Funding and Internships for MA in English

Financial Aid, Paid Employment, Awards & Travel Funding, and Internships for Credit

Costs

Resident Tuition

As of the 2017-18 academic year, graduate in-state tuition & fees total $8474 per year for full-time students (more than 6 units) and $5210 per year for part-time students (0-6 units). These costs do not include living expenses, travel, and books.

Non-Resident Tuition

For the 2017-18 academic year, there is a non-resident tuition fee of $372 per course unit added to the $8474 tuition & fees per year for full-time students and $5210 per year for part-time students. These costs do not include living expenses, travel, and books.

Financial Aid

Western Regional Graduate Program

HSU is a member of the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). WRGP is a program that allows students from fifteen western states to attend HSU and pay California Resident Tuition: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The English Department participates in this program. For more information, please visit the WRGP website.

Non-Resident Tuition Fee Waivers

Executive Order 605 authorizes the university to waive full or partial non-resident tuition for the most highly qualified non-resident applicants. The Department of English Graduate Committee reviews application files and awards these waivers shortly after fall priority admission decisions are made in February.

Federal and State Financial Aid

The Office of Financial Aid is a good starting point for any student looking for information on funding. All students are encouraged to complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as early as possible. The Office of Financial Aid also posts current information about statewide grants and scholarships and provides access to search engines for finding additional scholarships. For details on how to apply for financial aid, click here. Please note that for many California State financial aid programs, the deadline is March 2 by midnight (Central Time). October 1 is the opening date for FAFSA applications for the following academic year, and California recommends you file your FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1.

Federal Work Study Graduate Research Assistantships

Qualified MA students who are eligible for work-study funding may be matched with faculty or staff members whose research or creative projects require a research assistant. Awards of up to $5,000 per academic year (up to 15 hours of work per week) are typically available—contingent upon federal funding. Students must be enrolled in 6 units or more of course work to be eligible. While faculty members typically nominate students for these positions, students are also encouraged to seek out faculty and initiate a conversation about the possibility of working as their research assistants.

Paid Employment

Graduate Teaching Associate Position

Students in the M.A. Program in Applied English Studies may be interested in Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA) positions in the English department. Selected GTAs will teach English 104: Accelerated Composition and Rhetoric to (primarily) first-year college students. English 104 meets the General Education Writing Requirement at HSU. Professor Lisa Tremain, the First-Year Writing Program Director, guides GTAs during the planning, training and teaching experience.

In order to be eligible to apply for a GTA position, M.A. students must either:

Take English 581: Seminar in Teaching Writing during a spring semester prior to the teaching semester, or
Show evidence of similar preparation or coursework for teaching first-year composition at the undergraduate level.

Selected Graduate Teaching Associates may receive a tuition waiver during one or more semester(s) they are teaching. Please note that completion of English 581 or similar preparation does not guarantee a GTA position. GTA positions are contingent on the availability of funds and student eligibility (as determined by financial aid awards).

If you would like to be considered for a paid position as a Graduate Teaching Associate, please do the following:

Reach out to Lisa Tremain, First-year Composition Program Director, at lisa.tremain@humboldt.edu via email to express your interest.
Plan to take English 581: Seminar in Teaching Writing during a spring semester prior to teaching.

Interviews will be conducted with eligible applicants during the spring prior to teaching.

For more information, contact Prof. Lisa Tremain at ldt142@humboldt.edu.

Instructional Student Assistants in the English Department

Graduate students are encouraged to work as paid Instructional Student Assistants (ISAs) in the First-year Composition Program. ISAs will work with an instructor of first-year composition and engage in curriculum development, lesson planning and delivery, and feedback to students. For more information, please contact Lisa Tremain, Writing Program Director: lisa.tremain@humboldt.edu.

Writing Studio Consultants in the Learning Center

Writing Studio Consultants help other students organize and revise their writing assignments for courses in any subject area. Consultants meet with individual students in 30-minute blocks of time, either by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Consultants work with students to identify areas in their writing that would benefit from revision, and assist the students’ efforts to strengthen their overall papers, rather than proofreading or making changes for students. Regular paid meetings are mandatory. Applicants must have completed English 450 Tutoring Developing Writers (typically offered during the Fall semester) or equivalent prior to being hired. Positions typically open before the start of each semester. For more information, please contact Jessica Citti: jessica.citti@humboldt.edu.

AWARDS

ENGLISH SCHOLARSHIP

The English department is proud to offer two $1000 scholarships per academic year. To be eligible, students must be a declared English major, have a GPA of 2.5 or above, demonstrate financial need (based on FAFSA application), and write an essay about how you will use your degree in English. Please got to https://humboldt.academicworks.com/opportunities/2987 to apply.

TRAVEL FUNDING

Travel funding awards are available for currently enrolled English majors and graduate students only. The English Department awards up to $250 for student travel. To be eligible, students must be presenting at a conference or professional meeting. There are three undergraduate and three graduate awards for this amount available each academic year. Each student is eligible for one award per year.

It’s optimal to apply to other funding sources within Humboldt State University, such as the President’s Office; College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) travel funding (application released in early fall); Associated Students; Clubs and Activities; and other organizations relevant to your work. Also remember to check the conference website to see if student funding is available through the conference organization.

The deadline for submission is November 1 of each year.* This deadline applies no matter when the travel takes place in a given academic year. Academic years begin July 1 and end on June 30. Notifications will be sent before the November fall break.

INTERNSHIPS FOR CREDIT

TEACHING INTERNSHIPS (ENGLISH 681, 682, and 684)

Graduate students may intern in literature, composition, or English as a second language classes, where they work closely with faculty teaching the courses. Interns are exposed to a wide range of teaching activities and experiences, and receive mentoring from the faculty of record. Certain coursework may be necessary before enrolling in an internship. Consult the catalog and the graduate coordinator before enrolling in a graduate internship. While faculty members typically invite students for these internships, students are also encouraged to seek out faculty and initiate a conversation about the possibility of working as their teaching interns.