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Graduate Funding and Employment

Overview

The Department of English supports graduate students in a variety of ways.

First, we employ graduate students as graduate assistants (GAs) and as research assistants (RAs) in the department and in the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (IAH). These positions are posted each spring for employment in the following academic year. The application process is competitive, based upon GPA, progress toward degree, and letters of recommendation.

Second, we support graduate students in their applications to teach in Writing, Rhetoric, and American Culture (WRAC) and in the Writing Center.

Third, the department offers several fellowships for students, including:

  • John A. Yunck Endowed Scholarship
    This award, named after a former faculty member in the English department, recognizes outstanding graduate students who “have demonstrated the capacity to achieve educational and professional goals, and the initiative to seek opportunities to further their progress.” Preference is given to doctoral candidates.
  • Graduate Completion Fellowships
    Through special funds provided by the Office of the Provost, the English graduate program is able to award three to four Graduate Completion Fellowships each year. The purpose of these fellowships is to support graduate students who will be completing their dissertations and earning the Ph.D. in the following academic year. Since these fellowships are intended to provide substantial time to the individuals selected in order to complete the dissertation, and since the time commitment to the professional development opportunity attached to each fellowship is no more than 10 hours/week, recipients may not, at the same time, hold a graduate assistant position. This allows the student to devote as much time as possible to research and writing toward the completion of the dissertation. 

Fourth, we nominate our best students at every stage of graduate education for college and university fellowships and awards, including:

Qualified students are also encouraged to pursue external grant opportunities, including:

For post-doctoral funding opportunities, refer to:

Funding and Employment Application Process: Assistantships are available through the department and a variety of other venues in the College of Arts and Letters. Eligibility for assistantships within the College of Arts and Letters is defined as two years at the M.A. level and four years beyond the M.A. level. Extensions of eligibility are generally granted to students actively working on degree completion. To be considered for an assistantship, your name must be on the department's eligibility list. In late fall/early spring you will be asked to complete a form indicating your desire to be included on that list. A graduate assistant in the college must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and not accumulate deferred grades in more than eight credits of coursework (excluding courses numbered 899 and 999).

Most students in the program have held appointments in two or more units in the college by the time they finish their degree. Many have found that this is a definite advantage when they enter the job market. Teaching in different units allows students to gain experience in a number of subject areas, classroom formats, and skill levels. Assistantships are generally offered half-time (20 hours per week). A master’s student holding a quarter-time or half-time graduate assistantship must be enrolled for a minimum of six credits per semester (including 899) but no more than 12 credits per semester (including 899). A doctoral student holding a quarter-time or half-time assistantship must be enrolled for at least three credits per semester (including 999), with a maximum of 15 credits per semester (including 999). During summer session, a three-credit minimum enrollment is allowed for all types of assistantships. Doctoral students who have completed their comprehensive examinations may register for one credit. 

All international graduate assistants are required by the university to demonstrate that they meet a minimum standard of fluency in spoken English before they can be assigned to do any teaching work that involves oral communication with undergraduate students. Teaching assistants may meet this requirement by scoring: (a.) 50 or higher on the Test of Spoken English (TSE), given by the Educational Testing Service; (b.) 50 or higher on SPEAK, given by the English Language Center (ELC; contact Daniel Reed, acting director of testing, 517-353-0800, reeddan@msu.edu); or (c.) 50 or higher on the TA oral interview, given by the ELC.

All newly appointed TAs are required to attend the MSU TA Seminar on College Teaching. All MSU policies are covered in this orientation, and all TAs are held accountable for knowing these policies. All newly appointed TAs who are foreign nationals are also required to participate in an international TA orientation. In special cases, the dean of the Graduate School may decide to waive a TA’s participation in this orientation. This may be possible if a TA: (a.) is able to demonstrate excellent spoken English (through the process described above); (b.) has been a student in a North American university; or (c.) is able to provide proof of excellent teaching performance at a North American university or belongs to a department that has a well-developed orientation program offering TAs instruction in teaching.


Academic Year Assistantships for 2008-2009

1/2 time. Fall/Spring. Assisting in faculty-taught courses in English; assisting in faculty-taught courses in Integrative Arts and Humanities as part of MSU's undergraduate general education program; teaching creative writing and literature courses for undergraduate non-majors, the introductory course for English majors and minors, IAH courses, or other course assignments in English based on departmental needs. Courses to which Teaching Assistants may be assigned include English 106, 130, 142, 153, 203, 204, 205, 206, 210, 226, 230, 232, 302, IAH 207, 221C, 231 A, 231B, and 241E.  Appointments are generally made for fall and spring semesters.  In some cases, appointments may be made for fall only or spring only.  

Some IAH 207 appointments are for positions assisting in faculty-taught courses; others are for positions teaching IAH 207 in the Center for Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities.  Appointments for the latter will be made in consultation with CISAH, which may interview candidates.  (See below for selection criteria for these CISAH appointments.)

Application Procedures:

Applications for students already enrolled in an English Department Graduate Program will be mailed electronically with announcement in early spring semester.  Hard copies will also be available from in the Graduate Lounge. Completed applications must be submitted to Jackie in the English Graduate Office by Friday, February 8, 2008.

Note: The English Department annually sets aside several Teaching Assistantships for recruitment purposes.  New applicants to graduate programs in the department are automatically considered for these assistantships and need not submit a separate application. 

Selection Criteria:

All applicants must be enrolled in good standing in a graduate program in the Department of English. In addition to considering the College of Arts and Letters Standards Relating to Graduate Assistantships and programmatic needs of the Department, the Graduate Committee will rank all applicants for academic year assistantships using the following criteria:

  • Eligibility according to department policies outlined in the current, online version of the English Department Graduate Handbook, page 46 (also attached)
  • Prior commitments (for fellowships, teaching packages, etc.)
  • GPA in graduate work already completed
  • Timely progress toward degree
  • 2 letters of support from faculty members familiar with the student’s graduate work
  • Scholarly record of applicant (e.g. publications, papers delivered, awards, honors, etc.)

Job Expectations for

English 106, 130, 142, 153, 203, 204, 205, 206, 210, 226, 230, 232, 302, IAH 207, 221C, 231 A, 231B, and 241E (see below for IAH 201):

Teaching Assistants are expected to meet their classes at the regularly scheduled times, hold office hours, return course work to students in a timely manner, and report course grades on time. If holding a position in which they assist a faculty member, teaching assistants are expected to perform such duties as grading, conducting discussion sessions, and other tasks as are necessary to the conduct and maintenance of the course to which they are assigned.

 

Qualifications and Job Requirements for CISAH IAH 207:

Required:

  • Graduate course work providing substantial background for teaching a web-enhanced course that explores the concepts of culture and cultural change from literary, social, and philosophical perspectives using contemporary materials and examples.  Using a combination of lecture, discussion, and web-based modules, the course investigates the complex ways in which identity is defined and re-defined in the competing pressures of cultural systems.
  • Ability to respond to students' writing, engage students in discussion and critical thinking, foster active learning, and work with students in the on-line component of this web-enhanced course.

Preferred:

  • M.A. completed, prior teaching experience, and interdisciplinary background or orientation.
  • Prior experience using ANGEL course management software in a teaching setting.

Position Expectations:

  • Meet 50 students for three 50-minute classes each week, and monitor and respond to their work in the on-line modules that replace one in-class hour per week.
  • Respond to student writing.
  • Design and lead other learning activities; grade student work.
  • Hold two office hours per week.
  • Participate in a faculty of record mentoring seminar one hour a week.
  • Participate in an orientation workshop in August.
  • Contribute to assessment and on-going development of this web-enhanced course.

For further information about the graduate programs in English, please write, phone, or email: Associate Chairperson Dr. Scott Juengel, Graduate Studies in English, Morrill Hall; ph: 355-7572; email: juengel@msu.edu.

Note: English Graduate Students may apply for assistantships in other venues across the university, including the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Culture (WRAC) [http://www.msu.edu/unit/wrac/] and the Writing Center [http://writing.msu.edu/]. Please consult the relevant websites for these units in order to receive current information about position requirements, selection criteria, and application deadlines.


Department of English Summer Assistantships 2008

Note:  This posting is for English Department courses only.  Students interested in a summer assistantship in CISAH or other units, should check the deadlines on the appropriate websites.

We anticipate staffing 4-6 sections from among the following courses: ENG 142, 153, 203, and 232. Stipend for levels 1, 2, and 3 will be on the same scale as in spring 2008. Tuition waiver is four (4) credits for Summer Semester.  Minimum enrollment is 3 credits for all assistantships.  Doctoral students who have completed their comprehensive examinations may register for one credit. 

We may also be staffing several off-campus sections of ENG 232.  Compensation for off-campus instructor positions start at $4,200; additional reimbursement for travel using one’s own vehicle (January 1, 2008, rate is 50 cents per mile). 

All appointments will be for one term of the summer session only.

Applications are available in the Graduate Lounge or from Jackie Campbell in the English Graduate Office, 211 Morrill Hall (355-7572). Completed applications must be submitted to Jackie in the English Graduate Office by the application deadline: Friday, February 8, 2008. 

Selection Criteria: All applicants must be enrolled in good standing in a graduate program in the Department of English. In addition to considering the College of Arts and Letters Standards Relating to Graduate Assistantships and programmatic needs of the Department, the Graduate Committee will rank all applicants for summer assistantships using the following criteria:

  • Prior commitments (for fellowships, teaching packages, etc.)
  • Seniority—number of years in program
  • Whether applicant has already had a summer teaching opportunity
  • GPA in graduate work already completed
  • Timely progress toward degree
  • 2 letters of support from faculty familiar with the student’s graduate work
  • Scholarly record of applicant (e.g. publications, papers delivered, awards, honors, etc.)

NOTE:  By University policy, a graduate student may not have two half-time teaching assistantships in a summer, nor may the same person be appointed as both a teaching assistant and an instructor in summer, not even in different sessions.  University policy does permit a person to have more than one instructorship in summer.


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