Finding the right graduate program requires evaluating the financial as well as academic opportunities available. The University of Georgia and the history department offer multiple avenues for funding your graduate studies and research projects. Most importantly, we fund many admitted PhD and MA students through departmental both teaching assistantships and research fellowships. Our typical funding package provides six years of support for PhD students and two years for MA students. When considering offers of financial support, we encourage prospective students to weigh the length of our funding period, which surpasses what most history departments offer, our moderate workloads, and the low cost of living in Athens, Georgia. Departmental enhancement grants are also awarded as first-year supplements to the most qualified applicants. In addition, the Graduate School offers competitive, multi-year research and teaching assistantships and fellowships. All departmental and Graduate School teaching and research assistantships include tuition remission, health insurance benefits, and coverage of most student fees. These benefits apply to Georgia residents as well as out-of-state and international students. For detailed information on the department's graduate funding policies, including satisfactory progress requirements, please consult the Graduate Student Guidebook and the terms of specific Graduate School assistantships. Teaching Assistantships The majority of TAs are assigned to one of two categories as determined by the department needs, usually to a large undergraduate history survey class: Graders/Proctors/Office Hours: These TAs work directly with a supervising instructor and assist in all kinds of classes. Duties vary greatly, but usually include grading, proctoring exams, and holding office hours. Their duties usually do not include in-class teaching responsibilities. Discussion Leader (usually after the first semester): While these TAs assist a supervising instructor, they generally have more in-class teaching responsibilities. Their duties including preparing and presenting topics during breakout session in addition to grading and holding office hours. TAs are evaluated every semester by their instructor of record. The evaluation is available here. The TA policy is included in the Guidebook. Research Assistantships Atlanta History Center The department has partnered with the Atlanta History Center to create the Sheffield Hale Fellowship, a paid internship at the History Center’s Buckhead campus. Some of the past projects that students have assisted with include the updated exhibit at the Margaret Mitchell House as well as topics such including the Atlanta airport and Civil War Era Atlanta. Students will gain invaluable knowledge about all aspects of the museum industry including exhibitions, collections, administration, and education. Student Testimonial Maya Brooks: I worked on the Margaret Mitchell project and gained key knowledge on archival research after spending time researching Mitchell at UGA special collections, the Atlanta History Center Kenan Research Center, and the Auburn Avenue Research Library. I also got to experience the exhibition creation process from start to finish from initial research, text writing, the mapping of the exhibit space, and the creation of interactives throughout the exhibit. UGA Press A joint partnership between the department and UGA Press offers a yearlong graduate editorial apprenticeship with the press. In this role graduate students will learn how scholarly publishing operates. They will understand how books are acquired, peer reviewed, developed, and edited for publication. Student Testimonial Maya Brooks: I knew next to nothing about the publication process before doing an apprenticeship with UGA Press. I learned a lot from choosing as a team which books will go forth with publication, searching for appropriate reviewers for books, contracts between the press and its reviewers/authors, and what a finished manuscript looks like. If you’re looking for a career in publishing this is a great stepping stone. New Georgia Encyclopedia The NGE is the nation’s first digital state encyclopedia. It provides access to scholarship on a wide variety of topics. All of its entries are written and reviewed by scholars, fact-checked by reference librarians at the University of Georgia and updated regularly to reflect new information and recent developments. Graduate students at the NGE work with staff on all aspects of the publication process, including reviewing existing entries, editing new entries, and proposing new content based on their own research. Student Testimonial Lyn Hemingway: With this, I got to practice more history communication for a general audience. I also had to face the unique challenge of taking someone else’s work and “punching it up” to better suit a general audience at 8th grade reading level which can be hard with more specialized articles! Also, sending feedback articles to helpful user comments is great! It really is special to work together with commenters to improve the quality of the encyclopedia’s information when the comments are useful. UGA Libraries UGA is home to three libraries that comprise special collections: The Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Richard B. Russell Jr. Library for Political Research and Studies, and the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection. Student Testimonial Patrick Sheridan: Working at the Brown Media Archives gave me an admirable opportunity to enhance my research and public history experience. I was able to use many of the skills I learned in the PhD program, such as writing and database research, to create content for public audiences. I am grateful to UGA for providing so many opportunities to enhance my skills beyond the classroom. Lyn Hemingway: I would say Russell has been fun since it has lots of hands-on opportunities. This summer, I’m putting together some programming for an exhibit and am fabricating my small temporary exhibit myself! The Gable Editorial Internship for The Public Historian The premiere journal in the field of public history, this editorial internship allows students to gain extensive familiarity and training in public history and scholarly publishing. The internship offers an immersion in editing professional publications. Student Testimonial Maggie Neel: The Gable Editorial Internship for The Public Historian gave me experience in an important arm of academia. It introduced me to cutting-edge public history scholarship and the inner workings of a peer-reviewed journal while providing me the opportunity to edit now published work. Departmental Travel Grants Departmental travel grants for research and conference participation are available on a competitive basis for use during the fall, spring, or summer semesters. All department graduate students are eligible to apply for this funding. There are no restrictions on subject matter, time period, thematic interest, or stage in the program. Graduate School Travel Grants The Graduate School also offers Graduate School travel grants, competitive travel funding for students presenting their research at conferences and professional meetings. These awards can be up to $1,000 for domestic and $1,500 for international travel. Domestic Travel Grants (open to all graduate students) International Travel Grants (open to doctoral students and students pursuing terminal degrees) Other UGA Awards, Fellowships, Grants, and Scholarships UGA Graduate School offers many other prestigious fellowships to support dissertation research, writing and completion. History graduate students often win the Graduate School’s most sought-after awards. Graduate Student Research Assistantship The GSRA is awarded annually to the University’s most qualified individuals in pursuit of study or research. The award includes an elevated stipend during the student's first year, during which they serve as a research assistant to their major professor. Presidential and Doctoral Graduate Fellowships These prestigious, highly competitive awards were established to recruit exceptionally qualified students to our doctoral programs. Nominations for this award are presented to the Graduate School by individual departments or interdisciplinary programs in late January. The presidential award consists of a $10,000 supplemental award added annually to graduate assistantships for the first four years of the program. The doctoral award consists of a $7,000 supplemental award added annually to graduate assistantships during the first four years of the program. During that time the Graduate School pays mandatory student fees, provides travel support of $1,000 per year, offers regular programming that emphasizes professional / leadership development, and host regular meetings with senior university leadership. Maya Brooks, a third-year PhD student, has grown professionally and academically thanks to the Presidential Fellowship. Because of Presidential Fellows I have been able to travel to conferences and network with likeminded scholars. I've also met brilliant graduate students in other departments and learned more about their disciplines along with receiving vital professional development training. I was even given the opportunity to present my work to the Graduate Education Advancement Board comprised of prestigious UGA alumni. I'm incredibly grateful to have been chosen for this award. Ben Prostine, a second-year PhD student, has centered his time at UGA on furthering his research thanks to the additional stipend offered by the Presidential Fellowship. Receiving the Presidential Fellowship was one of the main reasons I chose UGA for graduate school. The additional funding from the fellowship has allowed me to focus on my own research in the summer (rather than seeking out paid work); in addition, the travel stipend connected to the fellowship has helped me visit archives for research. MA Fellow Award The MA fellow award helps recruit exceptionally qualified MA students to UGA program. Nominations for this award are presented to the Graduate School by individual departments or interdisciplinary programs in late January. The award consists of a $4,000 supplemental award added annually to graduate assistantships provided by academic units. Fellows will receive two years of support and must hold a departmental or extramurally-funded assistantship for the duration of the award. Other Graduate School Awards The Graduate School offers many other supplemental awards, scholarships, and fellowships, all available on their website. Excellence in Research by Graduate Students Award Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students Summer Research Grants for Doctoral Students Grants for Communication of Research and Scholarship UGA Dissertation Completion Fellowship George Hugh Boyd Memorial Scholarship Alfred E. Brown Scholarship Dianne C. Davison Scholarship Mary Erlanger Graduate Fellowship J.W. Fanning Graduate Fellowship Fund Goizueta Foundation Graduate Scholars Fund Assistantships Hamilton Lokey Graduate Scholarship Gwinn Henry Nixon Scholarship Osborne Graduate Fellowships for Students in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Phelps-Stokes Graduate Fellowship South Georgia Graduate Fellowship UGA Alumni Association Endowed Graduate Scholarship Jane S. & Harry Willson Graduate Fellowship Willson Center Fellowships The Willson Center provides funding through competitions for various internal grants. These include funds for travel to conduct research. Elyse Elyaman, a second year MA student, traveled to Latin America. The funds I received from the Wilson Center and Graduate School at UGA allowed me to travel to Chile, my country of study, to collect resources for my master's thesis. Thanks to the generous funding, I was able to spend over a month abroad in multiple cities doing my research and laying the groundwork for further studies. During my time there I was able to visit over 5 different archives and establish academic contacts in multiple universities. This was an incredible opportunity and I am so grateful to UGA for their support! UGA Office of Research Robert C. Anderson Memorial Award James L. Carmon Scholarship COS Pivot Pivot is a subscription database of more than 25,000 funding opportunities from numerous sponsors across all disciplines. UGA faculty, students, and staff can search the database and create custom email funding alerts based on the criteria provided by the individual COS user. You can also share funding opportunities with groups, and save and track opportunities. External Funding Sources The UGA Honors Program provides a comprehensive list of the major scholarships available to graduates, undergraduates, and graduating students. Other opportunities include: National Archives Regional Residency Fellowship, National Archives and Research Administration [More Info] International Dissertation Research Fellowships, Social Science Research Council [More Info] John H Daniels Fellowship, National Sporting Library [More Info] Smithsonian Inst Predoctoral Fellowship, Smithsonian Institution [More Info] Formby Research Fellowship, SW Collection Texas Tech University [More Info] The Dirksen Congressional Center, The Dirksen Congressional Center [More Info] New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, Massachusetts Historical Society [More Info] The Albert J. Beveridge Grant for Research in the Western Hemisphere, American Historical Association [More Info] Graduate Dissertation Award, Economic History Assoc [More Info] Fothergill Research Award, Bartram Trial Conference [More Info] Melvin Kranzberg Dissertation Fellowship (History of Technolgy), SHOT [More Info] Research Fellowships for the Study of the Global South, Tulane Univ [More Info] Short-term Visiting Fellowships, USC [More Info] Hal K. Rothman Fellowship, American Society for EH [More Info] K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award, Association of American Colleges and Universities [More Info] Ellison Durant Smith Research Award, USC, The South Caroliniana Library [More Info] World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship, Smith Richardson Foundation [More Info] Colonial Dames American History Scholarship, Colonial Dames American History [More Info] Archie K. Davis Fellowships, North Carolinia Society [More Info] Alfred D. Bell Travel Grant, Forest History Society [More Info] Hagley Museum Grants, Hagley Museum [More Info] Library Company of Philadelphia Fellowships [More Info] Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship [More Info] Miller Center of Public Affairs, UVA [More Info] Environmental Public Policy & Conflict Resolution Ph.D. Fellowship, Morris K. Udall Foundation [More Info] Julian Pleasants Visiting Scholar Grant, Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida [More Info] Chase Family Award for Visiting Graduate Scholars, P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History, Special & Area Studies Collections, at the George A. Smathers Library at the University of Florida [More Info] Robert and Gay Zieger Social Justice Scholarship Fund, Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida [More Info] Social Science Research Council, Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) [More Info]
