The Department of French and Italian is very sensitive to the financial needs of its students and will do everything in its power to offer graduate students the monetary support that they need. In most cases, the department offers four-year guarantees of support (for students with no prior graduate work) and three-year guarantees of support (for students with prior graduate work) to incoming students. During this period of guaranteed support, students usually hold a fellowship or teaching assistantship. Decisions on support are made in February and offers are usually sent out in early March.
Current or most recent Teaching Assistant and Fellowship stipends are posted by the Graduate School’s Office of Fellowship Administration.
The three major sources of funding for graduate students are:
- Teaching Assistantships
- Fellowships & Departmental Awards
- Loans (UW Office of Student Financial Services)
The most common form of support in our department, Teaching Assistantships offer the pedagogical experience and training necessary to be competitive on the academic job market.
The basic Teaching Assistantship in our department is at the level of 36% time. Teaching assistants are classified as “experienced” when they have completed at least one and two-thirds semesters of teaching as defined by the collective bargaining agreement. This definition includes completion of the campus level workshops addressing diversity issues. A teaching assistant who has the required teaching experience of one and two-thirds semesters but has not completed the campus training will be given one semester during which pay can be at the experienced rate while training is completed. Teaching Assistants are classified as “senior” when they hve completed one and two-thirds semesters of teaching, and have completed all coursework and department requirements for candidacy for a Ph.D.
All teaching assistants with combined graduate assistant appointments of one-third time or more will receive a remission of out-of-state tuition as well as a remission of in-state fees. They must still pay segregated fees and special fees approved by the state legislature. A remission earned for the spring semester will also qualify the graduate student for a remission in the following summer.
Another important feature of a teaching assistantship at this level is the availability of an excellent health insurance program and sick leave benefits.
Fellowships & Departmental Awards
The Department nominates its top candidates for Academic Year University Fellowships. Advanced Opportunity Fellowships are also available to minority and disadvantaged students. Fellowship recipients also receive a full tuition waiver. Fellows who want to register for the summer receive a remission of out-of-state tuition, but pay resident tuition. These fellowships also provide eligibility for an excellent health insurance program.
The Department is sometimes able to offer a few Departmental Awards for the first year or two of graduate study. Departmental Awards will be awarded concurrently with Teaching Assistantships.