Funding

• Department Fellowships: Some awards may be for an academic year or only one semester with a teaching assistantship for the second semester. There are separate fellowships available to support work in German and Scandinavian Studies. These fellowships do not require separate applications beyond the admissions application.
• Diversity of Views and Experience Fellowships (DOVE): The DOVE program assists departments in recruiting and retaining US citizens underrepresented in graduate study.  Applicants nominated by the department for this fellowship will be notified and asked to provide two supplemental statements explaining how their background, experiences, and achievements will contribute to the University's goal of promoting excellence through diversity.

We are committed to excellence in second-language instruction. Our teaching assistants gain a wide range of experience in German, Dutch, or Scandinavian language courses while pursuing their studies. Teaching assistants are responsible for one section per semester in the lower-division language program. Advanced students in the German program may also teach literature and composition-conversation courses, subject to the availability of positions.

Graduate students receive comprehensive training and mentoring as they develop their skills as teachers and become familiar with current language pedagogy and instructional technologies. Beginning instructors work collaboratively and are supported through weekly staff meetings, contact with experienced instructors, and shared materials.

Graduate students beyond their first year may apply for the following:

• Hella Lindemeyer Mears Fellowships
  • This fellowship provides a full academic year of support, tuition waiver, and health insurance. Mears Fellows work with secondary school teachers of German in the Greater Twin Cities area as teaching assistants in promoting the study of German language and culture to their students.
• Gerhard Weiss Fellowship in German Studies
  • This fellowship provides summer support for graduate students in good academic standing who are conducting research leading to the dissertation and timely completion of the PhD.
• Graduate Research Partnership Program
  • The GRPP program provides summer awards for selected Germanic Studies PhD students who work jointly with a faculty member on a research project.
• Research Assistantships
  • ​​​​​​​Individual faculty members who receive research funding hire graduate students of their choice on an as-needed basis. The availability of these positions varies from year to year.
• Travel and Research Grants
  • ​​​​​​​PhD and MA students may apply for grants to pay for a portion of travel to deliver conference papers, conduct archival research, or attend a job interview at an academic conference. Short-term research grants are available for PhD students to pay for summer travel directly related to scholarly work.
• Career Diversification Internships
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The department provides support for graduate students to take advantage of internships on or off campus and encourages them to explore the range of opportunities available for individuals with advanced humanities education, from academic support areas to the non-profit and private sectors. 

The Graduate School administers University-wide fellowships for current graduate students, as well as international fellowships for study or research abroad (e.g., Fulbright and DAAD grants). Germanic Studies PhD students have successfully competed for several University-wide fellowships, including:

• Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship
  • University-wide competition for mid-career PhD students to study with faculty at one of the University’s interdisciplinary research centers or institutes.
• Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships
  • ​​​​​​​University-wide competition for students in the final stages of dissertation writing.
• Harold Leonard Memorial Fellowship in Film Study
  • ​​​​​​​This fellowship provides an academic year of support for students working in cinema and visual culture.
• Norman Johnston DeWitt Fellowship
  • ​​​​​​​The fellowship supports advanced PhD students in the humanities for one academic year.
• Torske Klubben Fellowship
  • ​​​​​​​for PhD students to support research projects related to Norway.
• Fulbright grants
  • ​​​​​​​for independent study and dissertation research abroad.
• DAAD grants
  • ​​​​​​​for independent study and dissertation research abroad.

Graduate students can also find support outside the department.

• Other UMN departments, research centers, or offices sometimes employ Germanic Studies graduate students as part-time teaching or administrative assistants.
• The Office of Student Finance accepts applications for scholarships, loans, and work-study grants.

More information will be available soon!