Funding

Typically, graduate funding takes the form of a combination of teaching assistantships, small grants, and occasionally larger fellowships, which usually involve University-wide competition. The funding package for each academic year covers tuition and either salary for teaching or stipend for grants or fellowships. The following are the standard funding packages that we offer at the MA and PhD levels. We make every effort to guarantee this funding as permitted by College and University resources, policies, and procedures.

MA Programs

All students admitted to the MA programs, including international students, receive two years of funding, which usually takes the form of teaching assistantships plus a stipend (see more below). The funding package covers tuition and includes summer funding after completion of the first year.

PhD Programs

All students admitted to the RelA PhD program, including international students, receive five years of funding, which usually takes the form of teaching assistantships plus a stipend (see more below). The funding package covers tuition and includes summer funding throughout the degree (amounting to four summers).

Graduate Assistantship Appointments

Graduate Assistantships are available for CNRC graduate students. As part of the department's commitment to prepare graduate students for academic careers, we typically support all students in good standing for two and five years. Initially, graduate assistants act as teaching assistants (TAs) grading examinations and papers in undergraduate courses or leading discussion sections of large lecture courses. 

Appointments are typically made at the 50% level (no more than 20 hours per week.) Teaching assistants at the 50% level are awarded a full-tuition scholarship, up to 14 credits per semester.

A variety of working groups, presentations, and seminars focused on teaching techniques and strategies are offered periodically throughout the year by the Graduate School, the Center for Educational Innovation, the Center for Writing, and other entities.

Research Assistant Appointments

From time to time CNRC faculty receive funding that will support the employment of a graduate research assistant (RA), generally at 25% or 50% time. These opportunities are communicated by the professor who is seeking a graduate student research assistant. CNRC graduate students also may apply for research assistantships with faculty in the other departments.

Fellowship Opportunities

For more information and a full list of fellowships available through the University, see the Graduate School Fellowship Office.

Note: If you are an underrepresented, educationally disadvantaged, or physically disadvantaged student, inform us at the time of application. The University offers special fellowships for which you might be nominated by the Department of Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures.

• Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF)
  The University of Minnesota gives the University's most accomplished Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to an outstanding research project by providing time to finalize and write a dissertation during the fellowship year. Award includes a $25,000 stipend for one academic year, tuition for up to 14 thesis credits each semester, and subsidized health insurance. Those that apply but don't receive the award, are entered into a college level running for a single semester CLA DDF. Similarly, the CLA DDF provides a stipend, tuition, and health insurance costs for a single semester.
• Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) Fellowship
  "The Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) Fellowship Program seeks to assist graduate research programs to promote a diversity of views, experiences, and ideas in the pursuit of research, scholarship, and creative excellence. This is promoted through the recruitment and support of academically excellent students who are looking to advance equity, diversity, and social justice through scholarly, volunteer, or community activism experiences that required a long-term commitment."
• Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC) Fellowships
  "The Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change offers fellowships that provide financial support for graduate students at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Nominees should have backgrounds and interests that identify them as outstanding students who are clearly committed to the interdisciplinary study of the Global South in the context of global change. We encourage nominations of exceptionally capable students—especially, but not only, from the Global South and groups traditionally underrepresented in graduate education."
• ICGC Scholar Fellowships
• ICGC-Mellon Scholar Fellowships