Department of English - The University of Montana

Undergraduate Scholarships

Helen J. Olson Scholarship

Amount: varies. For 2003, $2536 divided among up to three students. Eligibility: Students must have declared a major in English with an emphasis in literature; must attain junior or senior status during the following academic year; must have a GPA of 3.4 or higher; must be certified as eligible for financial aid by completing a "Need Analysis for Scholarships" form through the Financial Aid Office.

Application: Submit 1) an original expository essay, previously submitted to a faculty member as a class requirement, and 2) a single page, single spaced letter of application confirming your eligibility, describing the significance of the essay in the context of your studies, and noting any length or thematic constraints imposed by the instructor.

Criteria: Essays will be judged on the basis of scholarship, quality of ideas, and clarity of argumentation.

Deadline: March 31.

Maureen Mansfield Scholarship

Amount: varies. For 2003, one scholarship of $900. Eligibility: Students must have declared a major in English with an emphasis in literature; must attain junior or senior status during the following academic year.

Application: Submit 1) letter of application, including GPA, 2) recent transcript (unofficial is fine), 3) two letters of recommendation from English department faculty. Note: Students may apply jointly for the Maureen Mansfield and Rose Southworth Megee scholarships.

Criteria: This award seeks to benefit students who have shown themselves to be consistently strong students, both in their academic ability and commitment to education.

Deadline: March 31.

Rose Southworth Megee Scholarship

Amount: varies. For 2003, two scholarships of $825 each. Eligibility: Students must have declared a major in English with an emphasis in literature; must attain junior or senior status during the following academic year.

Criteria: This award seeks to benefit students who have shown themselves to be consistently strong students, both in their academic ability and commitment to education.

Deadline: March 31.

Graduate Funding and Scholarships

Teaching Assistantships (TA's)

Teaching Assistantships are available to MA and MFA students; some TA's are awarded for two years. Assistants teach composition, basic composition or work as writing tutors in the writing lab. All must participate in a seminar in teaching composition. Assistantships are generally awarded by April 15 of each year.

The teaching assistantship is the main source of financial support for graduate students. Each TA provides a stipend and a partial waiver of fees in compensation for teaching three to four credits per semester assigned by the Department.

A teaching assistantship is a contract for employment with definite requirements and obligations, and to the extent that the selection process is competitive, it confers a form of academic recognition. It is not an award or an honor, nor is it primarily a form of financial aid.

The duties of an assistant are to teach one section of Composition each semester or perform such other tasks as the Department Chairman shall require. Part-time assistantships are arranged individually by the Chairman according to the Department's needs. If the assistant is engaged in teaching Composition, his or her responsibilities include assisting students in classes and regular office hours, attending meetings as required by the Department, and meeting other responsibilities as may be required outside teaching hours. Each Assistant shall also solicit student evaluations each semester and submit these to the Department secretary. The forms and procedures for evaluation will be determined by the Department.

A teaching assistantship may not be held for more than a total of four semesters (ordinarily, two years). Certain other requirements and restrictions are specified in the current Graduate Programs & Admissions bulletin.

To be considered for a teaching assistantship, the applicant must be fully admitted to the Graduate School, except in unusual circumstances must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, must normally have a Verbal score of 600 on the Graduate Record Examination, or combined aptitude scores of 1500. For candidates enrolled in the MA (Teacher Option), one year of teaching experience is also required.

All decisions on assistantships are made by the Graduate Committee on the basis of academic or creative ability, teaching ability or potential, expository writing ability.

Academic or creative ability. This is judged from the applicant's writing sample; academic transcripts; Graduate Record Examination scores, including those on the Advanced test in Literature in English (if submitted); and letters of recommendation.
Teaching ability: This is judged from the applicant's previous teaching experience, if any, and letters of recommendation. If the applicant has been in residence at the University, faculty evaluations of potential teaching ability may be solicited by the Graduate Committee.
A renewal of a teaching assistantship for a second year is not automatic. Each application for a renewal will be evaluated on the basis of satisfactory course work, progress toward the degree, and teaching performance during the preceding year.

All applicants for a Teaching Assistantship (including MFA applicants) must attach a sample of their expository writing, essay, term paper, or research paper; it need not be from an English course so long as you believe it fairly represents your writing ability. If you are applying for or are already in any of the MA programs, the expository writing sample you submitted in your application for that program may also serve for this assistantship application; thus you need submit only one copy of that sample.

Download and complete the Application for Teaching Assistantship to apply.

MFA Scholarships and Awards

Outstanding students in fiction and poetry may be nominated at the end of their first year by the faculty for Fiction and Poetry Fellowships. These fellows teach one section of Creative Writing for an academic year.

The Richard Hugo Memorial Scholarship (min. $1,500) is awarded annually to an incoming poetry student. Go to: The Richard Hugo Memorial Scholarship

The Beebe Scholarship ($250) is awarded annually to an enrolled creative writing student.

The annual Merriam-Frontier Award gives $250 and chapbook publication to the best poetry, fiction or essay manuscript by an MFA student.

MFA and MA Scholarships and Awards

Faculty nominate MA and MFA students with a strong publication record for the annual Bertha Morton Scholarships.

Other Scholarships

MFA students may compete with other students in the humanities for annual Erasmus Scholarships awarded by the Department of Philosophy. See Erasmus Scholarship Information