellowship, Tinker Foundation Grant, KU Latin Americanist Graduate Research Competition, Oppenheimer research grants. Please check with the Center for details.

Academic year FLAS pays up to $12,000 for tuition and a stipend of $15,000. Summer FLAS pays up to $4,000 for tuition and a stipend of $2,500. Tuition payments are limited to actual tuition charges. See the Center websites for application materials. The deadline for FLAS applications is typically January-February.

Graduate Initiative for Diversity

To increase the participation in graduate study at KU by students who are from groups underrepresented in their field of study, KU Graduate Studies awards a limited number of one-year fellowships and assistantships under the auspices of Graduate Initiative for Diversity to incoming graduate students. The fellowships provide a one-year stipend of $20,000 plus payment of up to 9 graduate credit hours of tuition and fees for the fall and spring semesters. Exceptions for tuition of up to 12 graduate credit hours will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Teaching and research assistantships provide compensation at the normal rate for such appointments. Teaching and research assistants will receive a tuition waiver or in-state fee status in accordance with the research or teaching appointment. Departments are expected to offer a 50% GTA or GRA position for the remaining years of study, provided the student maintains good academic standing and satisfactory employment performance. Graduate applicants are nominated by the department based on academic excellence and diversity background.

Summer Research Fellowship

The Office of Research and Graduate Studies offers Summer Research Fellowships for independent research in the Summer Session, which provide a stipend of $5,000. Preference is given to doctoral students who have completed their comprehensive exams by the end of the Spring semester. A research proposal and department nomination are necessary.

Graduate Scholarships

There are a number of Graduate Scholarships that linguistics graduate students are qualified to compete for. Each of these scholarships provides a one time award of $5,000. Current or incoming students are nominated by the department. The nomination deadline is typically in mid February.

The Dorothy Clark Lettice Scholarship and the John H. Nelson Scholarship are awarded to off-set the costs of ongoing research. Students awarded the Lettice or Nelson Scholarship will demonstrate high academic ability as indicated in the nomination packet.

The Laiten L. and Verna Nye Camien Scholarship is awarded to a doctoral student in the social sciences, education or foreign languages with the capability and intention of becoming a professional in that field. The student must have received an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas. The Camien Scholarship may be used to help recruit first year graduate students.

Schiefelbusch Child Language Scholarship

Available through the Child Language Program (http://www.clp.ku.edu/) to doctoral students doing research on language acquisition. Nomination due in March. Award announced in May. Contact Patsy Woods (patsy@ku.edu) for information.

3. External Resources

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The National Science Foundation offers 3-year fellowships to students in their early stages of pursuing a research based Master's or Ph.D. degree. The fellowship offers a $30,000 annual stipend, a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance, and a $1,000 one time travel allowance. Application deadline is in August, and award notifications are sent out in April of next year. US citizens or permanent residents who (a) are graduating senior; (b) have completed a B.S./B.A. degree; or (c) are in their 1st year or the first semester of their 2nd year in graduate school are qualified to apply. See http://www.nsfgrfp.org/ for more information.

NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants

The National Science Foundation provides research grants to offset the cost of dissertation research. The maximum allowable budget is $12,000. Targeted deadlines are January 15 and July 15. See http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/ling/suppdiss.jsp for more information.

NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students (EAPSI)

The East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI) provide U.S. graduate students in science and engineering: 1) first-hand research experiences in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore or Taiwan; 2) an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and 3) an orientation to the society, culture and language. See http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5284 for more information.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation / American Council of Learned Societies Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships assist graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences in the last year of Ph.D. dissertation writing. The Fellowships include funds for university fees and research support (together with stipend the award may total up to $33,000). Application deadline is typically in November. See http://www.acls.org/grants/Default.aspx?id=512 for more information.

The William Orr Dingwall Foundation Neurolinguistics Fellowship

The Williams Orr Dingwall Foundation (http://www.dingwallfoundation.org/) provides dissertation fellowships for doctoral candidates who are specialization in the field of neurolinguistics. The amount of the stipend is $30,000 for a period of 12 consecutive months. The candidates are nominated by the department. The nominee may be of any nationality. Nomination deadline is May 1.

Josephine de Karman Fellowship

The Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trust (http://www.dekarman.org/) provides fellowships to doctoral candidates in their dissertating year and undergraduates in their senior year. Fellowship amounts are $22,000 for graduate students and $14,000 for undergraduate students. Both US and non-US citizens who are currently enrolled in a university or college located within the US may apply. Application requests must be received by December 31, and complete applications are due January 31. Announcement of awards are made around April 15.

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Fellowships and Grants

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) provides a number of fellowships and grants for both US and non-US citizens, including dissertation fellowships. See http://www.aauw.org/education/fga/fellowships_grants/index.cfm for more information.

Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation Doctoral Fellowships

The Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange funds doctoral research by non-ROC citizens in the field of Chinese studies in humanities and social sciences. The maximum award is $15,000. Application deadline is October 15. See http://www.cckf.org.tw/e-americaDF.htm for more information.

Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation Dissertation Fellowships for ROC Students Abroad

The Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange funds doctoral candidates who are ROC citizens and who are completing the last stage of their Ph.D. research to complete dissertations in the humanities and social sciences. Applicants for ROC dissertation fellowships need not specialize in a China-related field. Only students who have graduated from an accredited university or college in the ROC, and who do not have foreign permanent residence status or citizenship, are eligible to apply. The maximum amount of each award is $15,000. Application deadline is February 15. See http://www.cckf.org.tw/e-americaDG.htm for more information.

Japan Foundation Doctoral Fellowships

The Japan Foundation (http://www.jfny.org/) has fellowships for doctoral students if the research is to be conducted in Japan. See website for more information.

The Wenner-Gren Foundation Grants

The Wenner-Gren Foundation (http://www.wennergren.org/) has a number of grants for both US and non-US scholars that supports anthropological fieldwork. See website for information.