University of Minnesota
Department of History
history@umn.edu
612-624-2800


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Graduate Studies Funding

Policies Regarding Graduate Student Funding

Download Graduate Studies Office Policies and Procedures Handbook (PDF)

All entering students are offered 5 years of guaranteed support. The last 2 years of guaranteed support for those entering with a B.A., or 3 years for those entering with an M.A., are reserved for the ABD (all but dissertation) stage. All support is contingent on timely and satisfactory progress in the history Ph.D. program. In this total number of years of guaranteed support, all forms of institutional support are included.

NB: "Extra" years of support, especially at the ABD stage, are not ruled out—they are just not guaranteed. Students in good standing who have received the guaranteed number of years of support will be placed on an alternate list until others have been supported.

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TA, R/G and Instructorship Appointments

We employ approximately 40-50 TAs and graduate instructors each academic year. TA appointments are awarded to beginning and advanced students who are qualified for supervised teaching duties. All awards are contingent upon the availability of funds.

Notification of an appointment to a TA position for the next academic year is usually made in March or April. We keep a list of alternates from which later appointments are made as vacancies occur.

Compensation

TAs receive an annual stipend plus tuition and health insurance for half time service during the academic year.

Position Requirements

  • You must be registered each term of your appointment. This requirement applies to appointments of any percentage and any number of hours. For more specific information, refer to the Graduate Studies website.
  • Accepting a TA appointment constitutes an agreement that you will accept your particular assignment.
  • At the end of each academic year, you must complete a funding application for the following year.
  • Each semester you must indicate your preference for TA or R/G assignments so we can assign students to courses.

Differences in TA and R/G Assignments

In the TA category, most students will be given teaching assignments, either leading sections or working as reader/graders (R/G). Reader/graders are responsible for more students than are section leaders but do not lead discussions. 

"Service TA" Assignments

There are several other "Service TA" assignments, such as writing tutor, History Day coordinator, and Undergraduate Studies Office advisor.  All these positions—section leaders, graders, service TAs—come under the job category of TA.  Every effort will be made to assign you to the position you request. However, this may not always be possible.

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Research Assistant (RA) Appointments

Individual faculty members, through funded research, hire/employ students as RAs.

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Fellowships

We award departmental fellowships, to some first year and advanced students to outstanding first-year students. We nominate outstanding graduate students for fellowships that the Graduate School and the U of M awards to advanced students.

Graduate School Fellowships

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Other Funding Sources

Since departmental funds are limited, some students also find support outside the department.

  • The GS Fellowship Office  (314 Johnston Hall) can provide information on fellowships and scholarships awarded by outside foundations and organizations, and on miscellaneous funds available within the U of M.
  • The Office of Student Finance (200 Fraser Hall) accepts applications for scholarships, loans, and work-study grants.
  • Other U of M departments or offices sometimes employ history graduate students as part-time TAs or administrative assistants. Such positions are often listed with the Graduate Assistant Employment Office.
  • The Student Employment Office (170 Donhowe Building) maintains lists of on-and off-campus jobs.
  • Consult the Graduate School catalog and the GS's booklet on fellowships for other possibilities for aid.

For current students the Graduate School website keeps a list of graduate school funding resources.

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What does "timely and satisfactory progress" mean?

  1. A Grad GPA of at least 3.5
  2. Filing degree program(s) by end of first year of residency. If you are seeking an M.A., you should file both an M.A. program and a Ph.D. program.
  3. Normally, finishing coursework within 3 years of entering with a B.A. or 2 years of entering with an M.A.  In cases where there are extenuating circumstances (such as the need to complete a Plan A thesis, or to undertake additional language training), there can be flexibility, not in the total number of years of support guaranteed, but in their distribution before and after doctoral candidacy (ABD status).
  4. Filing thesis forms in first semester after passing prelims.

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Graduate Features

Graduate Studies
Rachel Ayers
1130 Heller Hall
271 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Phone: 612-624-5840
Email: histdgs@umn.edu

  • 'Best Dissertation' Arts and Humanities

    Congratulations to Nicole Phelps for winning this year's 'Best Dissertation" Award in the Arts and Humanities for her dissertation, "Sovereignty, Citizenship, and the New Liberal Order: US-Habsburg Relations and the Transformation of International Politics, 1880-1924."

    Nicole will receive an honorarium of $1,000 and a special certificate. She will also be honored during a luncheon and ceremony at the Campus Club in early June.

     May 14th, 2008

  • 2007-08 Fulbright Scholarships

    Tovah Bender (Italy), Aeleah Soine (Germany), and Elizabeth Swedo (Iceland) were awarded Fulbright scholarships to support their dissertation research abroad during this academic year. Congratulations!

    To read more, visit the Graduate School Announcement.

     January 25th, 2008

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