Assistantships and Funding

PhD Funding

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  • World-class faculty experts mentor PhD students in a dynamic research and learning environment. Students can focus on their research and scholarship alongside renowned faculty while preparing for the careers and professions that await them after graduation.
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PhD Funding Opportunities

  • Academic year stipends of $23,000 for all full-time, funded PhD students on 10-month academic teaching assistant, research assistant or graduate assistant appointments.
  • UB’s stipend levels are competitive among public Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions.
  • Additional Fellowship Opportunities:
    • Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship Program: To be eligible for a Schomburg Fellowship, candidates must contribute to the diversity of the student body, and can demonstrate that they have overcome a disadvantage or other impediment to success in higher education. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to receive Schomburg Fellowships.
    • Presidential Fellowships: To be eligible for Presidential Fellowships, candidates must meet the criteria listed on the Presidential Fellowship page. Both domestic and international students are eligible, if they meet these criteria. For any questions regarding funding for academic year 2024–2025, contact the director of graduate studies or department chair.

Teaching Assistantships (PhD only)

The Department of Classics supports approx. 11 students in the PhD program through teaching assistantships; typically, 2 or 3 of these are awarded each year to incoming students. The expected workload for teaching assistants is 20 hours per week. In Fall 2020, the base stipend for entering TAs will be approximately $20,000 per year.  There is a possibility for entering students to be awarded some additional funding if they are awarded College of Arts and Sciences scholarships.  The enhanced scholarships are competitive awards to students across the thirty departments of the College of Arts and Sciences.  Prospective students may not apply for these: the Classics faculty examines each entering student’s dossier, and nominates students for enhanced funding if they meet the qualifications.  A College-wide committee makes the decision on awarding funding to nominated students.

The  Excellence in PhD Initiative, which has significantly enhanced graduate student stipends, is advocating that entering PhD students be granted a year with stipend and without teaching duties, but this is still an expectation, not a guarantee. As of now, we can guarantee that PhD students admitted with  TA funding will receive a stipend of approximately $20,000, a full tuition scholarship and, medical insurance.  The strong expectation is that the new Excellence in PhD initiative funding will be renewable for up to five years of support for students making satisfactory progress towards the PhD and otherwise in good standing.  At minimum, funding will be renewable for four years of support, with a good likelihood of 5th year funding. Accepted students will be notified when admitted of the exact stipend and number of years of funding.   

Students entering the program with a teaching assistantship are usually assigned to assist in large enrollment classes taught by a faculty member. Their duties include attending the lectures, delivering occasional lectures to the class, and assisting with the composition and grading of exam and grading of papers. Advanced teaching assistants are usually provided the opportunity to teach one or more courses on their own during their third and/or fourth year of service. The courses regularly assigned to advanced teaching assistants include Latin 101 and 102, Women in the Ancient World, Ancient Sports, Heroes and Medical Terminology. When enrollment numbers justify it, graduate students may be able to assist in teaching Winter/ Summer session courses abroad, which the department has been offering in Greece, Italy, and Turkey.

Graduate students serving as sole instructors are supervised by faculty in the Department of Classics. 

 

 

Dissertation Fellowships

The College of Arts and Sciences may offer Dissertation Fellowships in the amount of $6,000 to assist advanced doctoral students in completing their dissertations.

UB Financial Assistance

Graduate applicants may be eligible for several other sources of funding offered by the University at Buffalo and the College of Arts and Sciences, including:

The Neely Fund

The James P. Neely Memorial Fund offers approximately $2,000 per year to support UB students in the Department of Classics. All declared Classics Majors (BA) and Classics MA and PhD students are eligible to receive funding. Funds may be used for educational expenses, travel or study abroad, or other purposes deemed by Department of Classics faculty as advancing the student’s experience and understanding of the classical world.

Travel Funding

The Department of Classics provides modest amounts of travel funding to graduate students when available to help with the expenses involved in interviewing for jobs and making presentations at the AIA and APA meetings, making presentations at regional conferences, undertaking dissertation research and participation in archaeological field projects.

How to Apply for Travel Funding

Each year, there will be two deadlines for submissions of applications for funding, one during the fall semester (November) and one during the spring semester (April). In order to be considered for funding, students must submit one document to Alison Blaszak that includes the following information:

  1. Applicant’s name
  2. Activity for which funding is being requested (nature, dates)
  3. Projected budget for activity
  4. Amount of funding requested from the Department of Classics
  5. Other sources of funding applied for or to be applied for to help cover costs of activity in question (e.g., GSA, AIA traveling fellowship, etc).
  6. Funding previously obtained from Department of Classics for research activities (amount, date)

Please note: For spring travel funding requests, students must leave for their destination no later than June 30. (E.g. Trip dates can be 6/30 – 7/29, but not 7/1 – 7/29.) Requests for travel after June 30 will not be considered. All reimbursements for the spring requests need to have taken place by June 30.