Departmental Fellowships for Graduate Study in History

 
The Department of History offers two  graduate fellowships for doctoral students: the Margaret Ausley Fellowships, and the Dan and Sylvia Walbolt Fellowships. Sponsored by generous supporters of the History department, these doctoral fellowships offer a guaranteed funding package for 5 years.

To be awarded to outstanding applicants, the Ausley and Walbolt Fellowships offer $17,000 in both the first and fourth years of the doctoral program (with no teaching responsibilities). Fellows will receive teaching assistantship in the other three years, with an annual salary of $10,500.


The Department of History offers two graduate fellowships for masters students: The Daniel Sr. and Sylvia Walbolt MA Fellowship, and the The Dorothy P. and Margaret A. Johnsen Graduate Fellowship in American History. Fellows receive $13,000 each year, for the first two years, with no work obligations in the first year.

There are no separate applications to compete for these fellowships; the departmental application is comprehensive.

The Department also offers the The Barnett Bank Scholarship, which funds research in the Barnett Bank papers in the Florida State Archives in Tallahassee. It is a scholarship primarily for graduate students, but proposals from scholars at all stages from undergraduates to faculty to independent scholars will be considered.

For more information about these fellowships, contact Dr. Creswell, the Director of Graduate Studies.

Departmental Assistantships

The department has a limited number of assistantships that are awarded for duties connected with instruction or research. GAs may be assigned to a variety of non-teaching assignments; TAs are assigned classroom teaching responsibilities. Only full-time history students with regular graduate status are eligible for these awards. Applications must be made to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies before January 10th for the next school year. The stipends are normally subject to federal income tax. Within budget limitations, a portion of the course tuition may be waived for both in-state and out-of-state students who receive an assistantship or a fellowship. There is no separate application form for these awards; students just indicate on the admission application that they wish to be considered.

Students seeking appointment as a teaching assistant must, (1) have a minimum of 2 graduate level courses in the proposed field, (2) submit an application listing qualifications and submit a proposed syllabus, (3) have satisfactorily completed HIS 6941 “Teaching College History” prior to teaching, (4) hold the master’s degree in history, and (5) have served as a grader or section leader. The application form is available in the Advising Office.

Graduate and teaching assistantships in the Department of History are awarded by the Graduate Studies Committee on the basis of such factors as: (1) grade point average; (2) letters of recommendation; (3) score on the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination; and (4) academic honors and publications. Departmental financial support for a student is limited to a maximum of four years (2 years at the master’s level), depending upon departmental needs and availability of funding. To continue to hold an assistantship, a student must discharge assigned duties satisfactorily and secure the Graduate Committee’s recommendation for renewal. Each semester faculty members will observe some of the assistant’s classes and evaluate his or her performance. Teaching assistants will not be permitted to teach more than two years except when departmental needs make it necessary. In this way, more students will have an opportunity to gain teaching experience. Teaching Assistants will teach only one course per semester. Special or part-time students are not eligible for assistantships.

No graduate student with less than a 3.0 cumulative grade point average will be continued as a graduate assistant. Students who do not complete their M.A. degrees by the end of the second year of graduate assistance will not receive additional financial support toward the M.A. from the department. All students, whether graduate assistants or not, should have an up-to-date resume (including local phone number) on file with the academic coordinator. When part-time history-related jobs become available, people whose names are on file are notified.

Computer Technology Assistantship
There is one Computer Technology Assistantship per academic year. There is a separate application for this assistantship available in the Advising Office; please request the Computer Technology Assistantship Application ONLY if you have a facility with computers.