Assistantships
The principal form of financial aid that the Department provides is its graduate assistantships. In addition to financial support, these assistantships offer instruction and experience in teaching composition and literature at the college level. All applicants to the graduate program are automatically considered for these positions; there are no additional steps to apply for an assistantship. There are three types of assistantships:
PhD Graduate Assistantships (4 year appointment, unless otherwise specified)
- 100% UHM tuition waiver (excluding student fees) for Fall and Spring semesters
- Stipend of approximately $23,952 per year, effective Fall 2024
- 20 hours of work required per week, typically apprenticing or teaching in an undergraduate writing or literature class
Since most students do not complete their degrees in four years, the department attempts to provide options for lectureships through the seventh year. Such lectureships are dependent upon funds available to the department for lecture positions and progress in the program.
MA Graduate Assistantships (2 year appointment, unless otherwise specified)
- 100% UHM tuition waiver (excluding student fees) for Fall and Spring semesters
- Stipend of approximately $23,028 per year, effective Fall 2024
- 20 hours of work required per week. MA GAs work in the Writing Center for their first year. In the second year, they work 10 hours as an assistant in an upper-level English course with a faculty member as their mentor and for 10 hours they would either assist one of the journals in our department or assist in planning and managing the events for Words@Mānoa.
MA Mentoring Teaching Assistantships (2 year appointment, unless otherwise specified)
- 50% UHM tuition waiver (excluding student fees) for Fall and Spring semesters
- Stipend of approximately $11,514 per year, effective Fall 2024
- 10 hours of work required per week, either tutoring in the Writing Center or assistanting in an upper-level English course with a faculty member as their mentor.
The Paul Lyons Scholarship
This scholarship benefits MA students at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa whose scholarship and research interests focus on the Literatures and Languages of Oceania (Pacific islands, including Hawai‘i and Aotearoa). No preference will be given to which degree program as long as the scholar’s academic focus is related to this purpose. Funds shall be used for costs associated with attendance (e.g. tuition, books, fees, etc.).
The Red Mandarin and Lady Yi-suen Shen Scholarship
This scholarship was endowed by a former English Department faculty member, Yao Shen, in honor of her mother and her father, a high official in the Chinese court. Currently it provides the equivalent of resident graduate tuition for a Master’s candidate in English. Awardees are selected by the Graduate Director based on eligibility and ranking at admission; there is no application process for this scholarship. Recipients must be Hawai’i residents and enrolled full-time to receive the award.
Internships
The Grace KJ. Abernethy Apprenticeship with Mānoa offers a $6,000 stipend and the opportunity to gain professional experience in editing and publishing by working in the editorial offices of the literary journal Mānoa. Both Master’s and Ph.D. candidates with interest or experience in creative writing are eligible to apply. Information on the apprenticeship can be viewed on the STAR Scholarships website.
Prizes and Awards
A number of prizes are offered each year to graduate students in English, including the Abemethy Creative Writing Award for Master’s candidates in Creative Writing (which includes an approximately $4,000 scholarship); the Biography prize, a cash award for the best publishable paper in biography by a Ph.D. student; The Elizabeth McCutcheon Endowed Scholarship for Literary Studies; and, supporting travel to present papers at conferences, the UH Foundation Tu Travel Fund, GSO and English Department Travel Fund awards, and the Alan Mac Gregor Travel Scholarship. Details are announced in the Department at the appropriate time.
Need-based Financial Aid
Information about sources of need-based financial aid, including tuition waivers, loans, and work-study positions, may be found on the Financial Aid Office website.
Employment Opportunities
On- and off-campus job opportunities are available through the Student Employment & Cooperative Education website.
External Funding Opportunities
Information about grants and fellowships offered by external agencies may be found on the Office of Graduate Education website. Below is a list of fellowships that graduate students in English may be eligible for:
American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship
Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
Council on Library and Information Resources Mellon Fellowship for Dissertation Research in Original Sources
Dissertation Completion Fellowships
East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
Founder Region Fellowship
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad
Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trust
Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies Dissertation Completion Fellowship
National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program
Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i Graduate Fellowship Fund
Social Science Research Council Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship Program
Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Research Fellowship