Funding

What you need to know about funding at UC Davis

Funding in the Comparative Literature Ph.D. program typically comes from a combination of fellowships and employment. Students in the M.A. program are not offered funding packages upon admission.  Both Ph.D. and M.A. students may elect to apply for financial aid such as loans, workstudy, and grants. 

Fellowships

• Internal: UC Davis uses a variety of internal fellowship funds to support academic graduate students. Internal fellowships can provide financial support in the form of a stipend (or "living allowance"), Tuition & Fee, Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (NRST), research, travel or any combination of these. The value of the fellowships varies from $1,000 to as much as a $50,000/year award.  Students applying for admission and those in their dissertation writing years are especially encouraged to apply.

• External: External fellowships are those offered by private foundations, government agencies, and corporations. UC Davis staff are here to support you should you wish to pursue an outside fellowship opportunity.

• Comparative Literature fellowships: Ph.D. students making satisfactory progress toward the degree are granted a one quarter-off fellowship while they prepare for the preliminary and qualifying exams. The fellowship covers tuition and also provides a living stipend. Other opportunities for current students are announced by email.

Employment

Graduate Student titles include:

• Reader (course assistant who does course admin tasks and grading)
• Teaching Assistant (TA)
• Associate In _ (AI)
• Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

Students working at least 25% time (10 hours per week) as a Reader, Teaching Assistant, or Associate In receive a remission of resident fees & tuition.  The remission does not cover Non-resident supplemental tuition (NRST). Ph.D. student nonresidents may be offered an NRST fellowship by their home department. . For complete information on fee remissions, see Student Accounting.

Graduate Student Researchers working at least 25% time (10 hours per week) receive a full tuition remission.

Graduate students are limited to working 50% time (20 hours per week) to ensure that they have adequate time to keep up their degree progress.

What type of employment is typical in my program?

Students in the Comparative Literature Ph.D. program frequently serve as readers, TAs, and AIs for these courses:

COM 5 - Fairy Tales, Fables, and Parables
COM 6 - Myths and Legends
COM 7 - Literature of Fantasy and the Supernatural
COM 1 - Major Works of the Ancient World
COM 2 - Major Works of the Medieval and Early Modern World
COM 3 - Major Works of the Modern World
COM 4 - Major Works of the Contemporary World

These positions require students to meet eligibility criteria, complete required training, and engage in pedagogical learning and development. 

When not employed in their home department, students sometimes seek employment opportunities in other programs instead of their home department in order to expand their resume.