OU's English Program offers a variety of awards, assistantships, and other opportunities for funding to pursue your academic and professional goals.
Nominations for awards are made by English Department faculty.
Students cannot nominate themselves.
| Award | Description |
|---|---|
| Dr. Betty Evans Scholarship | Awarded for superior critical or creative writing to a student enrolled in English courses. |
| Dr. Donna Gerstenberger Scholarship in English Literature | Awarded for superior critical or creative writing by a full-time, regularly enrolled English major. |
| Goldia Cooksey Memorial Award | Awarded for superior critical or creative writing to a student enrolled in English courses. |
| James C. Benson Writing Prize in English | Awarded for superior critical or creative writing by an English major. |
| Joe Sidney Nicholson Scholarship | Awarded for superior critical or creative writing by a junior or senior English major with at least one year of residence and at least a 3.5 GPA. Established by Mrs. Ruby G. Nicholson in memory of her son, Joe Sidney Nicholson. |
| Lydia Dorothea Haag Award | Awarded for superior critical or creative writing to a newly enrolled English major. |
| Margaret Castelez Scholarship | Awarded for superior critical or creative writing by an English major. |
| John Allen Gifford Award | Awarded for Nature Writing. |
Nominations for awards are made by English Department faculty.
Students cannot nominate themselves.
| Award | Description |
|---|---|
| Barbara Anne Scheffer Award In Literature | Awarded for the best research paper on women writers in American or English literature. |
| Dr. Edward Murray Clark Memorial Scholarship Award | Awarded to a deserving student committed to teaching upon receipt of the degree. |
| Pete Kyle McCarter Memorial Award | Awarded for academic achievement in American Studies. |
| Roy and Florena Hadsell Scholarship | Awarded for achievement in academic work and teaching. |
| Nancy L. Mergler Dissertation Completion Fellowship | The Nancy L. Mergler Dissertation Completion Fellowship is an award for Ph.D. candidates who are in the final phases of dissertation writing. The purpose of the award is to recognize especially meritorious projects and to support their completion. |
Teaching assistantships with stipends of $12,887 are available on a competitive basis for three years at the M.A. level, while stipends of $14,608 are available on a competitive basis for five years at the Ph.D. level. Prospective students interested in teaching assistantship support should indicate that on the application cover sheet. Two weeks before the beginning of the first semester, all students who receive teaching appointments will also participate in a seminar to help them prepare for their courses, covering topics such as reading assignments, writing assignments, paper grading, and classroom strategy. After a Ph.D. student has completed coursework and passed the General Exams, dissertation research can be supported with a $1,000 increase in the assistantship stipend for one year.
Students who have completed and defended their dissertations and are entering the job market may apply for a one year post-doctoral appointment.
In addition to teaching assistantships, fellowships, and special stipends, there are other sources of financial support in the English Department associated with specialized professional training:
| Fellowship | Description |
|---|---|
| The Rader Fellowship | The Rader Graduate Fellowship was established to honor Dr. Katherine Rader. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1936; Master of Arts in 1940; and Doctor of Philosophy in English in 1951, all at the University of Oklahoma. She held academic positions at Northwestern State College in Alva and then at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee. From 1967 till her retirement in1980, Dr. Rader assumed the position of Professor of English at Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma). Throughout her professional career she was a supporter of the University of Oklahoma. The two-year fellowship for M.A. candidates and Ph.D. candidates in English include: a teaching or research assistantship (plus tuition waiver sufficient to meet the requirements of the degree, in-state and out-of-state), basic health insurance subsidy, and travel funds for research or conferences. |
| The Bambas Scholarship | M.A. or Ph.D. students working on medieval literature are eligible for the Rudolph C. Bambas Memorial Scholarship. This award, of approximately $2,000, was established by Dr. Frieda Derdeyn Bambas in memory of her husband, Rudolph Bambas, a former professor of Anglo-Saxon at OU's English Department. |
| English Department Dissertation Fellowships | Ph.D. students working on their dissertations are eligible to apply for a one-year dissertation fellowship, which will provide them financial support without any teaching duties. Applicants must demonstrate that they have completed substantial work on the dissertation and that they have a clear plan and writing schedule for the remaining chapters. Students awarded fellowships will be expected not to take on any additional work responsibilities, so that they can concentrate on research and writing. |
| University and Graduate College Fellowships | Additional fellowships from the Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences are available to qualifying applicants. Learn more about these fellowships here. |
| Nancy L. Mergler Dissertation Completion Fellowship | The Nancy L. Mergler Dissertation Completion Fellowship is an award for Ph.D. candidates who are in the final phases of dissertation writing. The purpose of the award is to recognize especially meritorious projects and to support their completion. |
There are multiple sources for the funding for conference presentations and other travel associated with research:
You have to apply for all funding sources unless you are not eligible for one of the sources.
Be sure to apply as early as you can—the College of Arts and Sciences requires that your application be in their office no later than thirty (30) days prior to your travel.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| The Center for Faculty Excellence | Learn about internal and external funding sources that can be used to advance your Research and Creative Activities (R&CA). Identify the funding amounts, uses, and sources that will best advance your intellectual and creative pursuits. CFE can help you transition from ideation to execution through workshops that provide strategies, tools, and resources. Individual consultations are also available to help you craft your communication strategy with managers in funding agencies. |
| Vice President for Research and Partnerships | The Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships advances the University of Oklahoma’s commitment to Pillar 5 of the Lead On, University Strategic Plan through our support of Norman campus research. They strive to enrich and positively impact Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through research and creative activities. In doing so, they're actively supporting increases in sponsored research expenditures through internal investments to seed growth. Furthermore, we continue to grow our strategic research verticals and cross-cutting foundational organizations. |
| Arts & Humanities Faculty Fellowships | The purpose of the AHFF program is to support dynamic and innovative research and creative activity projects proposed by regular faculty in the arts, fine arts, and humanities by providing them the opportunity to focus on a scholarly and/or creative activity that significantly transforms the faculty member’s research program and makes notable contributions to their field. |
| Faculty Investment Program (FIP) | The Faculty Investment Program (FIP), operated by the Norman Campus Research Council, provides funding on a competitive basis to develop and expand the scholarly, i.e., research and creative, activities of Norman campus researchers, including researchers associated with Norman campus programs at OU-Tulsa. FIP is designed to provide maximum flexibility in meeting faculty needs via strategic investment of funds with a high degree of expectation and accountability. Ultimately, FIP is expected to enhance the national and international reputation of the University of Oklahoma via excellence in scholarship. |
| Ed Cline Faculty Development Award | All faculty at the rank of assistant professor and above are invited to submit applications to the Faculty Senate for the Ed Cline Faculty Development Awards. The faculty development fund was created by President Boren to provide support to enhance the professional development of the faculty. In 2008, the awards were named after Prof. Ed Cline (Mathematics) who while Chair of the Faculty Senate during 2002-03 was instrumental in their creation. |
| Provost Sabbatical & Fellowship Awards | The University of Oklahoma is committed to supporting faculty as they pursue professional development and academic excellence. Sabbatical support and other awards such as the Presidential International Travel Fellowships are available to qualified applicants. |
