GRADUATE PROGRAM HANDBOOK

 

6. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic grade point average (over the last three years), letters of reference, the writing sample and the proposed program of work. This last is particularly important for doctoral applications.

Students are responsible for securing letters of reference and ensuring that their dossiers are complete.

Satisfactory progress is expected of all students holding fellowships and assistantships, whether external or internal. The normal pattern of progress for students in the PhD program is outlined in the Sample Chronology outlined in section 5 above. It is especially important that students holding fellowships or teaching assistantships attend to these expectations for progress through the degree program, because recommendations for initial awards and for renewals must be based on evidence of satisfactory progress toward the degree.

6.1 Internal Funding: TAships, Sessional lectureships, and RAships
6.2 University Fellowships
6.3 English Department Prizes
6.4 Travel Funding
6.5 External Funding

 

6.1 TAships, Sessional lectureships, and RAships

Teaching Assistants work 12 hours per week for each 16-week term, running discussion groups once a week and marking assignments and exams. TAs who hold Master’s degrees currently earn $11,342 per year; TAs without Master’s degrees earn $10,914 per year. Once a student has been appointed as a TA, s/he is entitled to reappointment according to the following schedule: doctoral candidates are guaranteed TAships for 8 terms, and MA students are guaranteed TAships for 4 terms. Only incoming students accepted on a full-time basis and with full standing and continuing full-time students registered in the graduate program and progressing at the accepted rate will be eligible for teaching assistantships. Students who at any point during the session fail to maintain their full-time status will ordinarily lose their assistantships. Renewal of an assistantship depends upon satisfactory progress in the degree program in which the student is enrolled, academic achievement, satisfactory teaching reports, and the needs of the Department. To read the CUPE contract, click here.

PhD students who are Advanced to Candidacy may hold partial sessional lectureships.

Many faculty members hire part-time research assistants to do library and database research, proofreading, editing, web design, conference planning, obtaining permissions, etc. Last year, faculty members in the Department of English spent over $60,000 on RA salaries. Students interested in assisting with faculty research should file their CVs with the Graduate Secretary and are encouraged to approach faculty members with overlapping interests about possible employment.

 

6.2 University Fellowships

University Funding. UBC offers outstanding doctoral students Four-Year Fellowships at the time of entrance. These fellowships provide a stipend of $16,000 per year for each of four years, and also pay tuition for each of the four years. The Department is allocated a certain number of these awards each year, and they are offered to the top recruits in the incoming doctoral class. The Department also uses GSI (Graduate Student Initiative) and GES (Graduate Student Entrance) funding to provide additional entrance scholarships and multi-year support packages to incoming doctoral students. Outstanding MA students are offered entrance scholarships.The department tops up these doctoral and MA awards with stipends and/ or TAships and RAships (see above). All funding is allocated on the basis of merit, as determined by the application package (transcripts, letters, and research statement). All eligible applicants are automatically considered for these awards. In addition, each fall, students are eligible to compete for general and criteria-based affiliated awards.

Aboriginal Graduate Fellowships. These Fellowships are offered to aboriginal graduate students through the First Nations House of Learning and administered through the Faculty of Graduate Studies. For detailed information, please refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies website here.

Rick Hansen "Man in Motion" Fellowships for Disabled Students. These awards are made available by the University of British Columbia to honour the incredible determination and many personal achievements of Rick Hansen. Two awards of $16,000 are awarded each year to physically disabled students enrolled in a full-time graduate program at UBC. For detailed information, please refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies website here.

There are many other specialized and affiliation scholarships available through the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Students are encouraged to peruse the list here.

 

6.3 English Departmental Prizes (no application necessary)

  • William Royce Butler and Jean Campbell Butler Scholarship. Scholarships totaling $43,200 have been endowed through a bequest by Jean Campbell Butler, to honour the memory of Dr. G.G. Sedgewick, for Department of English undergraduate and graduate students.
  • The Mairi Grant Campbell Fellowship in English Literature. $16,000 award granted to an outstanding PhD student in English. It may be renewed for a second year subject to satisfactory performance.
  • The Ann and William Messenger Scholarship in English. $9,500 award granted to an outstanding PhD student in English. Current and incoming students are considered.
  • The Gilean Douglas Scholarship in English. $8,000 awarded annually to students completing their theses.
  • The David Macaree Memorial Scholarship in English. $4,600 awarded to a student in Eighteenth-century English who is entering the PhD program or has been admitted to candidacy.
  • Gabriele Helms Memorial Graduate Scholarship. $1,400 scholarship for a graduate student studying Canadian Literature in the Department of English, with preference given to an international student.
  • Barbara Anne Wiebe Memorial Scholarship. $1,000 scholarship for undergraduate or graduate students studying English language and literature.
  • Mabel Mackenzie Colbeck Scholarship in English. $1,300 awarded to a student in the doctoral program in English.
  • The Stanley Merritt Ellery Read Scholarship in English. $750 awarded to a master's or doctoral student in English who has completed the first year of graduate study.
  • Carol Coates Literary Prize. $300 awarded to a student in English literature.
  • Paul G. Stanwood Prize in English. $300 awarded annually for the best doctoral thesis in English.
  • Leslie D. G. Brooks Memorial Prize. $200 awarded to a graduate student with preference to a student over 30 years of age whose studies have been interrupted for a period of time.

 

6.4 Travel Funding

The Graduate Student Travel Fund provides travel support of a maximum of $400 once to graduate students who present a paper or poster at an official conference or symposium (student workshops are excluded). For detailed information on this fund, please refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies website here.

The English Graduate Students’ Travel Fund provides travel support up to $500 once in the course of a graduate program to support a student presenting a paper at a conference. To be eligible, students must have already used the Faculty of Graduate Studies' travel funding.

 

6.5 External Funding

  • SSHRC Scholarships. Department of English graduate students have a very strong success rate with SSHRC and are encouraged to apply for funding as soon as they enroll in the program, if not during the year of their application. Canadian students applying to or enrolled in our MA program can apply for a CGS-MA Scholarship worth $17,500. Canadian students applying to or enrolled in our PhD program can apply for Doctoral fellowships worth $20,000 per year for up to 4 years or $35,000 per year for up to 3 years. MA and doctoral students can apply for CGS Foreign Study supplement of up to $6000 to support research outside of Canada. International and Canadian doctoral applicants and candidates are also eligible to be nominated for the Vanier CGS worth $50,000 for up to 3 years. Department deadline is in early Fall. See the SSHRC website for details here.
  • Sir James Lougheed Awards of Distinction. From $15000 to $20000 per year for up to two years for Albertan students. Click here for information.
  • FQRSC support for Quebec students. Click here for information.
  • Mackenzie King Open Fellowship. Open to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in any discipline, in Canada or elsewhere.
  • Open Scholarship. One Open Scholarship is awarded each year. The value has recently been about $10,000 but it is subject to change. Click here for information.
  • IODE Canada scholarships. Click here for information.
  • Minerva Foundation Award for BC women. Click here for information.
  • Canadian Federation of University Women awards, particularly the Margaret Dale Phelp Award. Click here for information.
  • Stewart Reid Fellowship. $5000 awarded to Canadian (or landed immigrant) doctoral student whose prospectus has been accepted by April 30th. Click here for information.
  • For information on loans, visit the University's Student Services Finance section, here.

 

 

 

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